[KCguy]

Installed an RO system a few months back and have made about 14 beers with it.  Just today I pulled a fresh glassful and submerged a test strip and was surprised to see it with green flecks over an unchanged yellowish native color of the test strip, at 8/9 value according to the chart given with the strips.  I was under the impression RO water would be very neutral, eliminating the need to worry about much water chemistry.  Is this normal?  SHould I be adding 5.2 stabilizer or something to bring the water out of the alkaline range?  My city water is already at Alkalinity of 222, hardness 330. 

Most of my beers tend to taste a bit thin...could this be why?  Are the filters on my RO system already shot after 14 batches? 

[denny]

No matter what else you do, don't use 5.2.

[KCguy]

yeah, I retired it. 

[lupulus]

You should get a TDS meter. It's cheap.  Should get more than 90% of your original TDS, below 30 ppm as a guess for your water.
pH of good RO water is not important at all. If TDS is below 30 you are ok. My RO gives me about 8 ppm TDS.

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[lupulus]

Also, water chemistry is always important, but treatment of your mash water is different with RO vs your city water.

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[hopfenundmalz]

My guess is that you have some bicarbonate left, pulling the pH up. If you have 5 gallons, see how many drops of 10% phosphoric it takes to get to 7, then how many more to get to 6. It won't be many.

[KCguy]

My guess is that you have some bicarbonate left, pulling the pH up. If you have 5 gallons, see how many drops of 10% phosphoric it takes to get to 7, then how many more to get to 6. It won't be many.

yeah, bicarbs were 271 at ph 7.4 on city report...probably still high even though I commonly brew with a ratio of 5 gals RO + 2 gals of tap. 

[mabrungard]

pH strips are very inaccurate in solutions with little ionic content. The reading is likely in error. Don’t concern yourself with water pH. It’s almost meaningless in brewing.

While RO water is a good starting point, you do still need to pay a bit of attention to brewing chemistry.

[KCguy]

pH strips are very inaccurate in solutions with little ionic content. The reading is likely in error. Don’t concern yourself with water pH. It’s almost meaningless in brewing.

While RO water is a good starting point, you do still need to pay a bit of attention to brewing chemistry.

Oh, I wasnt thinking the reading was spot on...I knew the strips were vague.  I was just a bit alarmed to see it that far into the alk range, vague or not, its an indicator and I wasnt expecting it.  Wanted to make sure my preconceptions werent off 180. 

[goose]

pH strips are very inaccurate in solutions with little ionic content. The reading is likely in error. Don’t concern yourself with water pH. It’s almost meaningless in brewing.

While RO water is a good starting point, you do still need to pay a bit of attention to brewing chemistry.

+1

The only pH I am ever concerned with is the mash pH after adding the grains and the pH of the sparge water to make sure that I do not extract tannins from the grain husks.
A good hand held pH meter is relatively inexpensive and will give you accurate readings.

[Robert]

pH strips are very inaccurate in solutions with little ionic content. The reading is likely in error. Don’t concern yourself with water pH. It’s almost meaningless in brewing.

While RO water is a good starting point, you do still need to pay a bit of attention to brewing chemistry.

+1

The only pH I am ever concerned with is the mash pH after adding the grains and the pH of the sparge water to make sure that I do not extract tannins from the grain husks.
A good hand held pH meter is relatively inexpensive and will give you accurate readings.

Even sparge water pH is not significant as long as the alkalinity is very low.  In other words, we are familiar with recommendations to acidify sparge water to below 6.0, or 5.5, or into the desired mash and wort pH range, or the like, but that is assuming natural water with alkalinity present which requires acidification to neutralize it.  If your sparge water is RO, or really anything with total alkalinity below, say, 25 ppm, a pH of 7.0 or a little more is no concern.   As with the mash water, the pH is not the point, it's the mineral content.  As long as there are minimal carbonate species to affect the residual buffering of the mash, pH will not rise excessively during the sparge.

[goose]

You are right about the mash buffering during the sparge.  But since I am purist, I always acidify my sparge liquor to get close to the mash pH and keep the temp of the sparge liquor at around 168 degrees.

Yes, the mineral content of the mash is important, I agree, as is the proper pH range of the mash.

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[denny]

You are right about the mash buffering during the sparge.  But since I am purist, I always acidify my sparge liquor to get close to the mash pH and keep the temp of the sparge liquor at around 168 degrees.

Yes, the mineral content of the mash is important, I agree, as is the proper pH range of the mash.

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Goose, I'd say you were a traditionalist, not a purist.

[Robert]

I ensure no alkalinity in the sparge, and completely ignore the temperature, though experience with my system tells me it probably hovers somewhere between 165°-185°F.   One less thing to keep on top of that doesn't ultimately make a difference.

[goose]

You are right about the mash buffering during the sparge.  But since I am purist, I always acidify my sparge liquor to get close to the mash pH and keep the temp of the sparge liquor at around 168 degrees.

Yes, the mineral content of the mash is important, I agree, as is the proper pH range of the mash.

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Goose, I'd say you were a traditionalist, not a purist.

OK, Denny.  I'll accept that

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