Is Ph important for extract brewing?

[JoshGarvey]

How critical is the water Ph when doing an extract kit? I know for all grain the Ph of the mash is very important.

 

[Skyforger]

Not very. It will affect the beer flavor to a degree, but a lot of the importance of the pH has to do with its impact on the mash, which is already taken care of for you with extract. As long as you're within a reasonable range it should be fine.

Note that this all is so long as you add the extract later in the boil. If you boil it for too long in a higher-pH environment (i.e, if your water is alkaline), you will begin to produce more melanoidins which darkens the beer and changes the flavor profile. Melanoidins aren't necessarily a bad thing - in fact, they are a vital flavor component in many maltier styles of beer - but usually a recipe is formulated to have the proper balance without this additional variable.

Another possibility aside from the malt-related stuff is that, with very alkaline water, you may get a harsher hop bitterness. This can be compensated for to a degree by first wort hopping or using bittering hops.

Overall, most extract brewers don't usually worry overmuch about it though - except in cases of very alkaline water.

lots of info about the impact of pH on beer: http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=How_pH_affects_brewing

 

[JoshGarvey]

Great! Thanks for the information.

 

[Grinder12000]

However. This does not mean to ignore your water. While mash PH is not that if of deal having the correct minerals in your brew for better fermentation and to help hops.

You can make good beer with default water but like everything fixing water is yet another thing you can do to make better and better beer.