That's mighty pHine water!

[1OldJarhead]

My pale ale is looking more like a stout in the carboy. Googling around I saw several potential reasons but the one one that kept popping up was pH. I did make the mistake of using fancy-pants ionized water to be sure it was pure and then read that its high pH is probably the culprit. But wait -- regular tap water is also out of the ideal pH range, which I read is between 5.1 - 5.8, which is way lower than normal tap water, and lower than you can buy in bottled water. The solution I read is to add acid (!?), with lactic acid being a common additive. That's all new to me. Anyone out there dropping acid (apologies to you guys from the hippy 60s) into your wort?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Water pH doesn't mean anything, it's all about the mash pH measured 15m or so into the mash.

As far as water goes, it's the alkalinity that matters depending on the grist and water to grain ratio.

Yes, mineral salts and acid to dial it in.

 

[camonick]

Are you brewing with grain or extract? The pH of brewing water is virtually irrelevant. There are several brewing programs available that allow you to input the grains of your recipe and the type of water you’re brewing with. Distilled and RO water are a clean slate and if you’re using well or tap water, it needs to be analyzed for mineral content so you can input those values into the program. It’s a relatively advanced technique. The acid (lactic or phosphoric) is typically added to the mash to adjust the pH of the mash, which is typically in the 5.2 (ish) range, depending on the style being brewed.
@DBhomebrew beat me to the response.

A very dark or murky beer (especially one that’s heavily hopped) could be signs of severe oxidation. I’d also note that beer in the carboy tends to look much darker than the same beer in a smaller vessel like a pint glass.

 

[worlddivides]

A very dark or murky beer (especially one that’s heavily hopped) could be signs of severe oxidation. I’d also note that beer in the carboy tends to look much darker than the same beer in a smaller vessel like a pint glass.

This is a good point too. I've had beers with an SRM or 4 or 5 that looked dark in the carboy just because it's, well, 5 or so gallons of the stuff as opposed to a pint or half pint. In the glass, it's like a straw yellow, though.

More on the topic, the OP needs to keep in mind that adding things to the water changes the pH. If you're throwing a ton of specialty grains into the water for a Russian Imperial Stout, that's going to lower the pH way more than just adding some pilsner malt for a light lager (because roasted grains are more acidic than light grains).

If you're brewing extract, you usually don't really need to think about pH, though.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

If you're brewing extract,

In a previous post back in mid-July, @1OldJarhead mentioned "taken delivery of a 'Zoomin' Pale Ale' kit from Northern Brewer".

With LME, "pale ale is looking more like a stout in the carboy" is likely one of more of the following:

1. color can't be measured properly in the carboy. @DBhomebrew covered that.
2. possible discoloration due to scorching when boiling
3. possible wrong expectation on color: even fresh, the color of beer made with LME is often darker than a noob brewers wants it to be. Color appropriate to style is a more reasonable expectation.
4. possible staling due to shipping LME in hot weather (link).
5. It's 2024, so let's assume that online stores fulfill orders with fresh LME and gets the order in the shipper's truck on the same day.
6. The brewer needs to do the same: store LME cool (fridge) and brew promptly. Storing LME in a hot garage for 6 months is an easy way to cause LME to go stale.

https://www.northernbrewer.com/products/zoomin-pale-ale-20-minute-boil-beer-kit
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2785/6868/t/3/assets/ZoominPaleAle_20min-1526920095944.pdf?1134482655817226217

 

[jrgtr42]

My tap water is massively basic - like off the scale, well over 8. Even with my RO machine. I’ll adjust the water using lactic acid down to around 6, if I go a bit lower I’m fine, but no lower than 5.7 or so.
My beer seems to be better since I’ve been making that adjustment.

 

[Kornssj]

@1OldJarhead I had this same issue a while ago when i started brewing again. Here is a link to my post and there is some good advice that people posted.

Ultimately the beer came out fine, color corrected itself.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/is-it-supposed-to-be-this-dark.730106/