Poll: How Do You Manage Ph In Your Mash?

[brando]

Having enough experience now to fairly confidently say that Fivestar pH5.2 stabiliser doesn't work as advertised (for me), I need to go to plan B in terms of managing pH in the mash.

Just wondering what others do, and what is the most popular means.

 

[Brown_hound]

Out of curiosity,

How is Sydney Water PH-wise?

Any linkies to that info?

Cheers.

 

[Online Brewing Supplies]

I use add salts because I use RO/DI water so its essential but my main treatment is Acidulated malt. So times I will use a bit of lactic acid (liquid) as well in the mash and or kettle.
GB

 

[dent]

Calcium is your friend.

 

[beerbog]

Out of curiosity,

How is Sydney Water PH-wise?

Any linkies to that info?

Cheers.

I reckon it's ok as I have used Five * 5.2 and didn't notice any changes in efficiency. :beerbang:

 

[Brown_hound]

I reckon it's ok as I have used Five * 5.2 and didn't notice any changes in efficiency. :beerbang:

Cheers Gibbo

 

[brando]

Calcium is your friend.

How much do you use, and of what type? I imagine I would need a bit to bring pH down from 5.7.

 

[dent]

How much do you use, and of what type? I imagine I would need a bit to bring pH down from 5.7.

Calcium Chloride generally. It is simple to add as much as you need rather than attempt to calculate it - really the grist makes more of a difference than the water so it changes for every different brew anyhow. 2% of a darker malt added can reduce the required CaCl addition hugely. 5 minutes after dough in check your mash pH - check it warm as cooling samples takes too long and the pH will vary as it cools.

Dissolve say 50g of CaCl in 500ml of water. This is just to aid mixing it into your mash in a timely manner. If you're brewing a pilsner for instance with 100% pils malt for example you might need up to 150ml or more of that CaCl solution to get the pH down, depending on your water - but just add 20ml at a time, stir it in thorougly, and check the pH a few minutes later to give the mash time to react and buffers to go into solution. Eventually you'll work your way down to your target - once you've done this a few times you'll get the gist of what you need and it will only take you a couple of attempts to get it right.

 

[Bribie G]

I use Ezywater calculator, download free

You tell it what water you are using and how much (I use RO water like Nev so simple for me, otherwise try to get a water report) , what grains (eg pale, roast, crystal) and play around with the additions of various salts. It will advise expected pH and also what style the water is suitable for - i.e. hoppy or malty.

Best bit of software I've ever used.

 

[felten]

I'd like to be using salts + acid malt, but I don't have any so it's just salts for me.

The amount of salts you would need to reduce the pH to an adequate level (depending on the beer ofc) with very soft water is pretty crazy though, so I don't use as much as advised by palmers spreadsheet/ez water (which both give different results as well).

I'm giving this system a go for future beers, just need to buy some acid/acid malt for the lighter beers

 

[Barry]

Salts, acid malt and phos acid if I have it.

 

[Bribie G]

Felten, yes I've noticed that often with RO water and using Ezywater calculator it can get a bit hair raising - in the styles I normally do it's ok but I might grab some acidulated malt as well and give that a whirl, never considered it before. With the weather starting to warm up here in SEQ - yes warming up, on Boxing day I was wearing a coat FFS - I can feel some Pilseners coming on. :icon_cheers:

 

[dent]

Those of you who use whatever calculators to determine their additions - how accurate are the results in the end when you measure the pH afterwards?

 

[DUANNE]

just A quick question in regards to the acid malt. do you just have a standard addition that has worked as a good average over a number of beers or do you just have some milled up to add and make additions on the fly.
in melbourne im just using salt additions,gypsum and calcium chloride and using the paper strips seem to be pretty close to the mark around 5.4. always good to have another tool in the warchest though.

 

[brando]

I use Ezywater calculator, download free

You tell it what water you are using and how much (I use RO water like Nev so simple for me, otherwise try to get a water report) , what grains (eg pale, roast, crystal) and play around with the additions of various salts. It will advise expected pH and also what style the water is suitable for - i.e. hoppy or malty.

Best bit of software I've ever used.

View attachment 43039

Bribie,

Yep, I have used that spreadsheet recently, and find it quite good. But I've not considered using that quantity of calcium additions (which actually brings the Ca levels above Palmer's max of 150ppm).

 

[felten]

You have to take into account evaporation as well, if you are treating 35L to a certain ppm, then boiling it down to 25L the ppm is going to increase somewhat. My understanding is that some calcium is used up in the mash/boil (and there is some retention from grains) but the chloride and sulphate aren't, which might be a problem with relying entirely on salts to drop your pH w/ very soft water.

I'm no expert here though so maybe someone can correct that.

 

[dent]

You have to take into account evaporation as well, if you are treating 35L to a certain ppm, then boiling it down to 25L the ppm is going to increase somewhat. My understanding is that some calcium is used up in the mash/boil (and there is some retention from grains) but the chloride and sulphate aren't, which might be a problem with relying entirely on salts to drop your pH w/ very soft water.

I'm no expert here though so maybe someone can correct that.

Yeah, that is pretty much irrelevant - just get it right in the mash and the kettle will work itself out. Calcium reacts with the mash only to lower the pH. If you haven't oversparged, the kettle pH will be appropriate (good enough) also.

 

[felten]

I was referring more to the concentration of sulphate and chloride than the pH in the kettle. At higher levels it can have a negative impact on the beers taste.

 

[eamonnfoley]

Evaporation is never taken into account - minerals are always calculated on total water, irrelevant of evap rate, final volume etc. Would you worry about difference in your tap water based on 90 min boil instead of 60 min boil? No way.

I use RO water, acid malt and salts. Sometimes I use 25% filtered tap, 75% RO, salts and acid. This way I dont need to add as many different salts. Usually some gypsum is enough to get most of my desired profiles.

 

[Bribie G]

Yes that's the way that Ezywater calculates it. Also I guess that's why various brewing cities rose to fame because (in those days) they were lumbered with the water that they had, which was the total water that went into the brew regardless of boil times. Then the water-blessed cities (Plzen, Tadcaster, Burton, Dublin etc) developed the style that took advantage of those waters by a process of natural selection and gave us Pilsener, Guinness and the rest is history.