# PH Mash Adjustments



## Crusty

I'm getting a bit more serious this year with my brewing & I've purchased a pretty decent PH meter to actually start checking the PH of my mash. What do I need for PH up or down & where are you guys getting it from?
I hear quite a lot of salt addition talk as well
Is there a spreadsheet somewhere that gives you a guide of how much of what chemical to add to bring the PH up or down that will also calculate the mash volume.
ie: How much of what chemical do I add to go from PH 5.8 to 5.5 with 5.080kg of grain & 29.53lt of strike water ( 34.61lt total mash )

Cheers.


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## slash22000

https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/

FYI, your entire head will immediately explode as soon as you look at this spreadsheet. Please ensure you are in an open area when you first open the file to avoid any skull shrapnel damage to innocent bystanders.


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## manticle

Not such a simple question Crusty but I'll try and keep the answer simple and then direct you to some more complicated references.

First it is the pH of the MASH rather than the water that you want to alter and you can do this with calcium salts (namely calcium sulphate and calcium choride). These will drop pH. Dark grains will drop pH. Acid will also drop pH - commonly used are lactic, phosphoric and citric.

Calcium salts will also contribute to flavour and other things - calcium is good for yeast health, efficiency, foam stability. Sulphate will help brighten hop profile but is generally avoided in dark beers and chloride will help push malt flavours.

Too much of anything is never good.

Try and start with soft water and build the mineral profile you want for the beer you are making. Add salts for flavour, assess the pH then adjust with acid if necessary. You should be able to get salts and food grade acids from good AG homebrew places like craftbrewer, grain and grape, MHB etc.

You can also get things like magnesium sulphate and calcium carbonate, neither of which I recommend. Calcium carbonate will raise pH and is only ever used in really dark beers due to the acidity of dark grains but its actual efficacy is dubious and there are other methods. Some still swear by it. I won't go into the other methods in this answer and it might be a suck it and see approach for you. Magnesium sulphate does nothing Calcium sulphate doesn't do already besides add magnesium and there is enough already in an all malt mash. Calcium sulphate does everything else and does it better.

I'll hunt up some lengthier links for you.

Easiest spreadsheet is the metric version of the EZ water calculator. More complex but probably giving a more accurate result is the brun water calc linked above.

Post 11 here has the article I wrote a while ago: http://aussiehomebrewer.com/topic/46120-ahb-articles-water-chemistry/


Within that there are several references, including online references. Brun water knowledge page is also worth a look


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## felon

+1 to the Brun water spreadsheet. It takes a while to get your head around it all but the Brun spreadsheet has a lot of info on it.


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## felten

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=Mash_pH_control

There is a slew of other articles there on pH as well.


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## Crusty

Thanks heaps guys.
Looks like I've got a bit of reading to do.

Cheers.


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## mondestrunken

Also John Palmer's how to brew:

http://howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15.html


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## slash22000

Just FYI, the online version of "How to Brew" is full of all sorts of outdated information. I dunno about that section you linked or anything, but I know there is a lot of information in there that even Palmer himself says have been proved wrong over the (many) years since he wrote it.


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## mondestrunken

slash22000 said:


> Just FYI, the online version of "How to Brew" is full of all sorts of outdated information. I dunno about that section you linked or anything, but I know there is a lot of information in there that even Palmer himself says have been proved wrong over the (many) years since he wrote it.


Maybe he's trying to sell more copies of the print version?


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## dicko

mondestrunken said:


> Maybe he's trying to sell more copies of the print version?


JP has a book coming out on water in the near future.

No affiliation etc etc


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## Pickaxe

Just about to "examine" my water profile in ezwater calc, and had an idiot question to start.

Lrgoomba recently suggested my overall efficiency may be improved with ph adjustments.
My local water has a mean ph of 8, min 6.4 and max 9.2. Being quite alkaline it seems from what ive read my mash may suffer?
Is this correct. &
Could this also effect hop isomerisation? I have a sneaking feeling I'm not quite getting all I could from my hops (galaxy and ass. Fruit and us and nz hops in pale grists.

As it has been suggested not to mess with water unless necessary, and it seems a complex learning curve, can I improve beer quality starting with ph alone?


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## Pickaxe

Btw - sunshine coast Noosa area brewer.


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## manticle

Mash pH. Water pH may affect mash pH a bit but it is mash pH you want to adjust. Minerals that make the water hard will also affect mash pH, enzymatic behaviour, yeast activity and other factors.

If your water is hard and you are sparging, you may want to look at acidifying it before the sparge but mash pH is the first key point.

So - you need to know what is in the water and you need to know what your mash pH is.


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## Crusty

Pickaxe said:


> Just about to "examine" my water profile in ezwater calc, and had an idiot question to start.
> 
> Lrgoomba recently suggested my overall efficiency may be improved with ph adjustments.
> My local water has a mean ph of 8, min 6.4 and max 9.2. Being quite alkaline it seems from what ive read my mash may suffer?
> Is this correct. &
> Could this also effect hop isomerisation? I have a sneaking feeling I'm not quite getting all I could from my hops (galaxy and ass. Fruit and us and nz hops in pale grists.
> 
> As it has been suggested not to mess with water unless necessary, and it seems a complex learning curve, can I improve beer quality starting with ph alone?


I think getting your PH right will definitely improve your beer.
I'm still reading up on this subject myself but now I have the PH meter, I want to maximize the ability to control the mash & make sure that adjustments are made to get me the best results possible. I'm very happy with my beers at present but I'm also a tad excited about the possibility of them being even better.


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## roverfj1200

I have just started to use 5.2. As yet I have not tasted a brew made with it but this is about as complicated as I wish to get on water chemistry.

Cheers.


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## manticle

At least measure the mash and see if it is really 5.2.


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## roverfj1200

manticle said:


> At least measure the mash and see if it is really 5.2.


From the few brews done with it my mash is around 5.4 with 22g added. 440g in the packet 20 brews a pack at $20 is $1 a brew. If it improves my beer I can live with that.

Cheers


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## manticle

5.4 is good. pH drops as temperature rises so it will be different if you are measuring at mash temps to measuring at room temp but in either case 5.4 is fine. 5.4 measured at room temp is ~5.1 at typical mash temp. 5.4 at mash temp is ~5.7 at room temp.

What is it without the 5.2 (assuming similar grain bill etc)?


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## Pickaxe

What is a good tool for measuring ph? Litmus paper I seem to remember from high school chem? Pool testing kit?
Probably need a cheaper option right now.

Thanks manticle, been reading a lot of your posts and article and see that it is a complex balancing act with many factors, I might have more questions once I look at ezwatercalc and read some more.

It was mainly spurred by goomba saying he played with mash ph and upped his eff. 

Another huge learning curve is imminent!


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## roverfj1200

manticle said:


> 5.4 is good. pH drops as temperature rises so it will be different if you are measuring at mash temps to measuring at room temp but in either case 5.4 is fine. 5.4 measured at room temp is ~5.1 at typical mash temp. 5.4 at mash temp is ~5.7 at room temp.
> 
> What is it without the 5.2 (assuming similar grain bill etc)?


I measured it with paper dip in strips from CB. A bit hard to read but was over 6 with 11g of 5.2.

Cheers


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## manticle

Pickaxe - cheap option is pH paper. Strips will be sufficient for your purposes


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## Pickaxe

Thanks.

When entering readings into ez water calc, is it best to use mean readings?


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## manticle

You mean from your water company's published water profile?


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## Pickaxe

Sorry, yes, that's what I mean. I have my local water profile.


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## manticle

Yeah enter the mean values. They take samples over a period of time and even them out so best to go with that unless you have the means to analyse your water on brewday.


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## Pickaxe

Thanks again.
So, to summarise:
Focus on resultant mash ph, sparge ph
Water hardness & mineral and salts to build an overall profile
Adjust minimally and "suck it and see" results.

Is that the rough idea for noobs?


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## manticle

Sounds good to me.


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## GalBrew

roverfj1200 said:


> I have just started to use 5.2. As yet I have not tasted a brew made with it but this is about as complicated as I wish to get on water chemistry.
> 
> Cheers.


I tried 5.2 stabiliser for a few brews and it destroyed my efficiency for some reason, I don't know why, down to around 40%. As soon as I stopped using it things went back to normal. Now I use the ez spreadsheet with the various salts to manage mash pH.


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## bum

That's weird. I gained a few points on lower OG beers when I started using it (no noticeable effect on higher OG ones). I just ran out on the last brew and don't intend to replace it. Will be interesting to see what difference I notice without it (if any).


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## slash22000

I've been thinking about trying that 5.2 Stabilizer stuff but Bru'n Water seems to think it's not a good idea?



> Five Star 5.2 Stabilizer is indicated by its manufacturer to "lock in your mash and kettle water at a pH of 5.2 regardless of the starting pH of your water". Evidence by homebrewers indicates that this product does not produce a mash pH in the preferred room-temperature range of 5.3 to 5.5. That evidence shows this product does produce some pH moderation in waters with high Residual Alkalinity. However, the mash pH tends to center around 5.8 (room-temperature measurement). While 5.8 pH is acceptable, it is at the upper end of the desirable mashing range. The evidence also shows that in waters with low Residual Alkalinity, this product shows little effect on mash pH. Since Five Star 5.2 Stabilizer is a compound with high sodium content, its use will elevate the sodium concentration in the brewing water. High sodium content can be undesirable from a taste standpoint in beer. Proper alkalinity control of mashing and sparging water may produce more acceptable brewing results for most brewers than with the use of 5.2 Stabilizer.


From https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/water-knowledge


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## GalBrew

bum said:


> That's weird. I gained a few points on lower OG beers when I started using it (no noticeable effect on higher OG ones). I just ran out on the last brew and don't intend to replace it. Will be interesting to see what difference I notice without it (if any).


I agree, quite weird but stopped as soon as I didn't use it. Perhaps my water played some part? What type if water is 5.2 most suited to? I know it's a buffer but even so, will have limits to its buffering capacity??


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## RelaxedBrewer

I have recently been reading a bit about ph and water chemistry. I actually ordered some precision ph strips yesterday.

What I don't understand is, if my mash ph is a bit high, how do I work out what I should add and how much?
Can anyone explain it to me?

RB


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## Pickaxe

I have found my water profile, but it is lacking a reading for Calcium, Magnesium and Sodium. Does this mean they are not present?

I already see that my sulphate levels are down. According to Key concepts in water treatment, my CaCO3 is too high also when compared to Melbourne?

Seems like my malt profile with CaSO4 add to get desired PH is what i need?

Or do I need to write to my water supplier and identify Calcium, Magnesium & Sodium levels first?


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## manticle

slash22000 said:


> I've been thinking about trying that 5.2 Stabilizer stuff but Bru'n Water seems to think it's not a good idea?
> 
> 
> 
> From https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/water-knowledge


Why don't you try it for yourself, with what you've read kept in your mind and critically evaluate the difference you perceive it makes to your brewing?

Reading is great and should be encouraged but don't rely on it exclusively.


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## Pickaxe

sorry paste didnt work.
Chloride 43
Sulfate 48
CaCO3 68
Calcium Magnesium & Sodium 0.

Mash PH is coming at about 5.8


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## manticle

Pickaxe - post your profile here and email the supplier to find out the rest, explaining why you want it.


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## manticle

Relaxed - read my first post in the thread for an attempted simplification. What texts have you been reading?


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## Pickaxe

Thanks manticle, will email water supplier. Seems some of the things outlined in key concepts in water treatment.are happening to me. Lacking malt profile, shitty.hop bitterness not matching beersmith estimations. and not great hop flavour either. Temp, yeast control all accounted for.

Low calcium, alkalinity and low sulfate contributing. Does that sound ballpark?


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## manticle

Yep.


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## mabrungard

Pickaxe said:


> sorry paste didnt work.
> Chloride 43
> Sulfate 48
> CaCO3 68
> Calcium Magnesium & Sodium 0.
> 
> Mash PH is coming at about 5.8


It's unlikely that the calcium, magnesium, and sodium are all zero. They are the main cations (positively charged ions) in water and there is no way that you could have those concentrations of anions (negatively charged ions) without the cations. That is a problem with EZ Water, it doesn't provide the simple checking of the ion concentrations that you input and tell you if the ions are balanced. (yes, the cation and anion totals should be equal, aka: balance)

Its more likely that the water company does not analyze for those ions or they just haven't posted them. Calling the water company office and asking for the water lab may get you in contact with the person with the knowledge.


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## RelaxedBrewer

manticle said:


> Relaxed - read my first post in the thread for an attempted simplification. What texts have you been reading?


I have been reading How to Brew and German Brewing science (Braukaiser). 
I did a bit more reading after I posted last night (the section I read on braukaiser actually covered a lot of my questions). I think I have a better handle on it now. 
I will do some more reading over the next week or so, I might have some more questions then.
Do you have any more recommended reading on the subject? (I will check out the brunwater site and thread you linked as well)
I should probably try to find a brew strong episode on water as well.

RB


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## Pickaxe

Thanks guys,

Ive emailed my water supplier.

Man, have I opened a can of worms or what?


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## GalBrew

Pickaxe said:


> Thanks guys,
> 
> Ive emailed my water supplier.
> 
> Man, have I opened a can of worms or what?


Kind of, but you will find the EZ calc works quite nicely if you have got all the details for your water and don't go overboard with the salt additions, just stay withing the ranges on the sheet while you work things out.


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## manticle

RelaxedBrewer said:


> I have been reading How to Brew and German Brewing science (Braukaiser). I did a bit more reading after I posted last night (the section I read on braukaiser actually covered a lot of my questions). I think I have a better handle on it now. I will do some more reading over the next week or so, I might have some more questions then.Do you have any more recommended reading on the subject? (I will check out the brunwater site and thread you linked as well)I should probably try to find a brew strong episode on water as well. RB


The article I wrote has my sources at the end. Typing on a phone so I won't list here. Brungard's water knowledge page is a good one too.


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## Pickaxe

Seems my local water supplier do not test for sodium, calcium or mangnesium levels,.. or at least, that's what the bitch on the phone told me. Feels like a brush off, but anyway.

Any suggestions on how to proceed given I don't know the calcium or magnesium levels? Sodium levels are claimed on the website to sit comfortably between 20-50ppm, so that doesn't seem like an issue. Can i test for this shit myself? I mean, I dont want a degree in water chem, just want to improve beer and learn a little.

Seems like if i aim to get my calcium and sulfate to 100ppm each, would I be going far wrong, while making sure my mash ph is in optimal zone?
Sulfate levels I have, so that would put me at 140ppm, and if my water is anything like Melbourne's which is said to be calcium deficient, should I be on the right track? I figure a 100ppm add of calcium is not going to push me out of tolerance ranges.


http://www.unitywater.com/media/scripts/doc_download.aspx?did=727

Page 29 is my areas water report.


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## CosmicBertie

In fear of upsetting the TNR Brigade (Thats Not Right!)....

I put approx 7g of Calcium Chloride and 2.5ml of lactic acid in my water, and that brings my mash pH down to 5.4. For lagers, I'll go a bit more (3 - 3.5ml) to aim for 5.2. If its a hoppy beer, then i'll also add 7g of Calcium Sulphate to help bolster the hop flavours.

Like most things with homebrewing, you go from not caring about water additions, to being completely anal about them, then you come out the other side with a happy medium.


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## Pickaxe

And have you seen a dramatic difference in beer quality and flavour CB?


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## manticle

Email the company. I highly doubt they don't test for those minerals.
Explain what it is for.


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## losp

What sort of an effect does water ph have on mash ph and overall beer flavour?

The EZwater calculator tool thingy, doesn't appear to take into account water ph. I figure if I am going to be using 40L of water for a batch, it has got to make some effect?

On a somewhat related question (sorry to hijack the thread):
On Brewing salt editions, should I be doing this during the mash only? What about sparging time?
Is changing say, the calcium ratio something that might improve the brew because of how it behaves in the mash? Or because of what may happen during fermentation?


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## GalBrew

losp said:


> What sort of an effect does water ph have on mash ph and overall beer flavour?
> 
> The EZwater calculator tool thingy, doesn't appear to take into account water ph. I figure if I am going to be using 40L of water for a batch, it has got to make some effect?
> 
> On a somewhat related question (sorry to hijack the thread):
> On Brewing salt editions, should I be doing this during the mash only? What about sparging time?
> Is changing say, the calcium ratio something that might improve the brew because of how it behaves in the mash? Or because of what may happen during fermentation?


I was under the impression you only adjust mash not sparge water (unless your water is highly alkaline). I have read that increasing calcium to at least 50ppm can aid in conversion during the mash and assist in yeast floccing.


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## Pickaxe

manticle said:


> Email the company. I highly doubt they don't test for those minerals.
> Explain what it is for.


I had emailed them, then the grumpy woman called me and said if they test for it, it's on the report. Brick wall there.


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## CosmicBertie

Pickaxe said:


> And have you seen a dramatic difference in beer quality and flavour CB?



Dramatic? Are you saying I made shit beer before I started making water additions? 

IMHO, making water additions is so that you can brew to a certain style of beer, ie you're trying to emulate the water profile for a given area.

I believe my water additions helped my English Ales taste more authentic. Without the additions, I still made good beer. However, if you've never had a pint of Black Sheep Special, Theakstons XXXB or Old Perculiar then how would you know what you're trying to emulate?

My advice would be to check your water pH. Then check your mash pH. As specified earlier by Manticle, different grains alter the pH by different amounts, so you would be better off brewing the same beer twice. Once you know roughly how much your grain bill alters your mash pH, start by adding 7g (or a good teaspoonful) of calcium chloride to your water and check the pH once you've doughed-in. If you're around 5.5, then cool. If not then calculate how much the 7g dropped it by and make further additions next time. Its a learning curve, but at least you'll make beer.


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## CosmicBertie

losp said:


> What sort of an effect does water ph have on mash ph and overall beer flavour?
> 
> The EZwater calculator tool thingy, doesn't appear to take into account water ph. I figure if I am going to be using 40L of water for a batch, it has got to make some effect?
> 
> On a somewhat related question (sorry to hijack the thread):
> On Brewing salt editions, should I be doing this during the mash only? What about sparging time?
> Is changing say, the calcium ratio something that might improve the brew because of how it behaves in the mash? Or because of what may happen during fermentation?


Water has a pH value. Out of the tap, mine used to be 7.2. As Manticle has pointed out, grains alter pH, with darker grains being more acidic. After mashing-in, my pH used to drop to around 6.4. I then used lactic acid and calcium chloride to further lower this to around 5.5.

I only used to add additions to my mash water, and not to my dunk sparge water. Mainly because I used to forget 

I believe calcium additions improves the brew due to the mash. Others may think differently.


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## losp

Cosmic Bertie said:


> Water has a pH value. Out of the tap, mine used to be 7.2. As Manticle has pointed out, grains alter pH, with darker grains being more acidic. After mashing-in, my pH used to drop to around 6.4. I then used lactic acid and calcium chloride to further lower this to around 5.5.
> 
> I only used to add additions to my mash water, and not to my dunk sparge water. Mainly because I used to forget
> 
> I believe calcium additions improves the brew due to the mash. Others may think differently.


I'm not sure what my water ph is. I was thinking it was around 7 (as this is the data i have seen) but measuring it myself with ph strips (i know...) suggests that it may be around 5.5 - 6. So i have sent it off to get a sample. I am hoping to receive the data today for this weekends brew.

I ll have a play around this weekend with the mash only.


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## manticle

Pickaxe said:


> I had emailed them, then the grumpy woman called me and said if they test for it, it's on the report. Brick wall there.



Wow. What's the water company?


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## manticle

Pickaxe said:


> And have you seen a dramatic difference in beer quality and flavour CB?


If your water is good (either slightly soft or slightly hard -and CB is on a soft Melbourne water supply) you probably won't notice a dramatic difference and better not enough than too much in terms of minerals and pH. However you should notice a difference in hop profile and malt profile, get better mash efficiency, good break formation and an overall healthier ferment id you get your pH and mineral levels right. It's a way of tweaking and the effects on flavour of various salts will make a discernible difference.

If you're water is very hard or minerally or highly alkaline, you may struggle to make the beers you want - in this case adjusting pH etc can have a quite dramatic difference especially if you are trying to brew delicate pilsners. If your water is chloraminated you may have further issues.

Even with soft water, I notice gypsum makes hop profiles more pronounced and less muddy. Think of the difference in flavour when subtle salt additions are added to a dish versus unseasoned.

Zinc is included in good quality beer yeast nutrients.


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## Pickaxe

Unity water are my water company. Got some bitch on reception, thought I was getting too big for my boots is my guess. Funny, I was going to point out that for one suburb they had Sodium results, but for mine they did not. Tells me they test for Sodium. They are required to.

Anyway, might give a small adjustment a go: If i do have a decent calcium level in my water, what will going over 150ppm do?


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## manticle

Hey Pickaxe - in your other water thread, I linked the thread that has loads of various water profiles around the nation, including various sunshine coast ones. You may find what you are looking for there.

It's unfortunate that you have been met with such impoliteness fromt he employee. When I've emailed Melbourne water they've only been helpful. I know someone who used to be quite high up in SEQ water so though I might be able to help but not sure how the districts are worked out up your way.


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## Pickaxe

Thanks manticle. I thought about lodging a right to information query to the water company, then they HAVE to provide information, but the info you posted has helped. 

From close by water supplirs there is high caco3, but low calcium ions, about 30ish ppm, and low sulphate. Will give higher mash ph. So I got some salts and lactic acid. Will try next brew.

Question - anyone know where to get ph test strips close to home. Chemist don't stock them. Suggested to try pool shop or bynnings. Any suggestions?


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## manticle

Probably craftbrewer.
Grain and grape stock them and postage would be minimal. Any hb store that focuses on AG. Ebay.


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## jimmyfozzers

Pickaxe, where did you get the lactic acid? None of my local brew shops stock it.


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## micblair

Pickaxe said:


> Just about to "examine" my water profile in ezwater calc, and had an idiot question to start.
> 
> Lrgoomba recently suggested my overall efficiency may be improved with ph adjustments.
> My local water has a mean ph of 8, min 6.4 and max 9.2. Being quite alkaline it seems from what ive read my mash may suffer?
> Is this correct. &
> Could this also effect hop isomerisation? I have a sneaking feeling I'm not quite getting all I could from my hops (galaxy and ass. Fruit and us and nz hops in pale grists.
> 
> As it has been suggested not to mess with water unless necessary, and it seems a complex learning curve, can I improve beer quality starting with ph alone?


If your alkalinity is too high, it's going to buffer anything that would otherwise acidify your mash i.e. acid malt, CaCl2/CaSO4 etc. You might have to take measures to remedy this such as boiling or adding acid to precipitate out salts. From memory 200 mg/L or more of CaCO3 is going cause issues.


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## Dan2

jimmyfozzers said:


> Pickaxe, where did you get the lactic acid? None of my local brew shops stock it.


G&G - One of our sponsors
About $10 for the bottle which should last a few hundred brews.
They're in Melbourne - not sure where you are, but postage to rural S.A. cost me ...... bugga - must've deleted that email - $5?


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## micblair

50-100g of acidulated malt works seems to get me bang on pH 5.2 most of the time. I would dabble in that and 100 ppm of Ca (as CaCl2) before you started experimenting around with acid solutions.


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## Pickaxe

Ive noticed people using acidulated malt, it does seem like a good solution. What sort of flavor does it introduce? Or does it not have a flavor as such?
Going to see what the cacl2 and calcium sulphate does, and I have lactic acid on hand if I need it for now. Really looking fwd to testing and trialling this. As bum said, I'm nerding out.


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## Khellendros13

Well I didn't **** up my 2nd AG brew as much as the first, and ended up with 19L into the FV, target was 20L. Just had some issues hitting mash temp of 69c, so kind of ended up with short mash steps...and ended with a thin mash at 67-68c. Oh well.

Anyway, calculated my water additions again using the EZ water spreadsheet, and with the calculated 2ml of lactic acid (stings like buggery if you have a scratch or cut!) had a mash PH of 5.3-4 in cooled wort. Spot on to the 5.4 I calculated.

I'd rather just add 0-4ml of lactic acid than have to buy/remember acidulated malt every brew. That is just me though.


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## ianh

Khellendros13 said:


> I'd rather just add 0-4ml of lactic acid than have to buy/remember acidulated malt every brew. That is just me though.


I am the other way. I would rather add some acidulated malt to all my low ESB brews than be adding another chemical in the form of lactic acid.


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## Pickaxe

Without knowing exactly what is going on with my mash Ph exactly, I have noticed a massive difference at the end of primary fermentation, in both flavour and yeast activity, having used additions of cacl and gypsum.

Will post further results in 3 weeks or so when I try an early sneaky one.


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## toncils

Anyone know how fermenting affects the ph?

I did two big brews earlier this year, both stalled; 1095 -> 1035. I thought it was because I didn't do a big enough starter, or didn't airate enough. I was VERY high on black malts, so recently though it could be the pH. Might crack one open and test.


On that note, does anyone know if barrel-aging affect the pH?


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## toncils

Any takers?


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## Pickaxe

Not me, defer to experience.

pickaxe


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## mabrungard

Fermentation always drives down beer pH. Wort is typically in the low 5 range after the boil and the fermentation process takes it into the 4 range. Some yeasts are more acid producing than others and the resulting beer pH can differ for that reason.


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## toncils

Righty, that makes sense.
Thanks Mabrungard


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