Ph tester

[Clint]

Hello all,
What do you use to test mash ph?

Cheers

Clint

 

[Manxnorton]

I bought THIS
cheap but it does what I think works..
done abrew the day the mash was 5.4 so not bad.
bri

 

[The Baron]

Hi Clint
don't bother either use RO water half and half with my tap water if doing full volume mash or 12ltr of tap plus 6 ltr of bottled water. Never have a problem with mash PH issues thats way too scientific for me and dont need to mess as my beers are acceptable for me. What put me off was that the digital PH meters are not very reliable from the reports I have read and need keeping in water or they become no good. If I was having problems then I would look into PH monitoring but as my beers are good as they say if its not broke!

 

[Sadfield]

I have a digital pH meter, but to be honest, if you just want to measure normal mash pH I would recommend pH strips in the range of 4.6 - 6.2, like these...

https://www.balliihoo.co.uk/beer-acid-test-strips-ph-46-to-62-pack-of-10-p-777.html

I'm lucky as I use pH meters at work and have access to buffering solution to calibrate them, otherwise pH meters are a pain if you can't regularly calibrate them. The probes need to be kept moist and need care to make them suitable for occasional use, IMHO. Strips for occasional use are more reliable and quicker to use.

 

[The Baron]

I have a digital pH meter, but to be honest, if you just want to measure normal mash pH I would recommend pH strips in the range of 4.6 - 6.2, like these...

https://www.balliihoo.co.uk/beer-acid-test-strips-ph-46-to-62-pack-of-10-p-777.html

I'm lucky as I use pH meters at work and have access to buffering solution to calibrate them, otherwise pH meters are a pain if you can't regularly calibrate them. The probes need to be kept moist and need care to make them suitable for occasional use, IMHO. Strips for occasional use are more reliable and quicker to use.

Thats what I was trying to say Clint good advice from Sadfield

 

[Clint]

Thanks all. I think the strips will do I want to see what my mash ph is as I want to fine tune my efficiency and start water treatment.

 

[GerritT]

Most cheap pH meters dry up or get otherwise damaged, need maintenance, need calibration every single time. Most expensive pH meters probably aren't within amateur reach.
PH strips are prolly the way to go.

 

[The Baron]

Thanks all. I think the strips will do I want to see what my mash ph is as I want to fine tune my efficiency and start water treatment.

Brave man Water treatment a real science too much for me but good luck as it will improve your beers if done correctly

 

[Clint]

In for a penny...an all that!

 

[steveshep8676]

I had my water tested a couple of times within a year and used a company who does water brewing analysis, they made me up my water treatment sheet as in the image. There’s a couple of sheets but the one shown is for bitters and IPA. It wasn’t too expensive either. As for the PH a bought a electronic PH meter specifically used for brewing wort from a company called Hanna Instruments they’re not cheap but excellent quality.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[GerritT]

I spent a few quid on these: https://nl.aliexpress.com/item/Univ...icator-Paper-Lab-Supplies-80/32803320077.html , delivery will probably be in a few months so in the mean time I'll do some testing with a cheap yellow electronical one. Let's see what fits better in my way of doing.

 

[svenito]

I use this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C5OOF6I/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20 or strips, depending on if I am in the mood to clean the thing later

 

[Gunge]

Mine's one of those cheapo yellow ones. Had to buy calibration solutions separately. Love it cos it never fails to show me the pH I'm after lol. Strips are no good to me cos I am profoundly colour blind...

 

[strange-steve]

Have a look at my thread here where I compare a cheapo yellow pH pen to a more expensive meter.

 

[Gunge]

Have a look at my thread here where I compare a cheapo yellow pH pen to a more expensive meter.

Good stuff! I was expecting something telling me how nasty mine is and that I should throw it out immediately, but no!

 

[Poochops]

I've got the yellow pen and it calibrates fine but I do tend to find my mash ph is higher than it should be given I treat my liquor, so I think I'll get some of those strips for my next brew day. Seen them £6.25 for 50 delivered on Amazon if you've got prime, £7.25 if not

 

[EVVO]

I think Home brew shop are doing them for £4.80 for 100

 

[Saisonator]

I found the test strips to be crap, really hard to distinguish the colours.
My cheap yellow ph meter works really well, much better than the strips and I just calibrate it with cheap powders from China and RO water from work.

 

[Poochops]

I think Home brew shop are doing them for £4.80 for 100

Bugger! Good spot Evvo.