Beer testing is one of the fundamental parts of the brewing process. To achieve a high consistency of brewed beer, you have to ensure repeatability through brewing.

Your beer must go through some testing processes before it is ready for packaging.  In this article, we take a look at the various tests that your beer must go through.

1.Water Analysis

Water is the most crucial ingredient in the brewing process and probably the most misunderstood. The quality, hardness, and pH will affect your mash’s enzymatic activity, mineral salts solubility, and the solubility of sugars and proteins. Most importantly, it will also affect hop usage and bitterness. Your water properties will also determine the life of your brewing equipment. Some properties could cause scaling, while others will form mineral deposits on your brewing equipment.

Before you use water for brewing, you should do some water analysis on your water to understand its basic chemistry. Get in touch with a good lab and send them some samples. Once you’ve got the results, you can treat your water for mineral deficiencies and get it where you want it to be for your particular beer style. 

2.Check the Mash pH

Once you have the grain doughed-in, and the mash begins. Get the best PH strips out there. We recommend the colorpHast strips, which use a PH-sensitive dye but don’t run like litmus paper. The strips show a narrow PH range and this makes them easy to read. They are more precise than litmus paper. 

Though a bit more expensive, they are very accurate. You can cut each strip down the middle and get twice as many per container. They are, therefore, quite economical. 

Though quite expensive and with a limited electrodes lifetime of not more than two years, PH meters are a perfect choice. A PH meter allows you to, among other things, monitor beer fermentation and the finished beer PH.  Once you have your mash PH, you can adjust it accordingly. 

3.Test the Specific Beer Gravity

This involves using a refractometer or hydrometer, which checks the Brix of a solution and can convert the reading to a specific gravity one. Checking and tracking your beer’s gravity ensures you get the most bang for your buck.  It also allows you to determine the efficiency of your equipment and the brewing process.  It also helps you to track fermentation and ensure it’s not stuck before finishing. 

For quick, real-time wort readings, many homebrewers use a refractometer. To get a refractometer reading,  you take a little sample and wait for it to cool off before you take the readings. You could also get refractometers that are temperature corrected. 

4. Yeast Viability Check

At times, when beer testing, you will not know the shape of the packet containing the yeast. Few things could affect your yeast’s health when shipping during summer months, like long storage situations. Control the amount of yeast you put in and maximize your output. 

You need to carry out numerous beer tests in the beer-making process to ensure quality, good taste, and great returns.

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