Jim's Beer Kit

@Eric No, I don't target RA, I target the pH. The RA is whatever it is to get the pH in the right range. I intended the pH to be about 5.35 for this mash. I agree with you on the calcium. Normally I would have gone higher, but the gist of Googling 'saison water chemistry' was to go lower on all the ...

Thank you all for the responses. Several things to think about there. RA = residual alkalinity I did used to fly sparge, but kept getting low efficiency, even though I took about 2 hours to do the sparge. I switched to batch sparging, and got much better results. The RIMS system I made myself, with ...

@Jim, it was a Malt Miller kit, all the grist, ready to mash, in a bag, so no. That is a possibility, but I've never had dodgy ingredients from MM before. I'm open to all suggestions though. @Mashbag, I'm in the north midlands, the water is 'municipal' water, quite drinkable, soft, the source is sur...

I’ve just brewed a saison (actually, Malt Miller’s Dupont). The outcome was a staggeringly low mash conversion: 47%. The result was 6 litres less saison than expected. Any suggestions as to what could produce such a pathetic conversion? It was all grain, all the grist mashed together, at 63C, in a R...

Brewed again yesterday. Predicted ph 5.5 - measured 5.52.

I hope this 'winning' streak continues...

Congratulations! But I hate mysteries like these! I want to know what's going off. My 'raw' water is very soft and has low mineral levels so I had added Calcium Sulphate and Calcium Chloride. Calcium was predicted at 157ppm. I don't think I've ever brewed with less than 100ppm Calcium.. I have a RIM...

Well, I would have preferred it a bit lower, for a such a pale brew.

It's not a major worry. I just wanted to know if anyone had any explanation why the water calculators went from predicting the pH really well, to being so far out.

Today's brew: all pale malts, so no complications. Brun Water predicted pH5.36. pH measured at room temperature, at both 10 and 15 mins was 5.59. Meter recalibrated before measurements and checked again afterwards. At the end of the mash (75mins), pH5.51.

I'm brewing tomorrow, an APA, so no dark malts. Used Bru'n Water to setup the water, double-checked it. We'll see what happens...

I'll sample more than one time, this time.

Well, the Salifert test (at double precision) gave the same result for alkaninity I was already working with: 12 mg/L CaCO3.

So what does they actually mean when I read (for example): "In particular we want to keep the measured pH of our mash in the 5.2-5.5 range with a preference towards the lower end (5.2)."? What 'measured pH' are they referring to? You are saying the time the measurement is taken will influence the re...

TBH, I'm not getting this TDS thing. It's used it as a quick check just to test if the water composition has changed since last brew day? And all it is measuring is the total mineral content of the water? That would seem, to me, to be more a useful thing to do in a hard water area. Anyone any advice...

I've ordered a Salifert alkalinity kit. Eric, What does a TDS meter do for me, brewing-wise. I've just read up what it meaures, but how does that relate to brewing? (There's always something new to learn about brewing, isn't there?) Do you mean take the sample later on in the mash? At what time? I k...

See https://www.stwater.co.uk/my-supply/water-quality/check-my-water-quality/ and enter post code de45 1aa. The Murphy's analysis adds: Alkalinity 12mg/L CaCO3 Calcium 14mg/L Sulfate 20mg/L Chloride 14mg/L I tend to believe them, as we have very soft water, very low mineralisation. A campden tablet ...

Are you saying I shouldn't put any faith the Murphys analysis? It did pretty much match what Severn Trent said.

The old probe is getting on a bit. But I have new one, less than a month old. That gives the same readings as the old probe (once calibrated).