Changing ph

[Sam.]

I have added 2l volume of fine shell grit(like coarse beach sand) and my ph goes from 3 to 4.5 and in day or two ph is back round 3. Sour mash past 5 gens is kicking my ass is there someway to test for other reasons for slow fermentation and persistant stalling?
Everything i read says 5.5ph start 3-3.5ph end. I have seen ferments crash to 3 under 36hrs and not drop in gravity at all..
My rum starts at 6 and finishs dry in 3 days sour mash starts 4.5-5 average and crachs to 3 sometimes it ferments other times it just refuses to ferment at all. Only thing I have found is lacto causes ph drop but trustworthy sources tell me theirs ferment fine with strong lacto presence.
I even pitched a whole tube lowans into 10l wash. Looked like it got it going in bucket Added to main vessel and pffft half way fermented stalled. Is giving me the shits...

More oxygen :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[EziTasting]

...
More oxygen :handgestures-thumbupleft:

Sam - do you mean more oxygen at the start or more ongoing in the initial stages?

[Sam.]

Before you pitch the yeast

[coffe addict]

I'll be interested to hear how you go with extra oxygen before pitching!
Out of interest what's your prepitching aerating currently?

[bluc]

I have a motar/paint mixer on a 18v makita drill. I chop the surface with that and I use a food grade drinking water hose(clear reinforced) to garden tap with a gqrden watering nozzle. I have the nozzle on spray and i fill chopping the surface whole time..when i do rum i do the same and get 2"ish foam on top.

I reakon its gotta be bacteria and only place I can see it coming from is drain assembly. i dont sanitize but i flush with water as soon as fermenter is empty..including through tap..

[coffe addict]

Just a thought but maybe you could look into taking a litre pre yeast into a lab for analysis.
They'd be able to tell you the complete make-up from oxygen to sugars to pH and bacteria...
Normally I would steer clear of expensive services like that but considering the trouble and cost of failed ferments it might be worth it.
Your aeration is similar to mine but I use a corded drill and the whole drum is churning hard and my rums get about a foot of foam and after it dies down I add yeast and more water and churn again.

[bluc]

Yea have been considering a lab. Pre yeast would be difficult as its fermented on old grain bed. Any point to sending in some backset? any idea of a lab that does this?

[coffe addict]

No idea sorry. Obviously there will still be some yeast from the grain bed but don't pitch fresh yeast.
That way you get a better picture of the environment you're pitching into.

[bluc]

I will do some research see what I can find.

[bluc]

Ok so an update let this run its course I ended up with a butyric infection. Butyric bacteria usually only takes hold when you have a raging clostidirum bacteria infection. Usually introduced to rum dunder pits for tropical esters. I didnt reuse backset and used star san on drain assembly and fermenter and had a happy ferment. Fast at 5 days from 1.070 to dry..

There was no visual sign of infection from this just smell. In your face pineapple with very faint vomit. Anyhoo hopefully this is the end of my woes and I will add sanitastion every 5 gens to my routine :handgestures-thumbupleft:

[RC Al]

:happy-partydance: :music-deathmetal: :))

Woot!

[bluc]

2nd gen no backset used half way trhough ferment gravity stalls and ph is at 2.4 :crying-blue: :crying-blue: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: really did not want to deal with water chemistry but seems its only thing left. :handgestures-thumbdown:

[EziTasting]

That sux!

To be honest, our town water is 9.8... but the taste is something else :puke-huge:
Yet I have not had a ferment stall while using it.... come to think of it.

My troubles started when I began using bottled water from my employer... so it may well be the case!

[bluc]

Found this

Carbonate and Bicarbonate
Carbonate and bicarbonate could be present in your brewing water, but bicarbonate is most likely the unit you’ll need to adjust. Bicarbonate acts as a “buffer” against pH change. Water with high bicarbonate levels has high “buffering capacity” and is more resistant to pH change. Conversely, water with low buffering capacity (reverse osmosis water, for example) will have almost no buffering agents and may be more susceptible to pH change during the mash. Depending on the style of beer you’re brewing you may need to increase or decrease buffering capacity, which will be explained below.

Base malts and lighter colored grains lower pH of the mash slighlty. Darker roast, specialty malts tend to lower mash pH a lot. In general, mash pH should be anywhere from 5.2 to 5.6 (measured at least 15 minutes after grain has been added to the brewing water). This means that if you brew a stout with reverse osmosis (RO) water, mash pH will likely drop below the ideal range due to the low buffering capacity of the water and the acidity of the dark roasted grains), the resulting beer tends to take on a harsh “grainy” taste with less body. To counteract the acidity of specialty grains, increase pH by adding baking soda.

The easiest way to reduce bicarbonate levels is to cut your tap (or well) water with distilled water at a ratio of 1:1. This will roughly reduce bicarbonate levels by half. Be aware, this will also reduce levels of other minerals in your brewing water.

Calculating pH increases is more complicated than the adjustments listed above and the use of a water calculator, such as BeerSmith or Brewer’s Friend (an online calculator), is suggested. The easiest way to adjust pH is to brew the beer, measure the pH of the mash (during the brew day) and add a bit of baking soda or distilled water for the next batch.

Seems bicarb is needed to prevent ph crash while carbonate dictates ph. Anyone have a copy of Gympie area water report I can have a look at? I have contacted council in the mean time see If I can get one..
would explain why ph is fine at start then crashs to shit..