Ditch the pH meter?

[rhys333]

I know I'll get some flack for that heading, but I thought I'd report my experiences here. I struggled for a time with astringency from local water variables and possible over-sparging. Following the great advice from HBT members, particularly those in in this section, I'm now consistently producing bright, flavorful beers but I never use a pH meter to do this. I realize I'm promoting heresy by ditching the meter but it's working.

I do as many other brewers do, building up my water with minerals and acid to get the desired pH and flavor profile. Conversion and efficiency are always very good and the beers are bright and flavorful. The only time I experience issues is when I get a little greedy and over-sparge the grain, leading to tannin extraction. I can easily obtain mid 80's brew house efficiency, but the key (with my system) is to stay at or just under the 80% mark.

Since the mash alchemy happens relatively quickly, possibly faster than pH corrections can be made, I've always wondered what the benefit is to using a pH meter at all. Isn't it just recording something that has already happened... horse out of the barn kinda thing? I find that by using quality ingredients, knowing my system and relying on the excellent brewing spreadsheets as a resource, the pH meter ends up being an unnecessary tool.

 

[eric19312]

I agree with the horse out of the barn analogy and don't really use my meter to make adjustments (but I will if I get a pH much higher than expected).

I think it is best used in designing recipes with malt bills and mash profiles that you frequently repeat. I have 2-3 of these that make up about 90% of my brew days. I used my meter quite a bit in first few batches of these to make sure my pH was ending up where I wanted it. In one recipe for example I found it worked best to add all my brewing salts to my strike water and then just slightly acidify sparge water. In another recipe I add the brewing salts to both mash water and strike water. I could use "how the beer comes out" to guide this decision but have plenty of other things I want to test downstream from mash. (hops, yeast, fermentation profile, packaging techniques...).

 

[Iseneye]

I use my pH meter to confirm the spreadsheet calculations. Over a number of brews I was missing my pH high by say 0.1 to 0.2. I then adjusted future brews accordingly. I don't adjust during the mash.

AJ has a really good primer on building up water from RO and not using a pH meter.

 

[jddevinn]

I don't use the Ph meter after I have the recipe dialed in. I've gotten bad at not taking any readings except for OG and FG (Both with a refractometer) on "house" beers

 

[jwelch1103]

.
AJ has a really good primer on building up water from RO and not using a pH meter.

Can you provide a link to that please. I purchased and then never used a ph meter. I build my water using Bru'n water and my beers turn out fine. I'd like to read that primer so I understand better. Thanks

 

[Erik_Mog]

Link to the primer:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=198460

 

[rhys333]

Well I went and started this thread, then dropped off the face of the earth. Thanks for sharing all your thoughts and I certainly agree that the pH meter can be a useful tool for cross checking spreadsheet calculations. I'd also like to have one to help determine pH level for ingredients that don't have this information posted. Other than that though... I go with a different recipe every time I brew and haven't needed to rely on a pH meter to get the job done. It's an expensive bit of kit to start with and then there's the fluids you need to keep the thing going. I just wonder what I'd be gaining by purchasing one...