Great video on showing what pH actually is and how important it actually is. Such a factor that most don't even think about when making homemade brews.
The truth is though, in most cases, musts fall into the "good range" for yeasts all on their own. Thus, while important, it's not something we delve into heavily since it's just not much of a problem.
@@CitySteadingBrews That completely makes sense and I can also imagine that for most of the brews there won't be any issues unless... for example we experiment :)
Measuring is my issue. I’ve wasted money on those paper strips and I’ve seen reviews on how useless some pH meters are unless you spend a lot. So my solution is not to measure and be happy. Works great.
My ph for my mead was too low. Added baking soda and it started back up. Thank you. 3.1 added 1/2 tsp brought it about 4.0 . The PH meter my sciene teacher said i wouldent have.😊
Brian and Dericalove what you are doing it gives me great pleasure watching your YT channel. I have been making things for over 15 years and did all the research and whatnot that you do. aand then after some time to age I got to where I quit and I dont know why. I have gotten to complex into it. you have kinda cleared my vision if you would. I have gone back to basics and I am enjoying it a little more with each carboy full. thank you.
@@J.T323 I'm good. I won $2 in the lottery recently! Woo hoo! You? So I made a chocolate cherry wine using Gefen bread yeast, bottled mid-December. It went to 15%, and it was bitter at first, but it's not as strong now. Good cherry and chocolate flavors. Not as good as wine yeast, but it is doable, and the flavor has been improving over time, which is usually the case anyway.
I just want to say, i am continually amazed at how much i learn from you guys. Every video i watch i get more intrigued and cant wait to see the next one. Thank you for doing what you do to help us home brewers expand our knowledge. Totally not related to this video...I was just gifted 2 6.5gallon big mouth bubblers with the screw on lids. But no bungs. Do you happen to know what size I need for those?
I've found something interesting that should be right up your ballpark. The Finnish make something called sima(mead) (that is a fermented lemonade?). Contains lemon, sugar and yeast, done in 3-6 days. Nothing required except bucket and bottles. Would love to hear what you think about it, might be a good cheat mead that people could try before investing further.
@@CitySteadingBrews looking at the Wikipedia entry, they apparently use white sugar, brown sugar, honey or a combination of any of them. Is it an alcoholic soft drink since it has so short fermentation time?
Hi, have a question about OAK chips. I added 1oz of oak to my wine during the 3rd phase of conditioning, my question is: How long should I leave the oak chips in one gallon of wine?
That is a great question with an unfortunately complex answer. ABV, temperature, and surface area along with many other factors change how quickly extraction takes place. My best advice is to sample it along the way and rack once you are satisfied with the outcome.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you, that answers my question. I did take a sample after 4 days and the taste was pretty smooth, that said I think I will remove the chips before it gets too strong. Thank you.
I was making a mead (OG:1.100) by infusing lots of tea bags (10 i think), then i noticed that in the next day it had stalled(SG:1.095) . So i've pinched an acid blend and the fermentation returned, then it got stalled again (SG:1.060). To solve it i splitted my gallon into two gallons, put more yeast Redstar premier blanc and its fermenting like crazy without any tea bad addition. Can this stall be caused by the slight alcaline character of my tea infusion? This explains why my acid blend addition (2g) made it start the fermentation again. What are your thoughts?
Are you checking gravity daily for some reason? And, how do you know it stalled? A .040 drop in gravity in 48 hours doesn't indicate a stall. Just give the yeast time to work. I've made tea wine with just black tea and sugar several times without any issues. While nutrient addition isn't a bad idea, I doubt skipping it would cause a stall.
I added Fermaid K (2g) and DAP(1g). I've noticed neutral pressure from the airlock since the second day, but I only measured a week later, that was when I added acid blend, then I checked again 2 weeks later and it had stalled 1,060, now its day 3 since I splitted and its bubbling like crazy
I use Potassium Carbonate or Potassium Bicarbonate to adjust PH, it also add the much needed Potassium which is usually lacking in honey to aid fermentation. It is usually sold as low Sodium substitute to baking soda.
The easiest source ive found for calcium carbonate is in generic aniti acid tablets. Do you see any real reason to not use this source? It is cheap and readily available, im just curious on your thoughts on if it is safe to use in meads or wines.
Awesome! I get to go study some more 😂 It really is an interesting hobby Oh, and I see where I missed in the video….. around 1:26 for the person behind me who has the same question
Hello again! I have a question not relevant as far as I know to this video, just didn’t know where to stick it. I tried rhubarb and strawberry rhubarb meads and they have turned blueish. The rhubarb has just a light blue I could kind of see when I racked it but the strawberry turned a weird brown with a lot of blue when it was racking…. Yeah that sounds weird but I see the blue more like around the edges where it’s thinner and when the liquid is moving. WTF did I do?! Lol nothing seems to be growing in it, it doesn’t smell weird, and I boiled the fruit and was careful with sanitizing with starsan. While it was first fermenting the strawberry rhubarb was a beautiful glowing pink and the rhubarb just looked like dark mead. I boiled the rhubarb and used the juice so the actual plant fiber was never in the mead and other than black tea and honey…. Nothing else. The strawberries were the only difference in the other batch and I had brought them to a boil, dumped the juice in, and put the berries in a brew bag, obviously also sanitized. Once again, love the show and thanks for everything you do!
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you! So I guess a blue bottle and a blindfold is in order! I personally don’t care but I have a feeling some of the friends and family might pass… F’em, more for me!
What should PH be for your apple pie mead? I made it a year ago and just tasted it and it has a sour note and PH of 2.8 which lead me to your video now to figure out how to fix the issue
Great video on showing what pH actually is and how important it actually is. Such a factor that most don't even think about when making homemade brews.
The truth is though, in most cases, musts fall into the "good range" for yeasts all on their own. Thus, while important, it's not something we delve into heavily since it's just not much of a problem.
@@CitySteadingBrews That completely makes sense and I can also imagine that for most of the brews there won't be any issues unless... for example we experiment :)
Measuring is my issue. I’ve wasted money on those paper strips and I’ve seen reviews on how useless some pH meters are unless you spend a lot. So my solution is not to measure and be happy. Works great.
We only measure if pH might be the issue.
@@CitySteadingBrews And, how do you measure pH? There’s a new video for you 😂. Thank you.
My ph for my mead was too low. Added baking soda and it started back up. Thank you. 3.1 added 1/2 tsp brought it about 4.0 . The PH meter my sciene teacher said i wouldent have.😊
Brian and Dericalove what you are doing it gives me great pleasure watching your YT channel. I have been making things for over 15 years and did all the research and whatnot that you do. aand then after some time to age I got to where I quit and I dont know why. I have gotten to complex into it. you have kinda cleared my vision if you would. I have gone back to basics and I am enjoying it a little more with each carboy full. thank you.
Glad to hear! Happy brewing!
Great video! I need to get into monitoring the pH of my long-term storage brews more… thanks!
Adjusting the pH after brewing for better shelf life is something I would have never considered.
Well done , 2 👍 !!
Very informative thank you !
Glad it was helpful!
Great vid Derica!
Thank you!!
Thank you for the info Derica , good stuff!
A lot of good information, thanks!
What do you call a brewer who is obsessed with pH? A pHanatic!
*holds back giggles* Booooooooo *snorts* boooooooo
Are you the one I was chatting with about experimenting with bread yeast?
@@julietardos5044 yes...how r u?
@@J.T323 I'm good. I won $2 in the lottery recently! Woo hoo! You?
So I made a chocolate cherry wine using Gefen bread yeast, bottled mid-December. It went to 15%, and it was bitter at first, but it's not as strong now. Good cherry and chocolate flavors. Not as good as wine yeast, but it is doable, and the flavor has been improving over time, which is usually the case anyway.
How did I get so lucky to be the first to watch and comment today 🙂🙂
Thank you very much........ instructive videos!
I just want to say, i am continually amazed at how much i learn from you guys. Every video i watch i get more intrigued and cant wait to see the next one. Thank you for doing what you do to help us home brewers expand our knowledge. Totally not related to this video...I was just gifted 2 6.5gallon big mouth bubblers with the screw on lids. But no bungs. Do you happen to know what size I need for those?
Check with Northern Brewer :)
Makes me think I should try using maple syrup again and add something to bring the ph back down. Maybe I would like it better.
I've found something interesting that should be right up your ballpark. The Finnish make something called sima(mead) (that is a fermented lemonade?). Contains lemon, sugar and yeast, done in 3-6 days. Nothing required except bucket and bottles.
Would love to hear what you think about it, might be a good cheat mead that people could try before investing further.
It used to be actual mead, now it’s more of a kilju. Without honey, it cannot be mead.
@@CitySteadingBrews looking at the Wikipedia entry, they apparently use white sugar, brown sugar, honey or a combination of any of them. Is it an alcoholic soft drink since it has so short fermentation time?
Very lightly alcoholic.
Hi, have a question about OAK chips. I added 1oz of oak to my wine during the 3rd phase of conditioning, my question is: How long should I leave the oak chips in one gallon of wine?
That is a great question with an unfortunately complex answer. ABV, temperature, and surface area along with many other factors change how quickly extraction takes place. My best advice is to sample it along the way and rack once you are satisfied with the outcome.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you, that answers my question. I did take a sample after 4 days and the taste was pretty smooth, that said I think I will remove the chips before it gets too strong. Thank you.
I was making a mead (OG:1.100) by infusing lots of tea bags (10 i think), then i noticed that in the next day it had stalled(SG:1.095) . So i've pinched an acid blend and the fermentation returned, then it got stalled again (SG:1.060). To solve it i splitted my gallon into two gallons, put more yeast Redstar premier blanc and its fermenting like crazy without any tea bad addition. Can this stall be caused by the slight alcaline character of my tea infusion? This explains why my acid blend addition (2g) made it start the fermentation again. What are your thoughts?
Are you checking gravity daily for some reason? And, how do you know it stalled? A .040 drop in gravity in 48 hours doesn't indicate a stall. Just give the yeast time to work.
I've made tea wine with just black tea and sugar several times without any issues. While nutrient addition isn't a bad idea, I doubt skipping it would cause a stall.
I added Fermaid K (2g) and DAP(1g). I've noticed neutral pressure from the airlock since the second day, but I only measured a week later, that was when I added acid blend, then I checked again 2 weeks later and it had stalled 1,060, now its day 3 since I splitted and its bubbling like crazy
There could be many reasons.
Ok one question dose Potassium Bicarbonate raise or lower PH?
super informative, thank you!
It raises pH, but lowers acidity.
Is there beside CaCO3 enything else to rase pH ?
It's probably the best option. I mean, baking soda will work too, but it leaves an off flavor pretty quickly.
Does ph changes during fermentation..
Sometimes, yes.
Thanks for the explanation - do you have a link to the table of pHs' you used in the video?
I just paused the video and took a screenshot. Worked great.
Unfortunately we do not, but feel free to take a screenshot 🤓
@@CitySteadingBrews now why didn't I think of that - just had one of those "Duh" moments - thanks :)
Does sugar have an effect on pH?
Sugar is a non ionic compound, so it does not release H and OH ions in the water so it will not make the solution acidic or alkaline.
What is the most commonly accepted/ used practice to raise Ph during primary? I continuously have problems with Cranberry stalling due to Low Ph.
We have use baking soda, but many use calcium carbonate too.
I use Potassium Carbonate or Potassium Bicarbonate to adjust PH, it also add the much needed Potassium which is usually lacking in honey to aid fermentation.
It is usually sold as low Sodium substitute to baking soda.
The easiest source ive found for calcium carbonate is in generic aniti acid tablets. Do you see any real reason to not use this source? It is cheap and readily available, im just curious on your thoughts on if it is safe to use in meads or wines.
I would say it depends on the other ingredients.
What is the recommended pH range for primary fermentation? Did I miss that in the video?
4.0 to 5.0 should work for most yeast, but they do all have their ideal range.
Awesome! I get to go study some more 😂
It really is an interesting hobby
Oh, and I see where I missed in the video….. around 1:26 for the person behind me who has the same question
Calcium carbonate is mentioned to raise the pH, but that it can create off flavors. Does potassium bicarbonate have the same issue with off flavors?
In the amounts needed, I wouldn't think any flavor change from either.
@@CitySteadingBrewsthank you
Hello again! I have a question not relevant as far as I know to this video, just didn’t know where to stick it. I tried rhubarb and strawberry rhubarb meads and they have turned blueish. The rhubarb has just a light blue I could kind of see when I racked it but the strawberry turned a weird brown with a lot of blue when it was racking…. Yeah that sounds weird but I see the blue more like around the edges where it’s thinner and when the liquid is moving. WTF did I do?! Lol nothing seems to be growing in it, it doesn’t smell weird, and I boiled the fruit and was careful with sanitizing with starsan. While it was first fermenting the strawberry rhubarb was a beautiful glowing pink and the rhubarb just looked like dark mead. I boiled the rhubarb and used the juice so the actual plant fiber was never in the mead and other than black tea and honey…. Nothing else. The strawberries were the only difference in the other batch and I had brought them to a boil, dumped the juice in, and put the berries in a brew bag, obviously also sanitized. Once again, love the show and thanks for everything you do!
Rhubarb turns blue when heated :)
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you! So I guess a blue bottle and a blindfold is in order! I personally don’t care but I have a feeling some of the friends and family might pass… F’em, more for me!
What should PH be for your apple pie mead? I made it a year ago and just tasted it and it has a sour note and PH of 2.8 which lead me to your video now to figure out how to fix the issue
We didn't check pH on that brew. 2.8 seems low though. If it finishes fermentation, that pH will help with preservation.
@@CitySteadingBrewsthe fermentation is finished it’s very smooth, I can slightly taste a hint of apple outside of the sour note
Great video Derica!!!
Thank you!!