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Author Topic: 5.2pH Stabilizer  (Read 11434 times)

Offline Richard

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #15 on: March 12, 2012, 08:49:10 PM »
protip (stolen from brent): iodophor at a rather stronger concentration than normal works for doing starch-tests :)
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Offline fakr

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #16 on: March 12, 2012, 08:54:17 PM »
does it?  well....I just so happen to have an unopened 500ml bottle of idophor...
So at what concentration?  think the full concentration is too much?  I'm thinking it would turn anything black at that concentration...
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Offline Richard

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #17 on: March 12, 2012, 08:55:15 PM »
The stuff I keep in a spray bottle works, but is somewhat overkill. That's usually 2-3ml in half a litre.
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Offline JohnQ

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #18 on: March 12, 2012, 09:31:52 PM »
OK, don't bother bringing the iodophor, I have most of a gallon here...
I'm really interested in seeing some PH/KH testing done this weekend, it's something I haven't done at all, and I think it's part of my efficiency fluctuations.
JQ
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Offline fakr

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #19 on: March 12, 2012, 09:35:41 PM »
ok, so who's going bring a ph kit?
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Offline brew

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #20 on: March 12, 2012, 09:44:28 PM »
I can bring my hanna ph tester...
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Offline JohnQ

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #21 on: March 12, 2012, 09:56:24 PM »
Thanks Brew, that'd be great
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Offline HappyHax0r

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #22 on: March 13, 2012, 10:21:32 PM »
The reason iodine/dovodine/iodiphor all work for starch detection is because the compound in iodine binds to starch and turns it purple... It's simple high school chemistry.

To do a conversion test, vorlauf and then draw off a couple of tablespoons of wort into a glass. Drop in a couple of drops of iodine/dovodine/iodiphor... Swirl it... If it turns purple your conversion isn't complete. Discard the test sample as drinking iodine is bad for you.

If it stays relatively the same colour of wort (the iodine will copper it slightly), conversion is complete.

To see this in action cut a potato in half and drop some iodine on it, or add a tbsp of corn starch to some water, mix it, drop in two drops of indicator. Swirl it and see the pretty purple result. Not only is it neat to see it's a great experiment to show young kids!!

See? I knew taking chem instead of bio in high school.would prove to be useful later in life!
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Offline HappyHax0r

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #23 on: March 14, 2012, 09:08:48 AM »
For those interested in the chemistry of it, IIRC, (this is basically from memory, so it could be wrong or not entirely accurate), your wort (if not converted) will contain starch. Starch is polymer chains of glucose, specifically amylose chains and amylopectin chains. The amylose contents are soluable in water, so literally non-converted wort *should* have uniform dispersion (at least to the points where we're concerned).

So in comes the iodine. We drop the iodine in water (or in our case wort), and it disperses, but it's not particularly soluable (that's why when you drop it in it looks cloudy and you mix it up and it it tints the water, but doesn't lose it's color until a significant time afterward). When mixed with water or in our case wort the iodine molecule slips into the center of the helical amylose glucose chains of the starch... The bonding of these two molecules changes some of the properties of both the original molecules and one of those changes is to absorb a large part of the visible light spectrum. However it doesn't absorb short-wave light, and thus produces a deep bluish-purple or black color.

IIRC it does not however do this with amylopectin...

I'm sure Thomas could explain it better, or more accurately, but if I recall that's pretty much what our high-school chem teacher taught us. Mind you we actually had chain models of the starches, and there was some math involved, and it was years ago, so take this all with a grain of salt, or a big rock of salt, or whatever.
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Offline TomFogarty

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #24 on: March 14, 2012, 03:09:51 PM »
In training, mind you... in training...
I'm afraid I don't know an enormous amount about that whole shpeel, that's more the job of a chemist. Us engineers know enough chemistry, but we're more about process design that anything. I'll just design the brewery ;)

Offline Dave Savoie

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Offline DandyMason

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #26 on: March 19, 2014, 01:40:03 PM »
So has anyone on Fredericton water actually checked the ph of their mash? particularly when brewing lighter beers? Im curious...

Offline DandyMason

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #27 on: March 20, 2014, 11:11:47 AM »
So has anyone on Fredericton water actually checked the ph of their mash? particularly when brewing lighter beers? Im curious...

Im guessing the lack of response is a no. Im going to get me some pH strips and do some testing

Offline Chris Craig

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Offline DandyMason

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Re: 5.2pH Stabilizer
« Reply #29 on: March 20, 2014, 11:21:34 AM »
You can get yourself a digital pH meter on Amazon pretty cheap:

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Pocket-LCD-Digital-PH-009-0-14-Tester-Meter-Pen-Type-Aquarium-Pool-Water-Measure-/141226455277?pt=US_Garden_Tools&hash=item20e1c0b0ed&_uhb=1

That is cheap, only slightly more than I was going to pay for the strips from NG