Your base water isn’t bad though you’ll need some acid to neutralize the higher alkalinity.
I can’t image that you’re using that calculator properly or aren’t communicating the entire water recipe as the numbers don’t add up.
A couple of pointers:
1.) Eliminate the baking soda
2.) Eliminate the chalk
3.) Use phosphoric or lactic acid, if needed, in addition to the acidulated malt
To get a better answer:
1.) Tell us your volumes for strike water, sparge water and total batch volume.
2.) Clarify what “cara 8” means (what is lovibond of the caramel malt?) Looking it up seems to be 6 Lovibond?
If you’re more advanced diluting your base water with RO would help with the alkalinity and salt content of your base water.
All you really need is about 4-5 oz. of acid malt and you’ll make a good beer. Discard all other water additions.
If you desire to add more Calcium you might consider adding 1g each of CaCl and CalSo4 to the mash and 1.5g of each to the sparge water or add it all at once if you making your water all at once.
The above should give you a mash pH in the 5.3-5.4 range.
i already have the ingredients mixed together so thats why im asking… the 15.oz acid malt is mixed in as well was wondering how i can fix that before brewing… thats why all the water additions…
Just do what trent says and you’ll be ok for this batch. It sounds like the main issue is the 15oz of acid malt that got into your grist. Did brewers friend tell you to do that? If so probably a bad calculation. I would recommend you take a look at ezwater, and when you get comfortable with that after a few batches, go have a look at bru’n water. Both will likely be superior to brewers friend for water calcs.
In the future, i would recommend having your lhbs provide the acid malt separate from the rest of your grist so that you can measure and add only what the water spreadsheet indicates. Not much can be done after its mixed into your grist.
Change your Lime addition in EZWater to 7.5 grams to reach the “optimal pH”.
Adding that much lime would most certainly be more detrimental than the acid malt. Plus it’s hard to get the lime evenly distributed in the mash even with stirring.
Best to add a smaller amount and measure (or at least ensure it doesn’t shoot your calcium through the roof). Also, the mash pH will tend to climb naturally.
Of course you could use Baking Soda or a combination of that and Lime but then you’d be adding sodium.
For extra credit, enter the same into Bru N Water and see what you get!
Bru’n Water
Water Adjustment Summary comments
Ca Mg Na SO4 Cl Bicarbonate (ppm)
Existing Water Profile 49 14 45 18 55 191
Finished Water Profile 147 14 45 40 73 430
Recommended Ranges 50 to 150 0 to 30 0 to 150 0 to 350 0 to 100 as needed
Mash Parameters
Batch Volume (gal) 5.37 Hardness (ppm as CaCO3) 426 RA (ppm as CaCO3) 243
Estimated Mash pH 5.3 Alkalinity (ppm as CaCO3) 356 SO4/Cl Ratio 0.56
Additions Total Mash Water Vol (gal) 3.50 Total Sparge Water Vol (gal) 5.00
Mineral (grams) (grams)
Gypsum (CaSO4) 0.5 2.0
Epsom Salt (MgSO4) 0.0 0.0
Canning Salt (NaCl) 0.0 0.0
Baking Soda (NaHCO3) 0.0 Not Recommended
Calcium Chloride (CaCl2) 0.5 3.3
Chalk (CaCO3) 0.0 Not Recommended
Pickling Lime (Ca(OH)2) 1.9 Not Recommended
after adjusting the pickling lime this is what i got in brun water
Can’t tell from your post, you’d have to upload your spreadsheet…
Bru N Water is a little more tricky than EZWater. The additions look reasonable though the calcium and sulfate in the finished profile may be a bit high. (Apologies they are fine, I was mis-aligning the columns while reading the post.)