It's been awhile since I have frequented the brew science forum. In the time since I first came here with high alkalinity issues with my local water supply, I have purchased a basic pH meter and some of the basic ingredients for adjusting the pH of my water down (gypsum, CaCl, and acid malt). I've used the spreadsheets available on this forum and toyed with a mix of my own water and distilled water depending on the style (anywhere from 100% to 70%).
I have been able to consistently get my worts in the 5.2-5.6 pH range. The beers have been noticeably better (especially my lighter beers). But one trend has emerged and I wonder if it is anecdotal, or expected.
I usually take my mash pH at around 5 min into the mash, then every 15 min for the remainder of my mash (60-90 min total depending on style). I have noticed that the pH of the mash tends to rise about .1 on each successive reading, but never more than .2 to .3 over the course of the mash. The precision of my meter is only .1 so the change may be larger than that. But it seems to be fairly consistent.
My assumption is that as the enzymes go to work and the starch to sugar conversion takes place that the pH of the wort will change correspondingly. But that is only an uneducated guess on my part.
Does this sound right or is something else at work?
I have been able to consistently get my worts in the 5.2-5.6 pH range. The beers have been noticeably better (especially my lighter beers). But one trend has emerged and I wonder if it is anecdotal, or expected.
I usually take my mash pH at around 5 min into the mash, then every 15 min for the remainder of my mash (60-90 min total depending on style). I have noticed that the pH of the mash tends to rise about .1 on each successive reading, but never more than .2 to .3 over the course of the mash. The precision of my meter is only .1 so the change may be larger than that. But it seems to be fairly consistent.
My assumption is that as the enzymes go to work and the starch to sugar conversion takes place that the pH of the wort will change correspondingly. But that is only an uneducated guess on my part.
Does this sound right or is something else at work?