Mash PH Questions

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hbhudy

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I have been brewing AG batches for a few years now, mostly Pale Ales & IPAs. I have never really worried about the PH of my mash, but I have been reading that the controlling the PM can help with my efficiency and overall beer quality. Does anyone have some simple techniques for how to control the mash ph?
 
Well your first step is to get a water report or even better, send your water to ward labs and get it analyzed. There are water spreadsheets / calculators that can help determine the expected PH of the given grain bill and the water you are using.

For me i just use RO water and make my salt additions and will add a little acid malt if necessary. My Tap water profile changes throughout the year so RO water mitigates that issue.
 
Also keep in mind that while you can estimate mash pH by knowing your water parameters, your sparge water will not have as much contact time with your grain so will likely have a significantly higher pH. So unless you're using the no sparge technique, acidifying your sparge water can prevent problems...


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Your efficiency will only go up if your original water profile was horribly wrong. Don't expect a huge efficiency jump... expect great beer.
If you're suffering low efficiency, the first place to look is the crush.
 
The primer linked above is certainly a good way to start.

I've never been one to pay for bottled water, so I took the entirety of my water company's reported history, plotted all the data, and averaged it month to month to account for seasonal changes. Given that all the numbers line up in terms of ion balance, and that my actual mash pH is always within 0.1 of what Bru'N Water predicts (as measured by calibrated pH meter), the system works fine for me. And, of course, treat my water with campden tablets for the chlorine and chloramine.

As far as the chemistry behind it, I would check out Bru'N Water. In addition to the best spreadsheet for water calculations and mash pH prediction I've ever used, his water knowledge page is absolutely fantastic.

Paying attention to water didn't help my efficiency. But it made my beers taste better all around.
 
Unless the OP brews with water that has very little mineralization or uses RO water, the Primer is useless. The Primer requires that a brewer start with water with very low mineralization.

As mentioned above, the first step is to know what is in the water you are using. Getting it tested or seeing if the supplier has information on the water quality is a necessary thing. You can't figure out which way to go unless you know where you are.
 
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