Playing with the pH?

[Rusty Shacklefood]

Hi all, aside from mash pH, is it worth fiddling with the overall pH when it's all in the kettle?
Thanks

 

[The Beerery]

Yes.

 

[Nosybear]

At packaging, too.

 

[HighVoltageMan!]

Boiling pH should be at 5.0 to 5.2, this will help to keep the wort from darkening in lighter colored beers, it's not so important in darker beers. pH at pitching should be at 5.0-5.2 for light beers and 5.3-5.5 for darker beers. The yeast will excrete acids in the first 24 hours after pitching. Each yeast strain has a range that it usually settles in and that is why pH at pitch is so important, if the pH is too high at pitching, the yeast struggle to hit it's optimum range. Chico strains (1056, US05, etc.) land around 4.4-4.6 in the finished beer. Lager strains are @ 4.1-4.4. Kolsch and alt strains hit 3.9 -4.2 (WLP 029 drops pH to 3.9 or even lower). English strains vary, but end up at 4.2-4.4.

I have found a lower pitch rates can result in a higher overall pH in the finished beer, so pitch rate can affect the finish pH (at least that is what I found). Dry hopping will raise the pH of your beer and often I will add a small amount of phosphoric acid the bring down the pH by .2-.3, this will round out the bitterness. The lower the pH, the smoother the bitterness, but add to much acid and the beer can develop a tartness.

Yes, pH matters from mash tun to glass.

 

[Craigerrr]

The more I learn, the more I realize how very little I know, and how very much I have still to learn!

All for the love of beer, long live beer!

I must put my pH meter to work MORE!

 

[Rusty Shacklefood]

Boiling pH should be at 5.0 to 5.2, this will help to keep the wort from darkening in lighter colored beers, it's not so important in darker beers. pH at pitching should be at 5.0-5.2 for light beers and 5.3-5.5 for darker beers. The yeast will excrete acids in the first 24 hours after pitching. Each yeast strain has a range that it usually settles in and that is why pH at pitch is so important, if the pH is too high at pitching, the yeast struggle to hit it's optimum range. Chico strains (1056, US05, etc.) land around 4.4-4.6 in the finished beer. Lager strains are @ 4.1-4.4. Kolsch and alt strains hit 3.9 -4.2 (WLP 029 drops pH to 3.9 or even lower). English strains vary, but end up at 4.2-4.4.

I have found a lower pitch rates can result in a higher overall pH in the finished beer, so pitch rate can affect the finish pH (at least that is what I found). Dry hopping will raise the pH of your beer and often I will add a small amount of phosphoric acid the bring down the pH by .2-.3, this will round out the bitterness. The lower the pH, the smoother the bitterness, but add to much acid and the beer can develop a tartness.

Yes, pH matters from mash tun to glass.

Thank you.