Do I calculate estimated mash pH using the water amount that’s put in the mash tun or the total water used in the system? I use Bru’n Water currently and I’m trying to wrap my head around how mash chemistry changes when switching to this mash method.
I imagine you would need to use the total volume. For most salts it wouldn’t matter, but for those that really affect ph it could be a weird situation.
I use bru’n water and do my calculations based on the total volume of water since there is no sparge. Even though you are really not mashing in to the total volume you are still recirculating the total volume through the mash. IIRC I messaged Martin when i was researching the Brew Easy and that was his advice but I’d have to go back to my emails to verify
Makes sense.
I had this idea that since only a certain volume of water was in contact with the grains then that would be the amount I calculate with.
But yeah, since all of the water touches the grain over and over throughout the mash then all of the water and the salts in it would be buffering the pH.
The chemistry in the mash is happening in the wort/liquor, and not in the grain itself. Assume that everything is being dissolved evenly in the full volume of liquor being circulated throughout the mash. It does take some time for things to hit steady state as everything gelatinizes and dissolves, but basically it’s all going to be distributed in the full volume by the end.
That’s my thinking. Fluctuations before conversion is complete not withstanding, it seems that once everything has stabilized, the wort is the business end.