Failed to test mash pH - what now?

[Richard Kutschman]

I’m using a recipe kit for a Sierra Madre Pale Ale. I had my tap water tested by Ward Labs and made the adjustments using Brewer’s Friend (ended up adding 4 gm gypsum, 2 gm CaCo3, and 2 gm NaCl). Ward Labs had my tap at a pH of 8.1.

I had meant to test pH at 30 minutes into boil, but completely forgot.

Otherwise, all seems to be going well. Bubbling away on day #3. Any suggestions?

From all I’ve read, you need to adjust mash pH with enough time left in the boil to make a difference. Unlikely there is anything I can do at this point.

 

[GoeHaarden]

Most people, including myself, adjust their water and don't check a pH. I just trust the software, Bru'n Water, and I don't worry about it. Beers turn out very delicious...

That salt seems a tad high (not sure I've ever used more that 1.2 gm in 5 gallon batch), but not so much to worry about. Also, you may want to switch from CaCO3 to CaCl2, as Calcium Carbonate doesn't dissolve well the way we use it. Plus, this would cut down the NaCl you add in order to get your Cl numbers rights. You can probably just RDWAHAHB...

Cheers!

 

[RPh_Guy]

ended up adding 4 gm gypsum, 2 gm CaCo3, and 2 gm NaCl

That doesn't sound right. You should pretty much never add calcium carbonate.

Mash pH cannot be effectively adjusted on the fly. Use a calculator to predict how much acid/base to add. Measure the result. Adjust it next time if needed.

Your beer will be fine. There's nothing to need to correct at this point.

When building a water profile, make the following considerations:
You need calcium at least 50ppm
Chloride:sulfate ratio affects the taste dryness/bitter vs full/sweet.
Acid (typically lactic acid) or base (typically baking soda) are used to get mash pH into range once you determine your other additions.

Hope this helps

 

[h22lude]

I agree with @RPh_Guy. Calcium carbonate does sound odd to use. And salt isn't really necessary unless you like the taste.

And I also agree that mash pH adjusting on the fly is useless. It takes too long for the mash pH to stabilize. You use a calculator to get close and take notes for next batch.

 

[madscientist451]

I've been brewing for many years without any idea what the PH is. My beer seems OK to me, but maybe it would be better if I wasn't so friggin' lazy... If you want to manipulate your PH, that's great, otherwise, RDWHAHB.

 

[Richard Kutschman]

I appreciate all the assist. New to this. I love the chemistry but may be overthinking it.

I used Brewer’s Friend software to make water adjustments while it was coming up to strike temp.

My tap water (from Ward Labs):

pH 8.1
Cl 5
SO4 6
Alkalinity (CaCO3) 185
HCO2 223
Total Hardness (CaCO3) 151
Mg 14
Na 13
Ca 37
K 7.0
Nitrate 0.1
Carbonate <1.0
Phosphorus 0.03
Iron <0.01

When I used the “balanced profile” I just used the tool to plug in different numbers to get to the target.

Curious what the beer’s gonna taste like.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

You already have some high alkalinity water there, adding Calcium carbonate only made it worse (although it probably didn't do much - it's not very soluble in wort). What you'll end up with is beer that's maybe not as good as it could have been - I'm sure it'll still be drinkable (maybe a bit muddled and the bitterness might be slightly unpleasant). In future, don't try to match profiles! You have a few choices:
1. Use your tap water. You'll need a decent amount of acid to counter the alkalinity for pale beers.
2. Use RO water. Or a blend of tap water and RO water.
3. Boil your water to precipitate some of the carbonate (alkalinity). It's probably not worth it.
Whichever way you go, decide on the Calcium level for your beer. 30 to 50ppm is good for pale lagers. You can go much higher with ales - some brewers prefer up to about 200ppm (probably higher). I generally keep mine to 50 to 100ppm (except English bitter). Decide on a ratio for Chloride to Sulphate. There's no right or wrong. You can taste what each one does by sprinkling a small amount (Calcium chloride or gypsum/Calcium sulphate) in a glass of beer to see how it changes the flavour. Use your water software to work out how much of each salt you need to add to reach your Calcium, chloride and sulphate targets. Then account for the alkalinity - work out how much acid you need to get to a suitable mash pH and to counter the alkalinity in your sparge water. With your water, I can't see any possible beer that would need a Carbonate/Bicarbonate addition.

 

[BitterSweetBrews]

Typically we worry about PH during mashing and not so much during the boil because if it was good during the mash it should carry forward to the boil. Water adjustments are done to your strike water and sparge water so you have efficient extraction of your grains and a good PH going into the boil. Having the water at a specific level of calcium/sulfate balance can effect maltiness during the mash and hops extraction during the boil.

Ideally you want to mash at a PH somewhere around 5.2-5.4. You test it about 10 minutes into the mash and make changes there if necessary. But, if you wait any longer than that any changes will have no effect. This is because conversion is well into being done and changes take a while to have any effect so by the time they would make a difference conversion is complete and they are too late.

Having the PH at around 5.0 at the beginning of the boil can effect hop extraction, break, maillard reactions and color. With that said, I have never heard of anyone altering their wort chemistry during the boil. You can add lactic acid, calcium chloride or gypsum to lower boil PH at the beginning of the boil. But, if your PH was good during the mash it should be good for the boil.