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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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Contents:
  pH meters vs strips (Matt Falenski)
  Beer lacking crispness (Jim D)


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Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 08:24:59 -0700 (PDT)
From: Matt Falenski <mfalenski at yahoo.com>
Subject: pH meters vs strips

I would like to know the pros and cons of pH strips vs. inexpensive
electronic meters vs. more costly electronic meters.  
I have been using strips so far, but would like to increase accuracy.  

How often do electronic meters need to be calibrated?
How long does a probe last?
Are the inexpensive ones more or less throw-away after X amount of time?
Are they any better than using somewhat inexpensive strips?

Thanks for the help!
Matt

Greensburg, PA


      


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Date: Sat, 16 Aug 2008 14:54:55 -0500
From: Jim D <goswell at hotmail.com>
Subject: Beer lacking crispness



I've brewed about a half dozen batches of various english pale
ales and all of them have a quality that I don't care for or want
in my beer.  The best way for me to describe it is that the beer
tastes soft, as in the flavors can't easily be singled out.  What I
am looking for is crispness, where the malt and the hops can
easily be separated when tasting.  I've had many commercial
beers that have this quality and I'm not sure how to achieve it
in my beers.  In an effort to be brief, I'll not post all the recipes
but recap what most of them had in common.
Water:  Total Hardness as CaCO3: 120 ppm,
Total Alkalinity as CaCO3 77
Na = 13 ppm, Ca = 33 ppm, SO4 = 9 ppm, Cl = 50 ppm.
Yeasts Used: Safale S04, and Wyeast London Ale III
Grains: British Pale Malt and various crystal malts.
Hops: EKG, Target, Fuggles.
Fermented in a 6.5 gallon carboy at temps between 65 and 69
ambient temp.  I realize this is a tough question to be answered
but if anybody has had similar experiences with "soft" tasting
beers, I'd appreciate any advice on how to crisp them up.



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