23 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

So I have pretty soft water so I always end up adding some brewing salts. My beer has been turning out fine as far as I can tell but it always seems like my pH is low. Normally I use Palmer's spreadsheet to put me in the middle of the RA range based on SRM. I then inevitably see that my pH is a little low so I add some chalk and stir. It's still low so I keep doing this until I've basically hit the high end of the RA range based on the spreadsheet. I still think I'm just a little low pH wise (those strips are a little tricky to read). Is there anything else I should investigate? I'm a little nervous about adding much more chalk b/c I'm already usually adding 1.5-2.5 teaspoons.

[BrewerGeorge]

That seems like an excessive amount of chalk. Are you using the good strips?

[DaBearSox]

I hate those strips b/c I really can't tell a difference in color from say 5.0-5.2 so I have given up that route and just use pH buffer 5.2.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

That seems like an excessive amount of chalk. Are you using the good strips?

Is there a way I could check if the strips are good? I bought them from Austin HB I think. According to Palmer that's not that much chalk based on my water profile. I should note that I also usually throw a little bit of gypsum in so that counteracts some of the chalk.

[BrewerGeorge]

Is there a way I could check if the strips are good? I bought them from Austin HB I think. According to Palmer that's not that much chalk based on my water profile. I should note that I also usually throw a little bit of gypsum in so that counteracts some of the chalk.

Are they paper and realistically priced or plastic and ridiculously priced?Hint: The plastic ones are the good ones.

[RommelMagic]

I suggest you add a pH meter to your Christmas list.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Are they paper and realistically priced or plastic and ridiculously priced?Hint: The plastic ones are the good ones.

Plastic and realistically priced. They aren't the colorphast ones if that's what you are going for.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I suggest you add a pH meter to your Christmas list.

Eh - doesn't seem worth it. If someone wants to loan me one for one batch I'd be happy to try it though

[xd_haze]

+57Years of lab work, and I can't use the f'n strips. The only way I can measure pH is with a nice meter. I don't have a nice meter, so I use a buffer.mike

I hate those strips b/c I really can't tell a difference in color from say 5.0-5.2 so I have given up that route and just use pH buffer 5.2.

[Slainte]

I suggest you add a pH meter to your Christmas list.

Yep, that's the only way to get a truly accurate reading.I've found that even the colorphast strips aren't that accurate, and can be off by as much as .1-.2 when compared to my pH meter.The 5.2 buffer is decent, but it's kinda like training wheels for all-grain brewing. I found it gave some weird minerally flavors in more subtle styles.

[BrewerGeorge]

I think a pH meter is a really unnecessary brewing toy. (Sorry guys.) They're just way too delicate.IMO, the colorpHast strips are accurate enough for brewing. Unless you're actually medically color-blind, I don't see how you can fail to read them. It doesn't matter that you're exactly 5.2; as long as you're close to that pea soup green color, all will be well.To get back to the original question, are you sure of your source water composition? I use Palmer's spreadsheet as well, and it's been dead-on a dozen or more times. It's so accurate a predictor that I'm considering not replacing the colorpHast strips when I run out. If it's predictions failed you, perhaps your water company has changed sources and the water data you input into the spreadsheet is now incorrect.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I think a pH meter is a really unnecessary brewing toy. (Sorry guys.) They're just way too delicate.IMO, the colorpHast strips are accurate enough for brewing. Unless you're actually medically color-blind, I don't see how you can fail to read them. It doesn't matter that you're exactly 5.2; as long as you're close to that pea soup green color, all will be well.To get back to the original question, are you sure of your source water composition? I use Palmer's spreadsheet as well, and it's been dead-on a dozen or more times. It's so accurate a predictor that I'm considering not replacing the colorpHast strips when I run out. If it's predictions failed you, perhaps your water company has changed sources and the water data you input into the spreadsheet is now incorrect.

I guess I can't really be sure of the water company. Maybe at some point I'll get some colorphast strips and see if they work better. Basically it always seems like I'm reading right around 5.0 after my first attempt at adjustment. I then add more chalk and I can't really notice a significant change and then I stop adding chalk b/c I figure if I stay within the spreadsheet RA guess range I should be alright.

[3rd party JKor]

I just got a new pack of strips a few weeks ago for like $4. They're going in the garbage. Totally useless, IMO. The likelihood that my mash pH was 4.6 is virtually zero. I'd rather spend the $60 for a pH meter than mess around with strips, that even when you pay $25/100, aren't accurate. The ColorpHast strips are much more accurate, but they're so damn expensive, in the long run the price isn't even that much different than a pH meter.

[ChicagoWaterGuy]

I have a ph meter from a friend. The last time it was used was wine season last year. Any suggestions on how to calibrate it?

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Maybe I'll check to see if I can get an updated water report and in the future I'll just follow the spreadsheet and hope for the best.

[3rd party JKor]

Maybe I'll check to see if I can get an updated water report and in the future I'll just follow the spreadsheet and hope for the best.

I trust my water report and spreadsheet a whole lot more than I trust the pH paper.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I trust my water report and spreadsheet a whole lot more than I trust the pH paper.

well - the good news is I never go OVER what the spreadsheet predicts is okay so I've probably been fine so far.

[NWPines]

I don't get why everyone thinks the colorphast strips are so expensive. You can get them HERE for $17.42 shipped (a box of 100 strips in the 4-7 pH range). You can then cut them in half lengthwise and have 200 strips, which comes out to less than $0.09 per strip. By the way, they work much, much better than any other pH strip I've come across.

[3rd party JKor]

I don't get why everyone thinks the colorphast strips are so expensive. You can get them HERE for $17.42 shipped (a box of 100 strips in the 4-7 pH range). You can then cut them in half lengthwise and have 200 strips, which comes out to less than $0.09 per strip. By the way, they work much, much better than any other pH strip I've come across.

..and they're still about 0.3 pH units off. At least they're consistent. Kaiser over on HBT did a really good study on the colorpHast strips. If you use ColorpHast strips you should definitely read it.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

..and they're still about 0.3 pH units off. At least they're consistent. Kaiser over on HBT did a really good study on the colorpHast strips. If you use ColorpHast strips you should definitely read it.

Well I got a hold of a different water report that I received the first time around (this is one is from the public works, the other was from the water company). They are slightly different but I'm not sure if they are significantly different. This one is dated as 2008 but I'm not sure when. The one I already had I received in December 2008 so it can't be any newer than that. I e-mailed the lab at the water company again to see if they have an updated report for me.In any event - should I just average the numbers from my two most recent reports?