I have a question regarding mash pH and stalled fermentation. I brewed a batch last friday (recipe below), for this batch I wanted to try and use straight tap water. I'm in Peoria, and the water is extremely hard, although I have a water softener. I guess I understand that I should avoid using the water softener for brewing water, but baby steps. Water profile below:
pH=7.2-7.8
Total Hardness (CaCO3)=300-600 mg/L
Sodium=35.5-68.4 mg/L
Nitrate=0.1-4.83 mg/L
Recipe
3500 g Pils
907 g Wheat
907 g Vienna
90 g Lemondrop hops @ 5 minutes
60 g Nugget @ 5 minutes
1 oz. Ginger @ 5 minutes
Mashed @ 158 F for 60 minutes
Pitched 1 pack S33 in 5.5 gallons of wort
The issue, I've been getting some notes of astringency, so I wanted to ensure my mash pH was in the right range. I mashed in @ 2.7 qt/lb (BIAB), initial mash pH = 6.2 after adding 9 tsp lactic acid. I added 4 tsp more, and measured a pH of ~4.6 (At ~40 minutes). I let the mash run to 60 minutes, removed the grains.
My questions are:
- What is mash pH usually at the end of the mash?
- Is this a yeast problem, or did I screw up my mash with all these acid adjustments?
I'm thinking I may just get a cheap TDS meter and get RO/distilled water for future batches, but I'd love to avoid the hassle. Any other thoughts?