I was trying to hit 5.2 and used a little too much acid malt and hit 5.1. What are the effects?
Dave
Not much, the worst that could happen is that the beer might be slightly sharp in taste, I don’t think it will end up tart.
Could that be a good thing for a Bohemian Pilsner?
Dave
5.1 is fine. I remember Kai saying something about how a higher mash pH can create a lower kettle pH. So the relationship between beer pH and mash pH isn’t as intuitive as you might think.
I wouldn’t be as worried about the pH as about the effects of 5.2 on the beer flavor.
Denny, I thinking he was targeting a mash pH of 5.2, not using 5.2? Correct, David? I think at 5.1 you’ll be fine. The enzymes may have to work a little harder for a little longer, but shouldn’t be of concern. If unsure, do a starch conversion test. Plus, there is always a +/- on accuracy of pH meters, so you may be closer to 5.2 than 5.1? Conversely, you could be lower than 5.1 as well. :P. Once, you sparge the pH of your wort and beer will be fine. I have overshot an occasion more than once, but just dial back a little on acidifing the sparge water. Beer was fine in the end. RDWHAHB!
Hoser, that is correct. I’m using acid malt, not 5.2 Stabilizer. I don’t use that stuff.
I actually did not acidify the sparge water so I think I’m good. Thanks!
Dave
Was that a room temp pH measurement? 5.2 is already on the low side if it was. 5.1 is more so. The body might be decreased a bit since the wort fermentability will be higher. It might be a little more tart, but if the sparging water was not acidified, maybe the kettle wort pH won’t be that low.
Hey Martin! It was 5.1 at room temp. Bru’n water told me to use much more Acid Malt than I was accustomed-1.8# to get to 5.2.
Dave
That is a problem with acid malt, it can be variable. That is why I don’t recommend it. I’m more comfortable using lactic with a known strength.
I welcome reports from any brewers about their results using the amount of acid malt recommended by Bru’n Water and the resulting mash pH. The acidity contribution that I’ve used in Bru’n Water was based on Weyermann’s rule of thumb with 0.1 pH drop per percent of grist. It could easily be off since I don’t use that stuff and I haven’t heard from anyone that does. My ears are open!
Martin,
It was only off .1 and that is well within the margin of error for the PH tester. I just wanted to let you know that the spreasheet asked for a lot of acid malt versus what I have used in the past. I’m using it for all my brews now and it’s a great tool. Thanks again for putting it together!
Maybe it’s time to just buy some lactic acid and take the guess work out of the equation like you said. I’ve had good results from acid malt but why bother when I can be more precise?
Dave
FWIW, I use Bru’n Water and I also use acid malt for any situation where I need to lower mash pH. When I plug in my grist in Bru’n Water, I simply omit the acid malt. Then, I just add acid malt to lower the pH to my desired target. I use the Weyermann rule of thumb that Martin mentioned, and I’ve never had an issue. For example, yesterday I brewed a pilsner for which Bru’n Water projected a mash pH of 5.7. I added 3.2% acid malt to the grist and my mash pH was between 5.3-5.4, which was my target.
Matt, What does Bru’n Water tell you if you input that acid malt into the grain bill. Does the estimated mash pH and the observed pH agree? That is useful information for my calibration use.
I get 5.2 on Bru’n Water when I input the acid malt. So, it’s approximately .1 pH lower than my actual reading. But, I will qualify this by openly admitting that I am measuring pH at room temperature with ColorpHast strips. I always add .3 pH to whatever I get on the strip.
Martin,
When I put in 8oz of acid malt for a 10G batch of Pilsner, Bru’n water showed a PH of 5.4. It didn’t go to 5.2 until I hit 1.6#. I ended up putting in 1.8 since that is all I had.
The PH came in at 5.1 at room temp. I have a Hanna PH meter.
Dave
This is good info to have since I am an acid malt user. Thanks, guys!
David,
Do you mind sharing the grist and water info. I’d like to run it through the model I have.
Kai
Calcium-32, Magnesium-9.6, Sodium-19, Sulfate-41, Chloride-39, Bicarbonate-24 (although not listed on the report and filled in by Bru’n Water). Alkalinity-51 and Hardness 118.
For some reason, my Bru’n water spreadsheet had some different numbers. When I plugged these in and checked the Mash PH again, it was at 5.1…go figure! :o
I just ordered a new report and will adjust all my spreadsheets accordingly. My local Ace hardware store graciously ordered in some Pickling Lime for me so I’ll be good to go from here. Hopefully…
Dave
Thanks. What was the grain bill and either the mash thickness or sparge water and grist weight.
Kai
17# Pilsen, 2# Light Munich, 1.8# Acid Malt, 1# CaraPils. Mashed with 6.8g to get to 153F.
Dave