Planning to brew an IPA this week. Been trying to dial in my water procedures for an IPA. Here is my basic goal:
100% RO Water
Ca = 100-125
Sulfate = 250-300
Chloride = 25-50
Bicarb = <40
pH = 5.4
Problem I am trying to solve - I want to achieve mash pH of 5.4 without getting my Bicarbonate # too high, and without adding lime or chalk or anything like that. But, I also want to achieve the higher sulfate #'s that help an IPA.
Using B’run Water, 5 gallon mash water, I will have 6 gallons of sparge water treated. Collecting 8 gallons into my boil kettle. Plan is to treat mash and sparge water the same as far as initial salt additions.
Basically, if I use:
gypsum = 1gr/gallon
epsom = .2 gr/gallon
CaCl = .2 gr/gallon
I get:
Ca = 77
Mg = 5.2
Na = 8
Sulfate = 170
Chloride= 29
Bicarb = 16
pH = 5.38
These additions get me the pH I am looking for roughly (5.38). I was then just going to add the more mineral additions to the boil kettle.
Boil Kettle addition:
Gypsum = .6gr/gallon (4.8 grams for 8 gallons)
Epsom = .2 gr/gallon (1.6 grams for 8 gallons)
If my thinking (fiddling with B’run water profile) is correct, this should get me to boil kettle of:
Ca = 113
Mg = 10
Na = 8
Sulfate = 278
Chloride = 29
Bicarb = 16
Thoughts? Are there any major flaws in what I am thinking about doing? Am I missing something? Is there a better way to go about doing this? Thanks for any thoughts.
Hmmmmm… That makes sense, and I guess I was not thinking of it from that angle. But, why then, do people recommend targeting “5.4” for an IPA (or 5.3 or 5.6 for some other beer)? I never really see much about targeting boil pH?
If using this method of not worrying about mash pH (within the normal range of say 5.2-5.5ish)… does that mean that the real “target pH” is a preboil pH of 5.4 for an IPA??
I feel like I have spent a lot of time thinking/worrying about “mash pH” all wrong then … Is all “mash pH” for every beer completely irrelevant - so long as it falls within the approximate realm of 5.2-5.6? The only thing that ever matters is the kettle pH?
For instance, a mash pH of 5.2 for a porter is just as good as a mash pH of 5.6… but, it would be good to bring the kettle pH up to that 5.6 since it is a darker beer.
and
A mash pH of 5.6 for a Helles is great, so long as you bring the boil pH down to something more like 5.2-3?
IME recently, yes. Mash temp and mash ph really come down to starch converted to sugar and fermentability of wort in the ph range we as Brewers target. I have adjusted up or down in the kettle, and achieved what is needed ( smooth dark beer at 5.5, IPA and APA with hops shinning 5.4, and crisp pils lagers at 5.1-5.2.