Low pH with Best Pils Malt?

[klickitat_jim]

@hopfenundmalz

@klickitat_jim

FWIW best is my house pils and using Brewers Friend I’ve been getting accurate predictions

Jim, I have shared data from Best Pils Lot number 12665. Malt has variance as an agricultural product. This one seems a little acidic for whatever reason.

What lot numbers have you had better luck with? As a Chief Engineer used to say, can you show us your data?

No idea. I dump sack into storage bin, sack gets tossed. Sorry

[beersk]

Can’t we just throw some 5.2 stabilizer in there?

[emoji6]

Hahaha! I love it…

[brewinhard]

@mabrungard

By the way, I’ve found that Simpsons Golden Promise tends to be more acidic than indicated by color rating.

Keep posting this sort of information since it will help refine the malt acidity parameters.

Any idea on the variance for Simpsons Golden Promise? Was planning a brew with it soon.

[wort-h.o.g]

Mimicked Jeff’s mini mash test on my avangard pils. two PH meters used both calibrated with fresh 4.0 and 7.0 solution (one meter brand new arrived yesterday milwaukee Ph56 pen). after 10 minutes at 152F mash, PH readings were 5.4 and 5.41 in 65F cooled filtered wort.

I’m so glad you started this thread Jeff- I now understand whats been going on with my .2-.3 lower than expected PH.

[hopfenundmalz]

I need to test some other base malts now.

The guy at the local brewery was surprised when his pH was low. He based used a lot of Best Pils and hits his target pH, so something is going on.

Edit - I haven’t bought Avangard in a while, don’t remember any low pHs with that before.

[wort-h.o.g]

@hopfenundmalz

I need to test some other base malts now.

The guy at the local brewery was surprised when his pH was low. He based used a lot of Best Pils and hits his target pH, so something is going on.

Edit - I haven’t bought Avangard in a while, don’t remember any low pHs with that before.

as am I- going to run it on the weyermann floor malted i just got.

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

Mimicked Jeff’s mini mash test on my avangard pils. two PH meters used both calibrated with fresh 4.0 and 7.0 solution (one meter brand new arrived yesterday milwaukee Ph56 pen). after 10 minutes at 152F mash, PH readings were 5.4 and 5.41 in 65F cooled filtered wort.

I’m so glad you started this thread Jeff- I now understand whats been going on with my .2-.3 lower than expected PH.

Thanks for the info. I use Avangard most often because my LHBS carries it.

[wort-h.o.g]

same test parameters- this time with weyermann floor malted pils. Ph readings of 5.83 and 5.85.

[hopfenundmalz]

Those are expected values. I will do a few more today or tomorrow and see what I get.

[rookie_l_a (Steve Ruch)]

Great, one more thing to worry about. Here I’ve gone all these years brewing (18) never knowing my PH and still brewing good beer.

[wort-h.o.g]

so i don’t think Jeff’s or my results necessarily mean there is a systemic PH issue out there.  For me, I had something happening that I couldn’t resolve, and now at least understand what has been happening. I knew I was getting lower readings than expected, and accounted for that beforehand with bru’nwater.

Perhaps for those of us that routinely purchase sacks of particular maltsters base malts, its good practice just to do a mini mash PH test for establishing basis for all future mashes with this malt.

Anyway-I’m very happy to have found a data point that seems to explain my issue.

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

so i don’t think Jeff’s or my results necessarily mean there is a systemic PH issue out there.  For me, I had something happening that I couldn’t resolve, and now at least understand what has been happening. I knew I was getting lower readings than expected, and accounted for that beforehand with bru’nwater.

Perhaps for those of us that routinely purchase sacks of particular maltsters base malts, its good practice just to do a mini mash PH test for establishing basis for all future mashes with this malt.

Anyway-I’m very happy to have found a data point that seems to explain my issue.

Hasn’t that issue with Avangard been pretty consistent for you though?  Maybe I’m not remembering right. I know that (like hops) malts can vary sack to sack, lot to lot #. I’m just wondering if the Avangard pils is more acidic consistently like Rahr 2 row, which I account for in Brunwater.

[wort-h.o.g]

so i don’t think Jeff’s or my results necessarily mean there is a systemic PH issue out there.  For me, I had something happening that I couldn’t resolve, and now at least understand what has been happening. I knew I was getting lower readings than expected, and accounted for that beforehand with bru’nwater.

Perhaps for those of us that routinely purchase sacks of particular maltsters base malts, its good practice just to do a mini mash PH test for establishing basis for all future mashes with this malt.

Anyway-I’m very happy to have found a data point that seems to explain my issue.

Hasn’t that issue with Avangard been pretty consistent for you though?  Maybe I’m not remembering right. I know that (like hops) malts can vary sack to sack, lot to lot #. I’m just wondering if the Avangard pils is more acidic consistently like Rahr 2 row, which I account for in Brunwater.

sure has Jon. In retrospect and looking at the recipes I had PH lower than expected, all had avangard pils in there. I used to use weyermann pils before I started buying by the sack, and my PH was always very close to target.  Im also going to run a test on the avangard pale ale malt-another one i use frequently…and will likely just run it on all my base malts-vienna, light munich and MO I have just to see.

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

so i don’t think Jeff’s or my results necessarily mean there is a systemic PH issue out there.  For me, I had something happening that I couldn’t resolve, and now at least understand what has been happening. I knew I was getting lower readings than expected, and accounted for that beforehand with bru’nwater.

Perhaps for those of us that routinely purchase sacks of particular maltsters base malts, its good practice just to do a mini mash PH test for establishing basis for all future mashes with this malt.

Anyway-I’m very happy to have found a data point that seems to explain my issue.

Hasn’t that issue with Avangard been pretty consistent for you though?  Maybe I’m not remembering right. I know that (like hops) malts can vary sack to sack, lot to lot #. I’m just wondering if the Avangard pils is more acidic consistently like Rahr 2 row, which I account for in Brunwater.

sure has Jon. In retrospect and looking at the recipes I had PH lower than expected, all had avangard pils in there. I used to use weyermann pils before I started buying by the sack, and my PH was always very close to target.  Im also going to run a test on the avangard pale ale malt-another one i use frequently…and will likely just run it on all my base malts-vienna, light munich and MO I have just to see.

Cool. I think I’ll start accounting for Avangard pils in Brunwater and go from there. Appreciate it !

[wort-h.o.g]

for sure but real hero is Jeff- I obviously never though about it until he posted this with best.

the curious thing will be if i see the same thing in my next sack of avangard pils-looking for consistency or anomaly.

[jonhughey_att.net (HoosierBrew)]

I’ll be curious to see. And thanks, Jeff.

[hopfenundmalz]

Not a hero.

An Engineer that questions what he is seeing and why, but that is about it.

[wort-h.o.g]

@hopfenundmalz

Not a hero.

An Engineer that questions what he is seeing and why, but that is about it.

modest also  ;D

seriously though-this has been a pain point for me and glad you thought of it when you had issues.

[mabrungard]

@hopfenundmalz

Mashed 0.25 lbs in a half quart of distilled water at 155F in a SS coffee thermos. Calibrated the Milwaukee 101 with fresh 7 and 4 solutions. Then measured the pH after my usual 10 minutes. Result was 5.55 pH.

Hmm. That pH result is similar to that of Rahr 2 row. Again, adding 3L to 4L to the color rating does indicate a pH of 5.55 with distilled water and 100% of that malt.

[wort-h.o.g]

im also going to run the avangard pils again- i forgot to clean rollers and base before (edit: ran carafa ii and midnight wheat previous run)…perhaps a little previous malt that impacted my reading. the weyermann i did vacum everything and removed all previous grain dust.