Been brewing ag fo about 4 year now, using tap water, ward labs report and brun'water with salt additions. My beers have mostly been ok, nothing spectacular. I always suspected my mash ph was a problem as this was the last variable I still didn't control ( I use a thermapen for my mash temps, use a temperature controlled fermentation chamber, use a stirplate for my yeast starters and oxygen my wort using pure O2)
As I'm getting increasingly frustrated with my beers, I decided to brew a stout using 100% RO water to eleminate my tap water variable. I measured my salt additions using brunwater to get a ph of 5.4. Four weeks later, I poured my stout down the drain, it tastes weird and it's no infection.
Now if I buy a ph meter, how useful is it gonna be ? My understanding is that you need to cool down the wort sample to measure the ph and by the time you get a reading, the mash conversion is already done. If you do not intend to brew the same recipe, you can't nail the proper ph right ?
Sorry for the long story but I'm seeking your help before I get out of this hobby : (
As I'm getting increasingly frustrated with my beers, I decided to brew a stout using 100% RO water to eleminate my tap water variable. I measured my salt additions using brunwater to get a ph of 5.4. Four weeks later, I poured my stout down the drain, it tastes weird and it's no infection.
Now if I buy a ph meter, how useful is it gonna be ? My understanding is that you need to cool down the wort sample to measure the ph and by the time you get a reading, the mash conversion is already done. If you do not intend to brew the same recipe, you can't nail the proper ph right ?
Sorry for the long story but I'm seeking your help before I get out of this hobby : (