Hi In preparation for my 1st AG I have done a PH test of my tap water.
It came out at 6.4 which is just slightly acidic.
How does this fit with Beer is it okay or would I need to treat my water?
Thanks FB
Water PH
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Eric
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Re: Water PH
Forget the complexities of water treatment at this stage. Is your water hard or is it soft? Just add a teaspoon of gysum to the mash (2 if you have soft water) and another to the boil and revisit the subject later.
A pH measurement of your water won't normally provide a predictive guide of pH values at subsequent stages. A better starting point is to find your water's carbonate hardness, its buffering capacity, its resistance to this change of pH but to be frank, make some beer first.
A pH measurement of your water won't normally provide a predictive guide of pH values at subsequent stages. A better starting point is to find your water's carbonate hardness, its buffering capacity, its resistance to this change of pH but to be frank, make some beer first.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.
Re: Water PH
Just to add to what Eric said, if you do have very hard water, boil it first and rack it off the layer of chalk that will form when cool.
Check the pH of your mash once it has sat for 5 minutes or so - that will give you a better idea of how your water performs for brewing.
Check the pH of your mash once it has sat for 5 minutes or so - that will give you a better idea of how your water performs for brewing.
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Kev888
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Re: Water PH
Yep, I'll reiterate Eric and Jim as its something that I took a while to get to grips with initially: its the mash PH thats of interest so its worth measuring that, but knowing the water PH isn't actually as useful as you may imagine - or at least as I imagined - it doesn't really predict much about the mash PH.
Initially I'd agree with keeping water treatment simple - for most people its just a refinement but I've seen threads where they have got it wrong and made things notably worse. There are plenty of more fundamental things to juggle for your first AG, such as getting the temperatures and volumes right.
The very best of luck with it
Kev
Initially I'd agree with keeping water treatment simple - for most people its just a refinement but I've seen threads where they have got it wrong and made things notably worse. There are plenty of more fundamental things to juggle for your first AG, such as getting the temperatures and volumes right.
The very best of luck with it
Kev
Kev