PH levels

[Bigster]

Have you tried the DL water treatment Bigster? Adding gypsum improves hop utilisation, I tend to add it to the mash to adjust the PH and it seems to have helped with that hop bite in my attempts at SL & GFB.

Have checked with my water company and my supply has 7.55 Ph. I Will be getting some gypsum as I read somewhere should be aiming for more like 5 when brewing.

How do you measure it ?

Cheers

[Jim]

The simplest way to measure pH is using indicator papers, which are available from most homebrew suppliers. You just dip the paper in the liquid you want to test and compare the colour it goes against the chart that comes with the papers.

However, when they say aim for a pH of 5, this is the pH of the mash after the grains have been added. Adding the grains raises the acidity of the water (higher acidity = lower pH) and it's impractical to try to predict the mash pH from the pH of the water you're using.

Most water companies add something to the water to make it slightly alkaline, as otherwise it would attack the copper pipes, which is why yours is over 7 (pH 7 is neutral, less than 7 acidic, more than 7 alkaline).

[Bigster]

Thanks for that Jim.

So I would measure mash using papers, then adjust at that stage - gypsum to increase/decrease Ph? I guess there must be equivalent product which makes it go the other way

I guess it doesnt matter as much about the sparge water as this will be passing through the mash that may , or may not , be in the right Ph range?

Cheers

[mysterio]

I think it's sodium bicarbonate to raise the Ph (I.E. more alkali). Might be useful for some stouts but I found my Ph fell around 5.3 (ideal) when making my last stout. Dark grains tend to make the mash more acidic.

The few times I've checked my Ph it's always been on or very close to 5.3.

I use a teaspoon of calcium chloride in all of my brews because I have soft water. I used to use gypsum but it gave my beers a slightly harsh bitterness.

It's the calcium in gypsum and CaCl which reacts with the mash to give phosphoric acid so you can also use that or lactic acid to acidify the mash if you knew what you were doing. Really though, I think that mash Ph is one of the things best not to worry about.

[DRB]

Do you need to do the ph thing when brewing or can you just do it without altering it.

[Bigster]

DRB most people, myself included, dont worry about the Ph level and get great results. I am just trying to refine my beer to my taste and getting this right should get me more bite in my hop taste.

[BigEd]

[/quote]

Have checked with my water company and my supply has 7.55 Ph. I Will be getting some gypsum as I read somewhere should be aiming for more like 5 when brewing.

How do you measure it ?

Cheers[/quote]

It's not the pH of the water it's the pH of the mash that is most important. Water pH alone doesn't tell you very much. You need to know the brewing ion contents of the water foremost. Unless your water is seriously deficient in calcium or very high in carbonates chances are it will provide an acceptable mash pH with a pale grist.

If your water is lacking in calcium some gypsum added to the mash for pale ales will usually do the trick. Ideally the pH of the mash should be about 5.2~5.4.

[Bigster]

I am just trying to refine my beer to my taste and getting this right should get me more bite in my hop taste.

In to the last gallon of my courage directors and this is now got the bite I was looking for and is a very good clone of the original. It has been in the barrel for 6 weeks so I may just need more patience rather than tinkering too much with the water

[RabMaxwell]

Hello all looks like my cunning plan is working. I have very soft water and often get a mash Ph of 4.9 or lower especially with stouts.My last two mashes i have held the dark grains and added them near the end . I am now getting a mash Ph of 5.2 . Cheers

[steve_flack]

There is a product available called 5.2 which Hop and Grape sell on their water treatment page that's a mixture of phosphate salts that you add to the mash that sets the pH at 5.2 (chemically speaking it's a pH buffer). Apparently you add a tablespoon per 5 US Gallons. It's quite popular in the states but I've never used it myself. I use phosphoric acid so I probably end up with much the same stuff in the mash water as you would with 5.2.

[Jim]

.......Would that work with your grain bill Jim? (iirc you have very soft water?)

I had the same thought! I'm planning to make some stout/porter type beer, so I may well try that.

[RabMaxwell]

Hello Steve i have read the Ph 5.2 stuff works great for the people who need to lower there Ph.But for the likes of me and Jim who needs the opposite effect it ain't so good. Cheers

[Talheedin]

So to get the PH to roughly 5.2 you heat up your water, tip in the grains and then what? Do you take a PH imeadiately? Do you wait 10 minutes, half an hour and then PH test? Do you do the test at the mash end? Equally, when and how much gypsum should you add if it's necessary and should you mix it in with a big spoon or just leave it to its own devices in the mash?

My water is considered slightly hard (I've got a water profile but not with me) so I take it that adding gypsum is the way to go?

Thanks

Talheedin

[Andy]

Brupaks CRS is good for adjusting hard water to get a desired pH level.
There are spreadsheets around where you plug in your water analysis results and just read off the amount of CRS to add for a given beer type.

You add the CRS to the mash (and sparge) liquor as it's heating up, stir it occasionally to release CO2 from the reaction and then dough in. Check the pH with strips or whatever and see how close to 5.2 you get. You can then adjust the CRS amount for your next brew.

I've got a link to a spreadsheet, will post it up tonight if no-one else has done by then.

[Talheedin]

Thanks for that.

I'm not quite at the stage of needing to worry about PH values or mashing for that matter but I've been trying to pick up what I can and I was a lttle confused about this (I thought it was the PH of the water and not the mash that was important but things are much clearer now).

Thanks

Talheedin