I'm going to brew my first AG batch of beer today. I bought all of the gear. 10 gallon Polarware pot, mash tun, chemicals, everything. When I've brewed extract beer, I've always used the tap water at my house as it tastes really good to me. But I've read about the importance of PH levels when brewing all grain beer. I had considered just buying 7 or 8 gallons of bottled water. But I tested the PH in my tap water and it is 5.6. What do you guys think? How many of you brew AG beer with your tap water? I am going to be brewing BM's Centennial Blonde for my first batch.
Question about PH level. Can I use my tap water?
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wildwest450
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You must be using ph strips? That reading is doubtful. Regardless, water ph isn't important, it's the ph of the mash that's crucial. You should get a water report from ward labs, that will give you a good starting point.
Many of us use tap water, run through a charcoal filter to remove chlorine. If your water tastes decent it should make all right beer.
Many of us use tap water, run through a charcoal filter to remove chlorine. If your water tastes decent it should make all right beer.
SkyHighBrew88
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Yeah I think most water is around a ph of 7. I'm a fan of the product 5.2 mash stabilizer & don't even bother testing mash ph.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/5-2-mash-stabilizer-4747/
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f36/5-2-mash-stabilizer-4747/
Your beer will never be better than what you put in it. I advocate filling two five-gallon jugs with RO water and then adding mineral salts to hit a target profile. Some tap water is better than other but why dance around the issue? RO water is what, like $0.30/gallon at Whole Foods?
A PH that low sounds off. While there are no federal regulations on PH level, the EPA 'suggets' it is between 6.5 and 8.4. Ph is considered a secondary contaminent anyway, and a secondary concern right out of the tap for brewing. As others have said wort Ph is more important. I would find out who your water supplier is and call them up, or get a water report online from them. A lot of them do not include Mg++ or Ca++ on their reports, but the lab guys are usually more than happy to answer that for you if you call/email.
pkeeler
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My pH has tested as low as 5.1 out of my well. It is from dissolved CO2. This has no effect on mash pH. Your water is probably perfectly good for brewing (and probably has important trace minerals RO water does not have), but you can't predict mash pH with water pH. You need to know the different minerals. Alternately (since water tests at Ward Labs takes 3-4 weeks at least), I think Kai has a spreadsheet that figures RA from aquarium KH and GH tests. Google Kaiser german brewing.
Or, you could mash in, check the pH and adjust slowly with salts like calcium chloride, gypsum, baking soda, and chalk. Your LHBS should have all these.
Until you get your water tested and understand a bit about all this, you can probably safely just stick with beers in the 8-16 SRM range. Mash pH really becomes a problem for extremely pale or dark beers.
Or, you could mash in, check the pH and adjust slowly with salts like calcium chloride, gypsum, baking soda, and chalk. Your LHBS should have all these.
Until you get your water tested and understand a bit about all this, you can probably safely just stick with beers in the 8-16 SRM range. Mash pH really becomes a problem for extremely pale or dark beers.
scinerd3000
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my pH when i lived in california was 8.1....the readings vary depending on location but 5.6 is very low. If thats your true reading then i believe you should be fine with brewing. Either run the water through a filter or let it sit out for a day so the chlorine can dissipate. pH 5.2 is a great additive to buffer the levels and will help with your efficiency greatly. You should be good to go and worst comes to worst you adjust for the next batch. Cheers.
if you don't know your water mineral profile, don't go throwing in minerals to "slowly adjust the pH." i can't even imagine how that would work in a beneficial way unless you get lucky.
if you use RO water, you have to add all the minerals for your target profile.
if you use RO water, you have to add all the minerals for your target profile.
wildwest450
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Anyone who uses 5.2 (i did), needs to go to the brewing science forum and do some serious reading, not as great as once thought, and in a lot of cases, totally unnecessary.
Northcalais40
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Just brew a batch of beer and don't worry about it. You may or may not have the precise water characteristics of a famous brewery. You have your own water and are quite capable of making great beer with it. After you've got your all grain system wired, you can likely change things by getting super anal about your water.
