This was my first time brewing, a dark beer with reverse osmosis water using bru’n water and my pH 10 minutes into the mash at 70° was 5.7. I was shooting for 5.55. Just wondering if this is going to make a big effect on taste? Any opinions?
Also, when I added my Brewing minerals, my strike water turned cloudy. And did not clear. Gypsum 1.12 g, CACL 2.79 g, Epsom salt 1.67 g, NaCl 0.37 g, baking soda, 3.05 g.
I will be surprised if there’s a detectable impact on flavor.
Within reason, good conversion in the mash is pretty insensitive to pH. A pH of 5.7 is fine–for the mash. But if that too-high a mash pH isn’t adjusted downward at kettle-full and carries downstream into the boil and finished beer, it would definitely be detectable, at least to my palate.
The cloudiness is calcium carbonate, it’s the calcium reacting with the bicarbonate anion.
A pH measurement 10 minutes into the mash can’t tell you anything. Mashing pH changes by several tenths during the mash and the early pH IS NOT where the final wort pH will end up.
In the case of a dark beer brewed with low alkalinity water, the early mashing pH is likely to be slightly higher than target with the pH falling as mashing time goes on. That is the opposite of what occurs with a pale beer brewed with an addition of acid in the mash, where the pH is likely to start out lower than target and rise slightly toward the targeted pH with mashing time.
Mashing pH does not become constant until about 45 minutes into the mash. Hopefully you measured wort pH later in the mash in addition to the 10 minute measurement.
Thanks Martin, I did not measure again. Maybe I will start doing a 15 and 45 minute measurement. Hopefully the beer will be drinkable.
I have not kept up with modern brewing science but it was my understanding that pH was only a factor when over sparging where the pH would rise esp with light beers and extract tannins.
At the time a good sprage volume was 1/2 gal per lb which maintained low enough pH for all beers.
Given my brewing of low OG beers I find this to be true. I sparge at 1/2 gal per lb and then add top off water to get my pre-boil gravity. No issues with astringency even when doing 100% pale malt beers
I haven’t changed the filters in my reverse osmosis system in a while. I just checked the pH of my RO water and it is 7.01. I wonder if this could have a reason for the pH going too high?