PH from water report is 7.7

[TimFarAway]

Doing full volume boil for 2.5 gal BIAB, and trying to understand the significance of PH. The San Antonio water report says my tap water is 7.7, I have a tester for my pool so may be able to confirm this tonight. Planning on brewing this weekend.

How do I bring this down to a more useable number, and what affect has this had on my last brews? Does the grain I use affect the PH, or does the PH affect the mash-ability of the grain?

 

[pricelessbrewing]

http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15-1.html

The mash ph depends on the ions as well. Use a water calc to find out what your mash ph might be. Don't try and treat the water ph as mash ph.

 

[btbnl]

If you have the full water report, plug the numbers into Bru'n Water and you can play with the various ways to adjust the water to the specific recipe and style requirements.

 

[TimFarAway]

So, it's not as simple as "add X ammount of Y chemical per gallon" to bring it to where it should be? About 5.5? Guess I'll have to do some reading. Thanks.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

Unfortunately no, it'll depend on complete water report as well as what your recipe contains.
Just pull up a few recipes you're looking at, plug them into a water calc and find out what you'll need to add for each. Go pick those up so you have them on hand when needed.

 

[poptarts]

My water is 7.8 and this is what I have to add for this specific recipe to make it what I want. Its different for everone based on quantity / type of grain and water and then content of water.

 

[TimFarAway]

This seems extreemly complicated. After controling mash temps and building a fermentation chamber (mini fridge with ST-1000), is this the next step to better beer? I'm only doing 2.5 galon batches, so just use one vial of yeast which seems to be plenty according to "brewer's friend". Is there something else I should focus on? I'll try the Bru'n Water tonight on my home computer.

 

[pricelessbrewing]

It's really not that complicated if you have the water report, access to the additives, and a calculator

Just think of it as a next step of the recipe rather than a procedural step.

 

[Hello]

This seems extreemly complicated. After controling mash temps and building a fermentation chamber (mini fridge with ST-1000), is this the next step to better beer? I'm only doing 2.5 galon batches, so just use one vial of yeast which seems to be plenty according to "brewer's friend". Is there something else I should focus on? I'll try the Bru'n Water tonight on my home computer.

I do agree that there is some complication. I have had some efficiency issues and thought that maybe I need to also look at my water.

My ground water is actually great for brewing. The pH is 7.65 but the mash pH is within the range for a couple of recipes I have plugged into the calculator. A member here has offered to help with the Bru'n'water calculator because I was fine until the conversion from ppm to whatever came up.

Then I found EZ Water calculator. I feel that was designed for people like you and me. It takes out a lot of the other greatness from Bru'n'water but gives the necessary information in the end. If that makes sense.

Here's the link: http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/

It's really not that complicated if you have the water report, access to the additives, and a calculator

Just think of it as a next step of the recipe rather than a procedural step.

Where I went south in my understanding is with the Ion Concentration Calculator. That's why EZ Water Calculator worked for me until I do understand that.

 

[TimFarAway]

Just put everything into EZwater. For my recipe, I have the grain all ready, EZ water says my estimated room temp PH is 6.42 desired 5.4-5.6

How/when do I adjust this?

It also tells me: Calcium is 7, should be - 50-150; Magnesium is good,; Sodium is good; Chloride is good; Sulfite is 34, should be 50-350; Chloride/Sulfate ration is 0.59 (below 0.77 may enhance bitterness)

Making a blueberry cream ale w/ some white wheat so don't want it too bitter.


If I am understanding this, I need to add 7ml of Lactic Acid to reduce the PH. What about the other minerals?

 

[Calichusetts]

You can use acid malt too. That is what I do. I prefer brewer's friend for the mash pH calculator. Plug in the recipe and work from there. You can use some salts like gypsum to lower the mash pH as well. Certain malts will naturally lower it so start messing around until you get below 5.4

 

[poptarts]

gypsum will up your calcium and sulfate, us brewnwater or ezwater calculator it will tell you exactly what you need todo.

 

[Yooper]

Just put everything into EZwater. For my recipe, I have the grain all ready, EZ water says my estimated room temp PH is 6.42 desired 5.4-5.6

How/when do I adjust this?

It also tells me: Calcium is 7, should be - 50-150; Magnesium is good,; Sodium is good; Chloride is good; Sulfite is 34, should be 50-350; Chloride/Sulfate ration is 0.59 (below 0.77 may enhance bitterness)

Making a blueberry cream ale w/ some white wheat so don't want it too bitter.


If I am understanding this, I need to add 7ml of Lactic Acid to reduce the PH. What about the other minerals?

EZ is overly simple on what things "should be". For example, your sulfate level is fine for what you are brewing, and you don't want to increase that!

Did you try using the water tool on Brewer's Friend? It's much better (and more accurate) than EZ water. I never once got an accurate mash pH prediction with EZ water.

You don't have to worry about the "stuff" like magnesium and calcium (at least not in this beer), but you do want to target a mash pH of 5.3-5.5 if possible. You may need to dilute your water with RO water if you have highly alkaline water to do that. Lactic acid is a good choice to do some lowering, but it can have a taste impact in large amounts and so I'd rather dilute with RO water (from those "water machines" instead of adding more lactic acid.