The right kinds of barley have been cultivated for so many thousands of years now that it just WANTS to be at a pH of about 5.4 no matter what we might throw at it. We almost sort of have to TRY pretty hard in order to screw it up.
measuring pH
- Thread starter Dave Y
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i check ph mulitiple times a day. takes very little time and maybe one day will track stuff for me?
Maybe a dumb question, and I have never measured the Ph of my brewing water, but if you always use the same water source, how much does the Ph vary and how rapidly does it change?
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Depends on the source but it can change noticeably. If the source is surface water like reservoirs, climate conditions from season to season or year to year can have an impact. Municipalities provide water reports quarterly, in most cases. I update my water profile as needed to reflect changes.
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Yeah, if you're on any form of water outside of your direct control - a well, in other words, lots of things can change. I'm on a community well and mercifully, and luckily I have awesome tap water for brewing. About the only issue I can really whine about it iron. If I have a kettle of R/O water and a kettle of tap side by side it's easy to see, but not obvious if you're not looking for it.
When things get really interesting is when the water co. does maintenance. The lines can get all manner of contaminants downrange.
Even with a well, there's still the chance of changes.
Mine varies a lot; HOWEVER... the pH of your water doesn't really matter, as much as its buffering power. Hard water is buffered. Soft water is not. This means, pH matters less with hard water, and more with soft water. Many (most?) waters are reasonably hard. On the other hand, it is very easy to adjust soft water to your liking. In either case... just pay attention to the mash pH, and meanwhile, within reason, it is pretty safe to ignore what's going on with the pH of your base water.
As mentioned above, the buffering power of plain water is very low, meaning it is irrelevant to brewing. The water does not have much ability to maintain its pH, so even a tiny amount of acid or base will radically change the pH. Your grain’s (or extract’s) buffering power vastly overwhelms the water’s pH.
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I tried a cheap one from Amazon then went back to my paper strips. If they worked for scientists 50 years ago, they'll still work today.
I'm not gonna lie......you guys make me feel great about what I should and should not worry about. My Mil PH55 seems to do ok but it is just another point of worry about something that should just be fun (and tasty). Doesn't mean I am giving up on PH (and certainly not water chem) but I will measure it and if it is on I will celebrate. if off from prediction I will drink the beer anyway. 
