How important is pH of partial mash?

[mcymatt]

Preparing for my first partial mash this weekend:

1lb Pale Ale malt
1lb Munich malt
1 lb C-40
0.5lb C-120
0.25lb Victory
0.05 lb Chocolate

3.8lb total in 4.75 qt. water, single step infusion at 152F for one hour.

I'm just wondering how critical it is that I keep an eye on the pH of this mini-mash?

Thanks everyone.

[BDawg]

Welcome-

It is just as important as AG. A wrong pH in a mini-mash will still prohibit conversion.
Generally, your tap water should be ok as-is for mini-mashing, but I'll let somebody from Chicago answer that for sure.

HTH-

[Old_Skool]

Welcome-

It is just as important as AG. A wrong pH in a mini-mash will still prohibit conversion.
Generally, your tap water should be ok as-is for mini-mashing, but I'll let somebody from Chicago answer that for sure.

HTH-

So in my mini-mashing should I be using a pH strip to check pH or using iodine to check starch conversion ?

[BDawg]

It helps, but honestly I never was able to get a good reading off of pH strips myself. The wet strip just doesn't look the same as any of the colors on the chart. You can trust the iodine, though to tell you if you have residual starch (provided you aren't drawing grain chunks in your sample). Get you r water tested. You'll be glad you did.

HTH-