Using Sulfite test strips

[ba-brewer]

I read thru the information on the LODO site regarding the use of sulfite test strips as a substitute for a DO meter.
http://www.********************/uncategorized/sulfite-testing-strips/

Wondering if there is a way to use them before committing to a batch a beer. Can I do a dry run of my process with just water to get an idea for how much SMB to use?

As a reference point I checked the sulfite level of a beer post oxygenating that was brewed using my normal process and the test strip did show a very slight color change just a bit where you know it is not zero but no where dark enough to call it 10ppm. Do people get to zero color change?

 

[Schlenkerla]

I read thru the information on the LODO site regarding the use of sulfite test strips as a substitute for a DO meter.
http://www.********************/uncategorized/sulfite-testing-strips/

Wondering if there is a way to use them before committing to a batch a beer. Can I do a dry run of my process with just water to get an idea for how much SMB to use?

As a reference point I checked the sulfite level of a beer post oxygenating that was brewed using my normal process and the test strip did show a very slight color change just a bit where you know it is not zero but no where dark enough to call it 10ppm. Do people get to zero color change?

I just bought those recommended in LOB. I have yet to use them. I'm back from Hawaii and road travel on 3/25. I'll test them that week. I plan to make a hefeweizen that week, time permitting.

You could buy distilled water test it for sulfites. Then make an addition stir gently then check again. Trying it on a glass of water. Maybe better to use about a liter to make it easy to calculate if you use this spreadsheet.

This is a trifecta spreadsheet from LOB.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...fIDO6tECA-zS1ATpmfEfyUMkHP0/edit?usp=drivesdk

 

[ba-brewer]

I just bought those recommended in LOB. I have yet to use them. I'm back from Hawaii and road travel on 3/25. I'll test them that week. I plan to make a hefeweizen that week, time permitting.

You could buy distilled water test it for sulfites. Then make an addition stir gently then check again. Trying it on a glass of water. Maybe better to use about a liter to make it easy to calculate if you use this spreadsheet.

This is a trifecta spreadsheet from LOB.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...fIDO6tECA-zS1ATpmfEfyUMkHP0/edit?usp=drivesdk

Thanks to the link and the suggestion on the distilled water. The distilled water test would tell me that Camden is giving the correct ppm.

I was wondering though is there a way to use the stripes and maybe some SMB to test an existing batch of beer to try and determine my existing DO. Would like to have a way to see how bad/good my existing process is without doing several trial and errors batches to find the appropriate SMB level.

I use brunwater for my mash calculations, it give a slightly lower amount of SMB than the spreadsheet you linked, may be 20% lower.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I was wondering though is there a way to use the strips and maybe some SMB to test an existing batch of beer to try and determine my existing DO.

Easy, use a DO meter

However there's no way to test beer, only wort during the brewing process before aerating.

 

[ba-brewer]

got one I can borrow?

How is it you can not test beer for DO only wort?

I guess testing the wort before the boil is the important part anyway as far as adding SMB to the mash.

 

[RPh_Guy]

I guess that's not what I meant.

There are multiple points throughout the brewing process where measuring DO would be useful.
Could you use sulfite level as a surrogate? Probably, if you can accurately measure the level.
However once you aerate, the sulfite should be gone so measuring it won't be helpful and measuring DO at this point would only tell you how well you aerated. Once you pitch yeast (and it becomes beer), the DO should drop to zero within hours and measuring it doesn't tell you anything.

No, I don't have a DO meter unfortunately.
I think the strips are useless though so I don't have those either. They can't really tell me whether I have 0 or 5 or 10 or 15ppm sulfite.

 

[Schlenkerla]

Thanks to the link and the suggestion on the distilled water. The distilled water test would tell me that Camden is giving the correct ppm.

I was wondering though is there a way to use the stripes and maybe some SMB to test an existing batch of beer to try and determine my existing DO. Would like to have a way to see how bad/good my existing process is without doing several trial and errors batches to find the appropriate SMB level.

I use brunwater for my mash calculations, it give a slightly lower amount of SMB than the spreadsheet you linked, may be 20% lower.

I personally will only use the test strips. That would be before I add yeast, after doing the oxygen saturation. It's to make sure I used up all the sulfites. There is a supposed need to delay the test for the reaction to take place.

Like I said I have not used them yet.