29 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

Damn it Ken, now I'm gonna have to break out the PH meter again.

This may not be everyone's thing but it seems to make a difference to my tastebuds.

[neddles]

In the past I was under the impression if you had reasonable water getting the mash pH right was a pretty good indicator that your beer pH was going to land in the right place.

My understanding is that this is true. There a various pH optima for not only enzymatic activity but also for protein coagulation in the boil and several other things. These aren't always the same number so when you shoot for a certain mash pH and make no adjustments afterward you are opting for a pH that works to serve several interests but may not be optimal for all of them. That is my understanding anyways.

Edited by nettles, 30 April 2015 - 07:13 PM.

[Big Nake]

My understanding is that this is true. There a various pH optima for not only enzymatic activity but also for protein coagulation in the boil and several other things. These aren't always the same number so when you shoot for a certain mash pH and make no adjustments afterward you are opting for a pH that works to serve several interests but may not be optimal for all of them. That is my understanding anyways.

Seems like there could be variables unless I'm not understanding. If you mashed with 4 gallons of water and got your mash pH correct with salts, acid, etc. but then didn't do anything with your sparge water (I realize you BIAB so variables are reduced... which is good) and it was high in HCO3 and pH, you would be asking for trouble and could have a high finished-beer pH. Yes if you had soft, low-bicarb water it may not be an issue. In some ways I feel like I have been driving an automatic for 15 years and now someone has asked me to learn to drive a manual transmission and I'm learning all over again. Okay, not really but I look very closely at things now that I didn't even know existed a long time ago. And it's all for the better!

[neddles]

Funny. I think your automatic/manual transmission analogy is a pretty good one actually. They both work but the manual may be optimal if used correctly. But ultimately it's going to be up to the drivers priorities to say wether or not they benefitted from the manual or not.

[positiveContact]

I may end up on the lactic acid train.  I had to add an extra half pound of acid malt to get my pH down close to where I wanted it.  I think bru'n water and my acid malt don't agree.  any time I use a good amount of it I end up with a higher pH than expected.

 

my mash was around 5.3-5.4 so I'll see where it's at at the end of the boil today.

[HVB]

I may end up on the lactic acid train.  I had to add an extra half pound of acid malt to get my pH down close to where I wanted it.  I think bru'n water and my acid malt don't agree.  any time I use a good amount of it I end up with a higher pH than expected.

 

my mash was around 5.3-5.4 so I'll see where it's at at the end of the boil today.

I was working on a recipe yesterday and took out the acid malt and upped the lactic.  Lately I have noticed for me my pH never gets to the estimated when I use acid malt. 

[positiveContact]

I was working on a recipe yesterday and took out the acid malt and upped the lactic.  Lately I have noticed for me my pH never gets to the estimated when I use acid malt. 

 

end of boil pH was 5.1-5.2 which I think is a good place to be according to those clever german brewers

[Brauer]

 I think bru'n water and my acid malt don't agree.  any time I use a good amount of it I end up with a higher pH than expected.

 

Have you checked the estimate from Brewer's Friend? Kai has actually tested Acid Malt and included those results in his calculator. I seem to recall complaints that BrunWater has had issues with underestimating the pH in the past, but I've never tried to compare the two calculators.

[positiveContact]

Have you checked the estimate from Brewer's Friend? Kai has actually tested Acid Malt and included those results in his calculator. I seem to recall complaints that BrunWater has had issues with underestimating the pH in the past, but I've never tried to compare the two calculators.

 

I have not.  might have to check that out.

[mabrungard]

I may end up on the lactic acid train.  I had to add an extra half pound of acid malt to get my pH down close to where I wanted it.  I think bru'n water and my acid malt don't agree.  any time I use a good amount of it I end up with a higher pH than expected.

 

my mash was around 5.3-5.4 so I'll see where it's at at the end of the boil today.

If you have the newest supporter's version of Bru'n Water, there is an adjustment for acid malt strength. There are differing strengths from different maltsters. I've heard from a Pro brewer that reports that the strength can differ by a factor of about 2.