# Convert Acidulated Malt amount to lactic acid **URL:** \ **Category:** Ingredients\ **Created:** [March 13, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/convert-acidulated-malt-amount-to-lactic-acid/28597 "2019-03-13T17:37:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![goschman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@goschman](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/goschman)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 5:37pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/convert-acidulated-malt-amount-to-lactic-acid/28597/1 "2019-03-13T17:37:27Z")
Interested in doing a gose and would prefer to use lactic acid over malt. From what I hear it’s a good idea to shoot for a ph of 3.8 after conversion. Is that true? Is there a simple conversion for acid malt to lactic acid? ---
**Author:** ![a10t2](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/a10t2/32/6257_2.png) [@a10t2](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/a10t2)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2019, 6:29pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/convert-acidulated-malt-amount-to-lactic-acid/28597/2 "2019-03-13T18:29:07Z")
Acidulated malt is ~2% lactic acid by weight, and 88% lactic acid has a density of 1.21 g/mL, so for every pound of acid malt you’d be adding 8.5 mL of acid. Obviously that changes substantially if your maltster uses a different ratio of acid. ---
**Author:** ![goschman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@goschman](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/goschman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 4:02pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/convert-acidulated-malt-amount-to-lactic-acid/28597/3 "2019-03-14T16:02:43Z")
> [@a10t2](#): > > Acidulated malt is ~2% lactic acid by weight, and 88% lactic acid has a density of 1.21 g/mL, so for every pound of acid malt you’d be adding 8.5 mL of acid. Obviously that changes substantially if your maltster uses a different ratio of acid. Thank you for this. Can anyone comment on the pH level I should shoot for going into the kettle when attempting a Gose? ---
**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/original/1X/f1a2211dcb353b921ed70873794a31db2031eccc.png) [@system](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/convert-acidulated-malt-amount-to-lactic-acid/28597/4 "2019-03-14T16:07:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Interested in doing a gose and would prefer to use lactic acid over malt. From what I hear it’s a good idea to shoot for a ph of 3.8 after conversion. Is that true? Is there a simple conversion for acid malt to lactic acid? The problem is that, contrary to popular belief, Sauermalz (Acid Malt) doesn’t behave or have the same characteristics as Lactic Acid. In fact, AFAIK, Sauermalz is actually treated with Sauergut (Biological Acid), which also can’t be modeled as xx% Lactic Acid. ![lacticsauermalz-jpg.jpg](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/original/2X/9/9f652675402249af11bc8e761d6fcd289e493756.jpeg) A Quote from A.J. deLange: “The fit was done over the region pH 4.6 to 6 and, as the graph shows, the match is perfect at about 5.45. In other words, 31.3 grams of lactic acid are equivalent in acidity to 1 kG of Weyermann’s Sauermalz at pH 5.45. At any other pH this equivalent does not hold. Thus at pH 5.45 Weyermann’s Sauermalz has an effective lactic acid content of 3.13%.” ---
**Author:** ![ynotbrusum](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/ynotbrusum/32/10316_2.png) [@ynotbrusum](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/ynotbrusum)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 4:18pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/convert-acidulated-malt-amount-to-lactic-acid/28597/5 "2019-03-14T16:18:57Z")
I have used a lacto starter with pretty good results - dropped pH to 3.5 in 14 hours.  I covered and sealed the kettle with a CO2 blanket to keep the nasties at bay, then boiled for 15 minutes to kill it all off then chill and pitch tha Sacc. ---
**Author:** ![mabrungard](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/brewersassociation/user_avatar/forum.homebrewersassociation.org/mabrungard/32/12430_2.png) [@mabrungard](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/u/mabrungard)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2019, 5:38pm UTC](https://forum.homebrewersassociation.org/t/convert-acidulated-malt-amount-to-lactic-acid/28597/6 "2019-03-14T17:38:59Z")
> [@](#): > > Can anyone comment on the pH level I should shoot for going into the kettle when attempting a Gose? In my experience, 3.5 is barely acceptable in a sour. But less than 3.2 is too much for most drinkers. Somewhere in that range is what I target.