I got some test strips, but wanted to know how you go about testing your mash pH, if you do so. I mean, do you draw out some of the liquid/grains and cool them? Do you just jam the test strip into the hot mash and get your reading that way? Do you need to cool your sample? Just wondered what your process was.
I’ve been concerned that my mash pH was high, and wanted to be ready to test it the next time I brew. Thanks in advance!
I wait until about 10 min. after mashing in so that t he pH has a chance to stabilize. I pull a sample and cool it to room temp, which is the best way to check it.
That sounds easy enough. I’m assuming you just need enough to wet the strip, like a thimble-ful or so?
there was a study here a few years back and found the PH strips read about .3 points high. I just subtract .3 when I use them.
The error is that the colorphast strips read low, so you should be adding 0.3 to your reading. See
http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=An_Evaluation_of_the_suitability_of_colorpHast_strips_for_pH_measurements_in_home_brewing
I take a spoon and take a clean sample off the top and pour it on a plate. Within seconds it cools to room temperature. Then I dip the strip.
Beware of the cheap ph strips. I have found them to be very inaccurate.
[quote=“Belpaire”]
Beware of the cheap ph strips. I have found them to be very inaccurate.[/quote]
This is true. ColorpHast are the only ones I’d trust. You ned to keep them wet for 5-10 min. to get an accurate reading.
Thanks everyone for the replies and good advice! This place is awesome… :cheers:
If you need 5 min to cool the sample, and then 10 more min to soak the test strip…any adjustments are probably too late anyways.
The ColorpHast people don’t say that 5 minutes is the minimum immersion time for their pH strips. Its about 1 minute to 10 minutes. All the comments I’m getting suggest that its more likely to be 1 min.
Since a pH strip only needs a small volume of wort for a pH check, it should only take a minute to cool a sample to a modest temperature. With a little ingenuity, it could only take a few seconds. Checking mash pH does not need to take tens of minutes.
Even if you don’t get your mash pH adjusted correctly in the early stage of mashing, it can still be worth while to adjust the overall wort pH up or down to start your boil with about the right pH. Somewhere in the 5.2 to 5.6 range is an appropriate goal for wort in the kettle prior to boil.
+1. Letting a sample cool to room temp will prolong the life of the probe on your pH meter.
I use a HERMS system to raise my temps, but I mash in at at 75-77F and rest for 10-15min. I then adjust the mash pH to 5.4 - 5.5, and the measurements are recorded using my pH meter. I then raise my mash temp to my sacc rest.
:cheers:
