# Tap Water To Mash Ph



## dougsbrew (8/4/11)

hi there, i have been adding five star 5.2 to my tap water for mashing. 
i have just run out and am wondering what would happen if i mashed without adjusting ph. 
the tap water comes out at around 7.2ph. i know better results if i bring the ph down but 
i was wondering how many brewers mash without adjusting ph and what their results are like?


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## eamonnfoley (8/4/11)

dougsbrew said:


> hi there, i have been adding five star 5.2 to my tap water for mashing.
> i have just run out and am wondering what would happen if i mashed without adjusting ph.
> the tap water comes out at around 7.2ph. i know better results if i bring the ph down but
> i was wondering how many brewers mash without adjusting ph and what their results are like?



High mash Ph = dull flavourless tasting beer, possible harsh bitterness. 
Low mash PH = too sharp, acidic. Is harder to get your PH too low than too high

What mash ph are you getting with the five star 5.2? THe consensus amongst brewers is that it doesnt work for even moderately alkaline water.
Put some acidulated malt (~3%) and gypsum in with your mash and this should help drop mash PH.


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## Silo Ted (8/4/11)

Would you say that calculating mash pH to tailor grist ingredients or adding buffers is standard practice for all microbreweries both here and abroad ? On a homebrew scale, I haven't yet investigated it, despite buying a digital pH meter a while ago because firstly I was of the mind that many people make award winning beers without considering this step, but also because i don't quite know how to calculate it for a single vessel brew environment.


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## unrealeous (8/4/11)

Silo Ted said:


> Would you say that calculating mash pH to tailor grist ingredients or adding buffers is standard practice for all microbreweries both here and abroad ? On a homebrew scale, I haven't yet investigated it, despite buying a digital pH meter a while ago because firstly I was of the mind that many people make award winning beers without considering this step, but also because i don't quite know how to calculate it for a single vessel brew environment.


Microbreweries are not going to be using 5.2

Adjusting your ph with salt additions is really quite straightforward. You can obtain your water profile for you location, then use a good salt calculator to work out your desired ph - the babb nonograph is quite good http://nomograph.babbrewers.com/ You can buy the salts from your friendly sponsors - they are quite cheap and will last you a lifetime.

You can also use a bit of aciduated malt to lower the ph.

Having a ph meter or strips doesn't hurt - but if you follow the above you'll be in the ph ballpark for a good mash.


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## felon (8/4/11)

> http://nomograph.babbrewers.com/



How good is that link. I was trying to draw all over my Palmer book's back page the other day trying to work out water calculations.


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## dent (8/4/11)

dougsbrew said:


> i was wondering how many brewers mash without adjusting ph and what their results are like?




It will work. I probably brewed about 50 batches before moving to RO et al. It is unlikely your beer cannot improve with the pH adjusted properly, but you will make beer, it will be good - it just _can _be better.


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## dougsbrew (8/4/11)

thanks for the helpfull info there. i'm not sure what ph i was getting as my aquarium ph 
tester on measures down to 6. i was wondering whether to buy another container of 5.2 
but just had a feeling that it wasnt doing much for me. i might have a go at the salts.


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## manticle (8/4/11)

Salts will do more than just change pH - Calcium will help yeast health and efficiency, sulphates will brighten a hop profile, chlorides will push a malt profile, etc etc.

I've never used 5.2 but it seems like a one size fits all approach.


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## Online Brewing Supplies (8/4/11)

manticle said:


> Salts will do more than just change pH - Calcium will help yeast health and efficiency, sulphates will brighten a hop profile, chlorides will push a malt profile, etc etc.
> 
> I've never used 5.2 but it seems like a one size fits all approach.


It doesnt work well in Perth water, hence why a few of us have gone down the RO route and salt additions.
GB


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## manticle (8/4/11)

That's what I mean by 'one size fits all'. One size very rarely fits all.


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## Online Brewing Supplies (8/4/11)

manticle said:


> That's what I mean by 'one size fits all'. One size very rarely fits all.


Yes I was agreeing with your view. :icon_chickcheers: 
Gb


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## Bandito (8/4/11)

dougsbrew said:


> the tap water comes out at around 7.2ph.



Your location says your in brissy, but there is no way in hell anywhere in brisbane has water out of the tap at 7.2pH. Have you calibrated your pH meter in a buffering solution reciently? When I lived in brisbane the water was more like 9.3. 7.2pH is extremely pure water which brisbane doesnt have, infact the only place I know of that does have it is the yarra valley in victoria close to the upper yarra dam. To calibrate the pH meter you will need some buffering solution - a little ironic! This is what I use, I got it from the hydroponics store accross the road from the brew shop in wacol a few years ago when I liven in brissy.

The brisbane water (in seventeen mile rocks at least) was hell on my pH meter, a few minutes in it and the readings went haywire, mabee it was the chloramine which can be used at 10x the concentration of chlorine, but not sure. If your meter is decent and has a daniel cell (a glass bulb) then it should be able to be accurate, but it should not be left to dry out. It should be kept in contact with buffer solution and not brissy water - the bulb is made from a special type of glass that conducts electricity. It should also have a calibration trimpot that needs to be adjusted each time a reading is taken. Tip out the buffer it has been stored in, pour in new buffer, leave for 5 minutes, adjust the trimpot with a screwdriver to read the buffer solution pH, then test the solution to be tested. Then rince (under the tap if need be) and store in contact with buffer solution.

You can take your water into an aquarium or mabee hydro store and have it tested also.


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## dougsbrew (9/4/11)

bandito 9.3? i think you need to calibrate your calibration. 
as mentioned earlier, i use an aquarium tester-3 drops in a vail and it changes color which 
you then match to a color chart. SEQW test water frequently and publish results. heres the linky 
http://www.seqwgm.qld.gov.au/Water-quality...ty-results.aspx 
last month the lowest ph reading was 7.1, highest 8.3, average was 7.7.


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## unrealeous (9/4/11)

Bandito said:


> 7.2pH is extremely pure water which brisbane doesnt have


Don't go thinking that ph is a measure of water purity - it is not. Some water can be extremely non-pure and have a ph of 7.0


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