Brewed sunday, amen brothers and sisters! I didn’t have the usual suspects about to adjust my pH, so I put some high AA hops in and it did lower my pH… I haven’t gone in to look about this, so any of you try this and can give a report? Sneezles61
OK, I’ll talk to myself… So I brewed a batch last Sunday, checked my pH just after I mashed in, 6… Too high, I added 1 oz Challenger hops 8.7% aa, next reading down to 5.8%… I did add the 5.2 salts to git it closer to final gravity of …… 5.2% So the hops helped. Next time I brew I may add 2 oz, I wonder if the additions are linear or ifn they are ammatorized…. Sneezles61
You added the hops to the mash? How do you determine the affect on the flavors or bittering in the boil?
If you checked pH right after doughing in, you will get an artificially high pH as the malts have not had a chance to lower pH yet. You need to wait 10 or 20 minutes before checking. There’s a good chance that the hops didn’t do much, but you had finally given the mash enough time to settle in on its pH.
Those 5.2 salts and their like don’t really work, ya know… Better off with some lactic or phosphoric acid.
+1 to porkchops post.
Yes I realize there are assured methods to altering pH, sometimes I don’t have them on hand and was trying to use hops, hence they bring acid to the party! How the hops affect the bittering is to be determined… I’ve not read or heard of using hops for this… Not that I’m a break away rogue, I always do have hops is what I’m saying…. Sneezles61
That’s not exactly what I was trying to say… If you checked your pH immediately after doughing in, then the drop in pH you saw was the malt dropping pH, not the hops you added. The acids in hops are not very effective at lowering pH, so I believe all you did was waste some good hops.
I just checked this yesterday (because without doing this we’re just arguing with opinions). Brewed an IPA with only a bittering charge, and the rest of the hops added at whirlpool. Pulled a sample at the end of the boil, before whirlpool hops. Cooled to room temp, pH was 5.1. While I was doing this, I added the whirlpool hops and let 'er go for 20 minutes. Pulled another sample after the 20 minute whirlpool, cooled the sample to room temp, and pH was… 5.1.
Oh my Porkchop, not arguing at all, I was pointing out what I was finding and looking fer feed back. I still have lots to learn, and respected brewers, such as you, weigh in and help find a conclusion to sometimes a dead end trial… Thank you fer the input! Sneezles61
Maybe arguing was the wrong word… But I wanted to check what I was saying before I opened my mouth again and stuffed in my foot! 
It’s always good to throw something out there to discuss, and it got me thinking so I wanted to double check.
And by respected brewers, I think you have me mistaken for someone else… I’ll try not to take offense!
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