Question for the guys that adjust their ph's, where do you get your ph strips?
Also, what are you using to acidify your mash? Lactic acid? Do you treat your sparge water too?
Ph adjustment
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mysterio
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Andy
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...but seriously folks....
I bought some Brupaks CRS (Carbonate Reducing Solution) which is an acid based thang. Using the Brupaks chart I worked out how much CRS I needed to add to mash/sparge liquor in order to obtain the optimum mash/sparge pH. Results were good and the final beer lost some of the harshness I had perceived in earlier brews...
I bought some Brupaks CRS (Carbonate Reducing Solution) which is an acid based thang. Using the Brupaks chart I worked out how much CRS I needed to add to mash/sparge liquor in order to obtain the optimum mash/sparge pH. Results were good and the final beer lost some of the harshness I had perceived in earlier brews...
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BlightyBrewer
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BigEd
QUOTE (mysterio @ Aug 9 2006, 01:32 PM) Question for the guys that adjust their ph's, where do you get your ph strips?
Also, what are you using to acidify your mash? Lactic acid? Do you treat your sparge water too?
Except in the most extreme cases I don't think there is any need to add acids to a mash. The correct pH of the mash is really determined by the action of the malt products and the buffering capacity of the water not the water's pH. Soft water will almost always create a mash in the proper pH range (5.2-5.4) with light grist. Dark grist mashes like porters and stouts are naturally acidic and mash most properly in water with moderate to high carbonate levels. Hence the famous London porters and Dublin stouts in cities with carbonate water. In the northeast US where I am the surface water is usually quite soft. Since my water does not have much calcium I add that ion in the form of calcium chloride for lagers and calcium sulphate for pale ales. My tap water actually has a very high ph of 10 but the ion content is extremely low so the grist alone brings the mash into the acceptable level. For stouts and porters I add calcium carbonate to the mash to help buffer the acidity of the dark malts. I do adjust my sparge water with phosphoric acid. A small addition brings it down to a neutral pH of 7.
Also, what are you using to acidify your mash? Lactic acid? Do you treat your sparge water too?
Except in the most extreme cases I don't think there is any need to add acids to a mash. The correct pH of the mash is really determined by the action of the malt products and the buffering capacity of the water not the water's pH. Soft water will almost always create a mash in the proper pH range (5.2-5.4) with light grist. Dark grist mashes like porters and stouts are naturally acidic and mash most properly in water with moderate to high carbonate levels. Hence the famous London porters and Dublin stouts in cities with carbonate water. In the northeast US where I am the surface water is usually quite soft. Since my water does not have much calcium I add that ion in the form of calcium chloride for lagers and calcium sulphate for pale ales. My tap water actually has a very high ph of 10 but the ion content is extremely low so the grist alone brings the mash into the acceptable level. For stouts and porters I add calcium carbonate to the mash to help buffer the acidity of the dark malts. I do adjust my sparge water with phosphoric acid. A small addition brings it down to a neutral pH of 7.