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Final Beer pH to high!

 
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jerryt




Joined: 27 Jun 2013
Posts: 25
Location: Saline, Michigan


PostLink    Posted: Thu Jan 09, 2014 9:40 pm    Post subject: Final Beer pH to high! Reply with quote


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Hi all. Just racked a batch of Janet's Brown Ale to a secondary to crash chill for a few days before kegging. While checking the Final Gravity, I thought I would check the pH for grins. It was 5.1 ... way too high. I have a new Hanna pH meter (used on two batches). I calibrated it and still got the same reading.

I did not have any pH issues while brewing and I used RO water treated per recipe.
O.G. =1.068 F.G. 1.015
94.74% efficiency.
Nice clear dark color.

I fermented with WLP-001 for 9 days and then added secondary hops for 6 more days before racking and crash chilling today.

Any ideas of what I can check/correct. Not really worried about beer spoiling as it was only a 5 gal batch and I expect to go through it fast with many "tasters". Wink

I did notice that it did not strike me as a "hoppy" brown ale. It tastes good - I just expected more hop taste and aroma. Wondering if the high pH "flattened" the hops.

Thanks for your help / advice.

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g8tors




Joined: 05 Oct 2011
Posts: 211



PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 11:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

You could take a measured sample and then add some lactic acid until you get your desired pH or the beer tastes better. Then you could scale up the additions of lactic acid to your batch size and add this to your secondary. I wouldn't add more then a .5ml / gal. Did you take a pH reading of your mash? My last batch my mash pH was 5.4 taken at room temperature, into the fermentor pH was 5.2, and into the keg pH was 4.6.

Scott
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jerryt




Joined: 27 Jun 2013
Posts: 25
Location: Saline, Michigan


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 1:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks for the reply Scott.

My mash pH was 5.3 and pre-boil was 5.5.

I am not going to try and adjust pH on the final as it tastes fine. Sure I could maybe tweak it but I don't want to risk adding an "off" flavor. If I hadn't checked the final pH I never would have known. There doesn't seem to be a lot on the web on what would cause this as it seems most brewers are not checking final pH. (Sitting on the yeast too long is one suggestion)

I am going to monitor this more closely on my next batch this weekend (blond ale / lager split) and will post a follow up.

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Ben58




Joined: 14 Aug 2011
Posts: 409
Location: Hamilton, Ontario


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Check the pH of your sparge water. Try to get it down to 5.6 to 5.8.
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jerryt




Joined: 27 Jun 2013
Posts: 25
Location: Saline, Michigan


PostLink    Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I actually "over adjusted" my sparge water and it was at 4.5 pH (shot 1.0 ml lactic acid into it and did not check pH after the first 0.5 ml).

I am stumped as to how it got so high! It's a mystery!

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