Waterproof Digital pH Meter

[ScrewyBrewer]

I plunked down some serious bucks today to buy a decent pH meter to use in my next round of 'science experiments', or as I prefer to call it brewing fun. I bought the book "Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers (Brewing Elements)" and after reading it at least 2 times I have to admit I don't view water in quite the same way I used to. I'm not saying this book will kick start you into modifying your brewing water profile as easily as reading your water's temperature in no way.

Here's the thing, after reading this book when I look at a glass of clean water I no longer think of the water inside the glass as being a static object. In fact now I can visualize in my mind the interaction of all of those hydrogen molecules actively seeking free oxygen molecules to bond to. In a water molecule [h2o] there are 2 hydrogen and one oxygen atom bound together, but even in water there are lots of extra hydrogen atoms breaking those bonds and forming new bonds with other oxygen atoms. Pretty cool right, how an obviously still glass of water can be so active at down at the molecular level. With that said it's at this level we begin to understand the what water properties are most important to us brewers.

[MadBrewer]

Water is something I've been trying to wrap my head around for the past couple years of all grain brewing. It's something that can be related to brewing itself, it can be as simple or as complex as you want it or let it be. It's something to be very aware of for brewing better or the best beer you can. A ph meter is your first step, mash ph is the magic that makes or breaks the beer. When mash ph is in the correct range, everything else behind that falls into place. Before jumping right in to all this water stuff, put that meter to use by simply doing a regular brew day as you would normally. Check mash ph, check preboil ph, and post boil ph. When the beer is done and ready to be kegged, check final beer ph. This alone will give you answers you need before you go do anything with your water. Of course the ph of a cooled sample from the mash, from the sparge runnings, and pre-boil ph will read .3-.4 points higher. So your optimum ph of the mash might be 5.2-5.4 at mash temps, the cooled sample (room temp) will read 5.5-5.8.

Next step if you are serious about learning about water is testing the water you use. Ward Labs will take care of that and give you lots of answers. I've gone full circle with my water. Making style specific water profiles, using RO water and building it up myself, diluting my water for certain beers...etc. Its just another tool, but we need to know what to do to make it all work for us. I'm at the point now I want to use my Chicago tap water. I filter it at the tap, I use a Camden tablet for cholormines. I acidify the strike and sparge water and test my ph. Many great breweries are based in Chicago using the same water, it's worth using for me. Others may not be so lucky or have even better water.

The main thing for brewing water is cholorine/chloromine removal, neutralizing alkalinity to get mash ph in the correct range and having enough Calcium in the water to help the mash and help things later on like good cold break, finished beer clarity...etc. And making sure to keep sparge runnings under a ph of 6. After that, most everything else is not nearly as important. Depending on your water make up, perhaps a little gypsum for hoppy beers, or a little calcium chloride for malty beers. I have the Water book and I also have Gordon Strongs book with a great chapter on brewing water. It's been a great help. But first things first is using that ph meter to see what/if you need to do. Testing your water at Ward labs would be next to see what you are working with...can't do much without that.

If you want to play around with a water calculator I recommend this one by far:
http://www.ezwatercalculator.com/

[ScrewyBrewer]

I can't wait to get my hands on this new pH meter, I'll be taking readings of everything from tap water to different bottled beer styles and things in between. Don't get me wrong I have been brewing great tasting beer for years now using filtered tap water, but I am really excited to have the time and opportunity now to try new things brewing related. A good friend of mine is a hydrologist for the EPA here in New Jersey, he's shared some interesting stories about work he's done in the field to ensure our drinking water is safe. I had no idea how complex our water system is or how many variables existed that influence our water properties.

"Another eye opener for me was to learn that most if not all municipal water reports are only an average of the water's properties over the course of the year. Spring, summer, fall and winter water runoff water quality varies considerably during the year and even year to year. I've found that my current water supply is actually mixed with water from another municipality as peak demand rises and falls throughout the year.

The other big unknown is how your local water has been sanitized, was chloramine or chlorine used? Most municipal water supplies have long ago switched from chlorine to chloramine in order to meet stricter EPA regulations meant to reduce the production of disinfection byproducts. Why is this important to us brewers? Unlike chlorine that can be removed by boiling or leaving it out and uncovered overnight, chloromine doesn't dissipate as easily. Chloromine removal requires activated charcoal or RO filters, or adding 250mg of Campden tablet (potassium metabisulfite) to 10 gallons of strike water."

Distilled and RO water reliably measures a pH of 7.0, or dead center of the pH scale of 0-14. For my own sanity I prefer to start out with water that has consistent properties year round and make my pH adjustments from there. My plan to mash my next IPA using 10 gallons of strike water treated with 0.25 tsp. salt, 3.5 tsp. gypsum, and 1.0 tsp. of powdered chalk. The target water profile for this IPA batch is 50ppm salt, 350ppm gypsum and 100ppm of chalk, or as the chemists would say 50ppm sodium, 350ppm calcium sulfate and 100ppm calcium carbonate. Next step is learning how to use the Hanna Instruments HI 98121 Combination pH/ORP/Temperature Tester I ordered.

The fun with any new toy, or brewing equipment, is in learning how to use and maintain it to get the best results. Understanding water properties may be out there on the last frontier of brewing, but even if I weren't brewing beer it's something I find extremely interesting and would want to learn anyway.

[MadBrewer]

Starting with RO is fine. It can be turned into whatever water you want. Im curious where you got that profile for an IPA? I dont see the need for that much Calcium Carbonate. Chalk will raise alkalinity and is something you dont need in beer like an IPA. If brewing with a lot of darker malts with RO water then chalk might come into play. Thats also a lot of sodium to shoot for at first. Sodium paired with that much Sulfate can take on a harsh sour bitterness. Sure you want some punch in your IPA but you dont want to have it negitively effected or tast minerally. Chalk is also a poor choice if trying to raise Alkalinity and or add Calcium to the water because it is very unsoluable except under certain conditions.

What is the Calcium ppm with that water profile? What is the alkalinity when that is all said and done? Those are the important factors far exceeding the other salt additions. Why so much sulfate? With zero chloride you dont need nearly that much Gypsum. If you are adding the Chalk to counteract the large amount of Gypsum then ask yourself why add so much Sulfate. Its all a balancing effect but the profile just seems kind of out of whack to me. Less can ultimately be more in this sense. I dont know if that profile will give you what you want. Have you played with any water calculators yet? Its kind of like running your recipe through QBrew to see how things look.

To start off with RO water dont shoot for a profile. Try starting out with 1 tsp of Gypsum or Calcium Chloride maybe a mix of both to the mash per 5 gal batch. SInce IPA is a hoppy style use Gypsum. Its a lot simpler than we think. We as brewers overthink and overdo everything in our process. Im guilty of it.

[Inkleg]

Wow MadBrewer, you really are a MadBrewer. Don't know if I'll ever get to this stage in my brewing, but I've bookmarked this so I can follow along.

[packerduf]

Excellent thread! I've been trying to solve the mystery of brewing water for some time now. I currently treat my tap water with campden tablets to remove chloramine at a rate of 1/2 tablet per 5 gallons water. I sometimes dilute with RO water to reduce alkalinity, depending on recipe. I have not yet sent a sample of my tap water to Ward Labs, so everything is really just a shot in the dark at this point. If a reliable chart existed, specifying how much of what to add to RO water for each beer style, then I would most likely just do that. This is really a great thread. Thanks to all who have contributed, and to those who will.

[MadBrewer]

Hey Packerduf you mean something like this? If you are starting with RO water and want to keep it simple, try this. I copied it from an online article.

The following recommendations apply to “soft” water. Here we will define soft as meaning RO or distilled water or any water whose lab report indicates alkalinity less than 35 (ppm as CaCO3 – all other numbers to follow mg/L), sulfate less than 20 (as sulfate – Ward Labs reports as sulfur so multiply the SO4-S number by 3 to get as sulfate), chloride less than 20, sodium less than 20, calcium less than 20 and magnesium less than 20. If your water has numbers higher than these, dilute it with RO or DI water. A 1:1 dilution reduces each ion concentration to 1/2, a 2:1 dilution to 1/3 and so on. If your water contains chloramines add 1 campden tablet per 20 gallons (before any dilution)

RO water additions...
Baseline: Add 1 tsp of calcium chloride dihydrate (what your LHBS sells) to each 5 gallons of water treated. Add 2% sauermalz to the grist.

Deviate from the baseline as follows:

For soft water beers (i.e Pils, Helles).
Use half the baseline amount of calcium chloride and increase the sauermalz to 3%

For beers that use roast malt (Stout, porter): Skip the sauermalz. 

For British beers: Add 1 tsp gypsum as well as 1 tsp calcium chloride.

For very minerally beers (Export, Burton ale): Double the calcium chloride and the gypsum.

These recommendations should get you a good beer if not the best beer. To get the best you should vary the amounts of the added salts noting carefully whether a change benefits or detriments your enjoyment of the beer. Additional sulfate will sharpen the perceived hops bitterness. Additional chloride will round, smooth and sweeten the beer. Add or decrease these in small amounts.Those serious about getting the best possible results should buy a pH meter and check mash pH increasing or decreasing the amount of sauermalz to get pH around 5.3. Unfortunately the strips don’t seem to work very well.

[Brewbirds]

I found this thread after following up on The Hat's water musings thread.

I'll the question hear as well since it is in same topic:

Why a meter instead of test strips?

I'd never seen a reference to these meters until Screwy's post; do I need/can I get a new brew toy? (BB2 says "How much do they cost? )

[Bluejaye]

Why a meter instead of test strips?

It's just a matter of how accurate/precise a reading you need. The strips are much like the stick on thermometers; they work if you are just looking for a ballpark figure. And for brewing, that's probably fine.

A good meter is going to cost >$100. If unsure if you really need one, I'd get the cheap-os for the $10-15 ones that you can find in pet fish shops. They will read accurately out to a tenth of a digit after being calibrated manually.

[MadBrewer]

Right, it comes down to accuracy. The strips might read in incriments of 2 to 4 places. When dealing with mash and sparge ph...that one or two pont difference can be a big deal. Also the strips are often missused and missread. They can be hard to tell if you are closer to say 5.2 or 5.6. The strips can also be effected by darker worts that you may be testing.

I have a Hanna Checker model its my second one. With regular care and calibration it works great. They run about $35.

[Brewbirds]

Are the meters you are using specifically for brewing?

I have room in the drawer next to my refractometer. (I posted this part for BB2 to see)

[bucknut]

I had my water tested a couple years ago, and use the ez water calculator tool to make adjustments to my filtered tap water. It's made a big difference in my brews, at least from what I can tell. I just recently got another test kit from Ward labs to have my water tested again. Be aware though if you are in area that has an ever changing water source due to the seasons this may not help much.

I've tried the ph test strips and they never seem to read correctly for me, and all the ph meters seemed to have issues with accuracy, unless you get a very expensive one.

I must admit, I bought the "Water: A Comprehensive Guide for Brewers (Brewing Elements)" book and have yet to finish it. Some of it I get, but most of it is over my head and I'm struggling to finish it.

So for now I'm happy with my water source and the adjustment I'm making to it, weather I'll ever get a ph meter or finish the book remains to be seen.

[MadBrewer]

Thats what its really all about Bucknut. As long as you have better beer because of it and happy with the results thats all that counts.

And brewbirds I dont know if there are any meters specific to brewing. They all have different features but a home brew supply will have the ones most used. One thing to note is that they are not meant for use at mash temps.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Starting with RO is fine. It can be turned into whatever water you want. Im curious where you got that profile for an IPA? I dont see the need for that much Calcium Carbonate. Chalk will raise alkalinity and is something you dont need in beer like an IPA. If brewing with a lot of darker malts with RO water then chalk might come into play. Thats also a lot of sodium to shoot for at first. Sodium paired with that much Sulfate can take on a harsh sour bitterness. Sure you want some punch in your IPA but you dont want to have it negitively effected or tast minerally. Chalk is also a poor choice if trying to raise Alkalinity and or add Calcium to the water because it is very unsoluable except under certain conditions.

What is the Calcium ppm with that water profile? What is the alkalinity when that is all said and done? Those are the important factors far exceeding the other salt additions. Why so much sulfate? With zero chloride you dont need nearly that much Gypsum. If you are adding the Chalk to counteract the large amount of Gypsum then ask yourself why add so much Sulfate. Its all a balancing effect but the profile just seems kind of out of whack to me. Less can ultimately be more in this sense. I dont know if that profile will give you what you want. Have you played with any water calculators yet? Its kind of like running your recipe through QBrew to see how things look.

To start off with RO water dont shoot for a profile. Try starting out with 1 tsp of Gypsum or Calcium Chloride maybe a mix of both to the mash per 5 gal batch. SInce IPA is a hoppy style use Gypsum. Its a lot simpler than we think. We as brewers overthink and overdo everything in our process. Im guilty of it.

Ha. If only I knew the answers to half those questions I wouldn't have had to make such an investment in a pH meter in the first place. I gotta admit this is all pretty new to me so it's going to be a clean slate using distilled [DI] water and add exactly the salts I mentioned earlier. That's where the pH meter comes into play, I expect the meter to tell me within .05 accuracy the pH value of the strike water before and after any salt additions.

I'm hoping to adjust the water so when heated and mixed in the mash with the grains, the temperature corrected pH value is between 5.2 - 5.6. Since RO/DI water has no buffering whatsoever both temporary and permanent hardness are easily adjusted. But getting back to those pesky hydrogen ions again, they thrive in a balanced environment that's conducive to their development. Long story short the strike water used in the mash and the sparge water used to vorlauf are one in the same, adjusted in a 10 gallon batch it's easier to calculate the ppm without resorting to a calculator every time.

[ScrewyBrewer]

Thats what its really all about Bucknut. As long as you have better beer because of it and happy with the results thats all that counts.

And brewbirds I dont know if there are any meters specific to brewing. They all have different features but a home brew supply will have the ones most used. One thing to note is that they are not meant for use at mash temps.

I've seen several makes of 'brewing' pH meters while researching the meter I finally bought. The only things I looked for in the meter was replaceable electrodes, auto correcting at 4.01, 7.01 and 10.1 pH and the corresponding calibration sachets. At the end of the day a good pH meter will be waterproof, reliable and accurate. I doubt the meter knows or cares if its reading water or beer or wort. Some pH meters are marketed as being brewer friendly and really its just that, marketing.