I have liked goin 5.3-5.4 room temp to achieve about 5.1 5.2 mash temp, anyone else like other ranges, and what about boil ph?
5.3 +/- .1 room temp mash pH only those grains that require mash. When the mash is complete I add those grains that don’t require mash which changes everything.
I shoot for 5.2 but find my mash ph drifts towards 5.3-5.4
Like the others - 5.2 to 5.4 per calculator, rarely measured due to laziness.
5.7-5.8 at room temp (which would be about 5.5 at mash temp). I know I aim higher than most, because I’m crazy like that. Actual reason is, I just really hate tartness.
That’s interesting. I’m not sure I’ve heard of anyone else mashing that high for a pale lager. Not intentionally anyway.
My last two batches came out great. Efficiency was a little low though. I’ll play around with it a little more over the next half dozen or so batches.
pH is always measured at room temp or thereabouts, it’s really never measured at high temps. No pH meter would last long if used at high temps; the glass is very delicate. Thus, it really only makes sense to talk about room-temp values. That said, I don’t measure pH anymore. Used to, but I have a good enough feel for where I’m at in the range best for mashing based on the grist.
I measure mine at mash temperature and add 0.25 to convert to room temp. Cuz I’m crazy like that. 
Be careful. Next thing you know, you’ll be first-wort hopping or whatnot. Measuring pH at mash temp is a gateway process.
Regardless of the temp it’s measured at, reported pH values are based on room-temp-ish measurements (unless I’m seriously mistaken, which has been known to happen). This standardizes them, as well as lengthens the lifespan of pH meters (except for dmtaylors’ :-P) So when we talk about an optimum pH range for the mash from 5.2 to 5.7 or whatever, we’re talking about pH values measured at room temp.
5.2 for saison, 5.3-5.4 for lagers and most ales, 5.6 for stout and porter.
I am almost there. I am mashing my 7th batch using G Strong’s method and if it is 5.3 +/- .1 likes all the others have been I am probably not going to waste time checking anymore.
I believe Martin has noted that’s a pretty normal thing to see.
+1. You will shorten the life of the probe in the pH meter by measuring at mash temperature. Take a sample cool it to below 80 degrees and measure it. I get about 3 years out of a probe this way.
I’ve been using my same old Chinese junker in the hot mash on almost every batch for about 5 years now. Still on my first one. Granted, I don’t brew as often as I used to, so that’s only like 20 batches total (not counting the ~dozen duplicates where I split the wort to try 2 different yeasts in or whatever). But the thing still works and calibrates. Nice thing about the cheap junk is that whenever it finally does break, I won’t feel bad about just buying another new one for like $10.
I’ve spoken about the phenomenon at homebrew club meetings and people look at me like Im crazy. I had a very simple solution to it though-I quit measuring ph multiple times during the mash