Mash pH Question

[Craigerrr]

Dark grains would lower pH: They're acidic.

Ah yes, of course, my pH seems to be all over the map. It was 5.6 today, so not a concern.

 

[Hawkbox]

I count on the city and the calulator getting me close enough, I've not enjoyed trying to calibrate my ph meter so I stopped using it.

 

[thehaze]

5.19 is not bad by any means for a Black IPA or any other darker styles. At least, for my taste is not, so this is personal preference, but I've not had complaints from people drinking it. I've done Imperial Porters and Black IPAs that finished at 1.010 and the mash pH was 5.1 with no off-flavours or flaws. Actually, I liked those with a low mash pH and low FG. ( finished beer pH was around 4.1 )

But adding a bit of Baking Soda to raise mash pH is easy and if you aim for a higher pH, that's no brainer. 0.2 difference is perfectly acceptable. Water calculators are not 100% accurate, nor do they aim to be completely accurate. But some are better than others.