S-04 and Dry Hopping

[Pehlman17]

I had a thought the other day and figured I’d see if this is even a thing…

I’ve read on a few other past threads how S-04 can often produce a decent amount of acid in fermentation and push finished beer pH a bit lower than ideal for some styles. However I also understand that a hefty dry hop load can push pH up a few points or so. Is there a scenario where these qualities could balance each other out in a good way? Especially with how often I now see recommendations for acidifying wort post-boil for IPA. Maybe this specific strain could ultimately land somewhere in the right spot without the need to adjust?

I’m sure it’s been considered before, but figured I’d throw it out there anyway. Food for thought I suppose. Prost!

 

[dmtaylor]

Excellent hypothesis. I have no idea if this would work in practice, but I do think it's worth playing around with.

Cheers.

 

[Pehlman17]

I did get a new pH meter recently that I need to put to good use.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Each yeast will land at a general pH when the proper pitch rate and fermentation conditions are met. So the idea that you can mitigate a pH rise from selecting yeast that produces more acid is valid and very practical.

In my experience I found that Chico strains have a finish pH of 4.4 or so. When dry hopped the pH can rise to 4.5-4.6 or higher depending on the amount of hops in the dry hop, to me the finish is a little rough above 4.4. English yeasts like S04 have a finish pH slightly lower 4.3. So it is possible to perceive a smoother bitterness from one yeast compared to another with all other things being equal.

One of the yeast I have used to make PA/IPA's was K97, dry Kolsch yeast. The finish pH on that yeast is @ 4.1 or so. After dry hopping the pH comes up to 4.3 or so. The beers turned very nice and very smooth. I brewed a Pale Ale with K97 and it went on to win a gold medal in a fairly big comp, so I believe there is something to that idea.

Lower pH doesn't always make the beer smooth, but it's one of the tools in the box you can use to improve the quality of your beers.

 

[Pehlman17]

Each yeast will land at a general pH when the proper pitch rate and fermentation conditions are met. So the idea that you can mitigate a pH rise from selecting yeast that produces more acid is valid and very practical.

I’ve been wanting to do some pH testing on a few commercial IPAs and see if there is much variation going on. I’ve had a hypothesis in my head that modern IPA brewing been actively pushing pH down the last few years as a means of emphasizing fruity flavors. My palate tends to lean a tad more old school and I often find that to me the IPAs one might describe as “juicy” can have an almost tart astringency to them. Like from the pith of a citrus fruit. Although I also understand polyphenols can contribute to this quality as well.

I need to test for myself and see if there is any correlation between my personal taste preferences and pH. I like using dry yeasts now whenever I can, but I’ve also seen a few experiments folks have done where strains like S-04 and Nottingham have a lower finished beer pH than their liquid counterparts (for lack of a better term). It got me wondering if there would be other process variables that one could change to mitigate this difference when using the dried strains.