What Is the pH of Beer? Values by Style and Why It Matters

The short answer: most beer has a pH of about 4.0 to 4.6, which makes it mildly acidic: more acidic than coffee, less acidic than wine or soda. Sour beers run much lower, about 3.0 to 3.6. Beer gets its acidity during fermentation, when yeast lower the pH of the wort by roughly a full point. The pH brewers actually control is the mash pH, 5.2 to 5.6, because it shapes everything that follows.

pH of beer by style

Beer style	Typical pH
Light lager and pilsner	4.2–4.6
Pale ale and IPA	4.2–4.6
Amber, brown ale and Märzen	4.2–4.6
Stout and porter	4.0–4.4
Wheat beer (hefeweizen, witbier)	4.0–4.4
Belgian ales and saison	4.0–4.4
Berliner weisse and gose	3.1–3.6
Lambic, gueuze and wild ales	3.2–3.6

These are typical ranges, not rules. The same style can vary by a few tenths depending on the water, the malt, the yeast strain and how long the beer spent on the yeast.

Is beer acidic?

Yes. Anything below pH 7 is acidic, and beer sits around 4 to 4.6. Here is how it compares with other drinks:

Drink	Typical pH
Water	About 7
Milk	About 6.7
Coffee	About 5
Beer	4.0–4.6
Wine	About 3.0–3.8
Orange juice	About 3.5
Sour beer	3.0–3.6
Cola	About 2.5
Lemon juice	About 2

The pH scale is logarithmic: each whole number is ten times more acidic than the one above it. A beer at pH 3.3 is about ten times more acidic than one at 4.3, which is why sour beers taste so tart.

How pH changes from water to glass

Stage	Typical pH	What’s happening
Brewing water	6.5–8.5	Tap water is usually neutral to slightly alkaline. Its alkalinity, not its pH, is what pushes the mash pH up.
Mash	5.2–5.6	Malt is acidic and pulls the pH down. Darker malts pull it down further.
Wort into the boil	5.2–5.5	About the same as the mash.
End of the boil	5.0–5.3	Calcium reacts with phosphates from the malt and lowers the pH by 0.1 to 0.3.
Fermentation	Drops to 4.0–4.6	Yeast release organic acids and CO₂. Most of the drop happens in the first day or two.
Finished beer	4.0–4.6	Sours drop to 3.0–3.6 because lactic acid bacteria make lactic acid.

Why pH matters in brewing

In the mash

Mash pH is the one number brewers set on purpose. At 5.2 to 5.6 (measured at room temperature), the enzymes that turn starch into sugar work well, you get good extraction, and the grain husks don’t release harsh tannins. A mash that runs high tends to give a dull, astringent beer with coarse bitterness; one that runs too low can taste thin and tart. Our mash pH guide covers how to measure and adjust it, and the water chemistry guide explains why your water decides where it lands.

In the boil

A slightly lower kettle pH gives a better hot break, clearer beer and smoother bitterness. Hops isomerize a little faster at higher pH, but the bitterness they give is harsher, which is one reason hoppy beers brewed with alkaline water can taste coarse.

In fermentation

A healthy fermentation drops the pH quickly. If it doesn’t drop by about a full point, something is off: a weak pitch, too little oxygen, or a stalled fermentation. See troubleshooting fermentation problems.

In the finished beer

• Flavour. A lower pH makes beer taste crisper and brighter; a higher pH tastes flatter and more dull. Below about 4.0, beer starts to taste noticeably tart.
• Stability. Low pH, together with alcohol, hops, CO₂ and a lack of oxygen, is why beer resists most spoilage organisms. A beer that finishes high is more open to infection.
• Clarity and foam. Proteins and polyphenols drop out more readily at the right pH, which helps clarity and shelf life.

How to measure beer pH

1. Use a pH meter with temperature compensation. Test strips are hard to read in amber and dark beers and are only accurate to about 0.3 to 0.5.
2. Calibrate first with pH 4.0 and 7.0 buffer solutions, on the day you measure.
3. Degas and cool the sample. Pour finished beer back and forth or stir it to drive off CO₂, which lowers the reading, and measure at room temperature, 68 to 77°F (20 to 25°C). Hot mash samples read about 0.3 lower than the same wort at room temperature.
4. Rinse and store the probe properly in storage solution, never dry and never in distilled water.

How brewers adjust pH

To	Use	Notes
Lower mash pH	Lactic or phosphoric acid; acidulated malt; calcium chloride or gypsum	Each 1% of acidulated malt in the grist lowers mash pH by about 0.1. Calcium salts lower it slightly.
Raise mash pH	Baking soda or pickling lime	Mostly needed for dark beers brewed with soft water
Lower kettle pH	A little lactic or phosphoric acid late in the boil	Some brewers aim for about 5.0 to 5.2 at the end of the boil for pale beers
Make a sour beer	Lactobacillus, in the kettle before the boil or in the fermenter	Kettle sours usually target pH 3.2 to 3.5 before boiling

You don’t normally adjust the pH of finished beer. It falls where fermentation puts it; the way to change it is to get the mash, the boil and the fermentation right. For sour beers, see lactic acid bacteria in sour beer. A kettle sour needs the wort held at about 95 to 110°F (35 to 43°C) for a day or two, which an electric kettle with a controller, like the Unibräu, holds on its own.

Frequently asked questions

What is the pH of beer?

Most beers are between pH 4.0 and 4.6. Sour beers are lower, about 3.0 to 3.6.

Is beer acidic or alkaline?

Acidic. With a pH of about 4 to 4.6 it is more acidic than coffee but less acidic than wine, orange juice or cola.

Which beer has the lowest pH?

Sour styles: Berliner weisse, gose, lambic and other wild or kettle-soured beers, at about 3.0 to 3.6.

Is lager or ale more acidic?

There’s little difference. Both usually finish between 4.0 and 4.6. Dark beers and wheat beers often sit at the lower end, light lagers at the upper end.

What should my mash pH be?

5.2 to 5.6, measured at room temperature, with 5.4 a good default. See our mash pH guide.

Why does my beer taste sour when it isn’t a sour beer?

A pH well below 4.0 in a normal beer usually means a bacterial infection, often lactobacillus or pediococcus. Check your cleaning and sanitizing routine; see how to clean and sanitize a fermenter.