The American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) and the Brewers Association continue to produce excellent basic brewing analysis videos. Katie Fromuth, lab manager with the Fermentation Science and Technology program at Colorado State University, is back at it again in the new video above measuring and reporting the pH (Hydrogen Ion Concentration) of beer to the nearest 0.1. In this basics video that boils down to how to take a pH measurement with a digital pH meter and a walk-through of the calibration of the meter, using known buffer solutions in order to achieve an accurate measurement.
Why is pH important? It measures how basic or acidic a solution is. pH fluctuates throughout the brewing process, and it must be monitored. It will affect enzymatic activity in the mash tun, protein coagulation in the kettle and could even indicate a bacterial infection. Watch the quick video above to learn the basics for how and why pH is measured in the commercial brewing process. What you’ll need to tag along:
- Distilled water
- pH reference buffers at 4, 7 and 10
- Commercial pH meter with electrode probe
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