New to using RO water, do I need to measure ph?

[njohnsoncs]

I've been using my tap water treated with some campden to brew for a couple years now but I would like to use RO water and build the water profile for my beers. I was told I should use a ph meter to measure the ph of my mash. Ph meters are more expensive than I really want to spend and I read that paper strips don't work that well. Do I really need to worry about ph or can I just follow a recipe which describes which salts/minerals to add to the RO water. Will that get me close enough? Better than blindly using my tap water? Or do I need to measure the ph?

 

[bradccook]

Paper strips are better than nothing. And they're only like $2.

 

[MildAvers]

Use a brewing water calculator to estimate mash pH. Brunwater, Mash Made Easy, EZ Water, etc...

Of course the only way to know for sure is to actually measure the mash pH and adjust from there as the calculators aren't perfect.

You might be able to use your tap water but you'll need to get it tested to determine its makeup. Ward Labs is one that can do the test for you.

Test strips are worthless, please dispose of them properly. You'll need a pH meter if you really want to test and record the actual mash pH.

 

[deadwolfbones]

fwiw, I bought some RO'd water from a grocery store machine recently without realizing that it was 8.8 pH "alkaline water." Thought I'd wasted my money. But when I plugged the info into the Brewer's Friend water calculator, the pH of the starting water made zero difference in the mash pH. I tried 5.5 vs 8.8. I went ahead and made the beer and it came out great.

Also fwiw, I know several pro brewers (one of them is a chemist at LANL) who use pH strips and prefer them to meters (because of the constant need for recalibration), but the strips they're using are lab grade.

 

[EDF713]

I use RO water and have never measured my mash pH, though I adjust using bru'n water. Is the spreadsheet exactly correct? I have no idea and don't really care, and my beer got a lot better than filtered tap water once I switched to RO and started making adjustments. I understand some people are more concerned, but I don't think it's absolutely necessary to check the pH.

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

I started out using Brun' Water and checked pH with a friend's meter. The results were always very close (usually within .05) so I quit testing.

Now I have a meter because I want to do a kettle sour, and I do check, but I haven't changed a water profile yet due to measurements being too far away from the intended target.

Maybe I'm too cavalier, but if I'm targeting 5.3 and I get 5.34, I'm fine with that.

 

[McKnuckle]

I have built up brewing water from distilled (functionally the same as RO in brewing) using several of the water tools for at least 50 batches now, and I have never tested the actual mash pH.

The estimates (between 5.3-5.5) have been on point judging by my efficiency and the beer itself, and I don't want to get sucked down the rabbit hole of pH meter calibration and variability etc. - no thanks.

Granted, if my approach hadn't worked, I'd possibly be thinking differently, but it has, so I don't.

 

[MildAvers]

The purpose of measuring the mash pH is so that it can be *recorded*, compared with the software estimate and used for future adjustments for the recipe.

A history of mash pH measurements and adjustments for a certain recipe is useful in predicting and adjusting the outcome of any future brews of that recipe.

 

[mongoose33]

I started out using Brun' Water and checked pH with a friend's meter. The results were always very close (usually within .05) so I quit testing.

Now I have a meter because I want to do a kettle sour, and I do check, but I haven't changed a water profile yet due to measurements being too far away from the intended target.

That's pretty much the case for me, though I'd adjusted the lactic acid a bit.

Maybe I'm too cavalier, but if I'm targeting 5.3 and I get 5.34, I'm fine with that.

You're too cavalier.

Sometimes the best measurement one can use is this:

How does the beer taste?

 

[Hwk-I-St8]

That's pretty much the case for me, though I'd adjusted the lactic acid a bit.



You're too cavalier.

Sometimes the best measurement one can use is this:

How does the beer taste?

They're real and they're spectacular! (name the sitcom)

 

[mongoose33]

They're real and they're spectacular! (name the sitcom)

I hope you're referring to your beers; if not, then Seinfeld.

 

[McKnuckle]

The purpose of measuring the mash pH is so that it can be *recorded*, compared with the software estimate and used for future adjustments for the recipe.

It's certainly not useless to do, but it's an unnecessary complication given the equipment and process time involved, unless you dig that stuff.

We don't measure and record our actual IBU, primarily because doing so is impractical. Instead, we judge by our senses. Too bitter? Not enough flavor or aroma? So we adjust the IBU or timing of our hop additions accordingly. We don't test the actual numbers.

I've approached mash pH with a similarly empirical approach. I am not interested if I hit 5.31 or 5.42 exactly as predicted. Many others have already proven that Bru'n Water or Mash Made Easy estimates are corroborated to a reasonable degree of accuracy by their actual measurements.

So I've said, let's brew this same stout with an estimated pH of 5.5 and compare that to the last one where it estimated 5.3. And when 5.5 turns out softer and smoother, and I like that better, I'll keep it in the recipe and make a mental note to target a higher estimated pH for dark beers.

To each their own. But the mash pH test procedure is definitely NOT mandatory so the OP can relax about "needing" to do it.

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

Oy vay

 

[McKnuckle]

That would be “oy vey” but I concur.

 

[mabrungard]

No, you don't HAVE to. But it can be helpful. A very good thing that you are doing is using RO water. With a known and consistent water like RO, it better enables you to use a calculator like Bru'n Water to target and usually achieve a decent mashing pH and better beer.

I agree that pH meters can be pricey, but the one thing you should buy for yourself is a TDS meter. That will help you assure that your RO source is actually as pure as you're led to believe.

 

[Alex4mula]

...

I agree that pH meters can be pricey, but the one thing you should buy for yourself is a TDS meter. That will help you assure that your RO source is actually as pure as you're led to believe.

Thanks. Never heard of TDS. I have an RO system I got from previous home owner. Now I know how to test. Just ordered one.