Acidulated Malt advice please

[Weardend]

Hi

Have been thinking of adding a little acidulated Malt to future grain bills to lower mash pH but not to brew sour beers.

Anyone out there with any advice? What % would people suggest

 

[BOB357]

Hi

Have been thinking of adding a little acidulated Malt to future grain bills to lower mash pH but not to brew sour beers.

Anyone out there with any advice? What % would people suggest

That would depend on several factors. Among them are the batch size, malt bill, and the pH of your brewing water ,just to name a few. Your best bet is to enter your recipe and water profile into one of the on line water calculators and play around with it to get an idea of how much it requires to bring your pH to where you want it.

 

[J A]

You can do something as simple as mashing in, checking PH and then adding Acidulated in small amounts until you start to see the PH drop. As little as 1% will make a difference. One source says that a rule of thumb would be 1% for a .1 change in PH.
Here's a good read:
https://www.weyermann.de/downloads/pdf/Weyermann_TKW_Mash-pH_2010.pdf

 

[soccerdad]

I use the water calcs here to determine amount .. generally add no more than 4 ounces to lighter beers .. but That's based on my specific water profile. YMMV, as they say.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

our advanced water calculator had that feature

 

[BoomerBrian]

I prefer using lactic acid.

 

[Nosybear]

I prefer using lactic acid.

It's more precise. Of course, its use doesn't comply with an obscure German 16th century law....

 

[Hawkbox]

I'm a rebel, "fk' the German beer constabulary!

 

[Nosybear]

I'm a rebel, "fk' the German beer constabulary!

As am I, but for some reason that obscure law is important to some. I prefer lactic acid because it's easier to measure accurately.

 

[GFHomebrew]

the advanced water calc will help you out whichever side of the fence you stand/sit as for me ive a more Belgian mind frame...

 

[Medarius]

It's more precise. Of course, its use doesn't comply with an obscure German 16th century law....

It can't be that obscure if everyone know what you're talking about. ) Isn't that the opposite of obscure, well known ??
jk)

 

[Nosybear]

It's well known in our community. Outside of it, I'd still go with obscure. Unless you're actually in Germany.

 

[Head First]

It's well known in our community. Outside of it, I'd still go with obscure. Unless you're actually in Germany.

I think hereabouts we call it outdated!
I like phosphoric acid when necessary for lowering ph.

 

[Medarius]

I think hereabouts we call it outdated!
I like phosphoric acid when necessary for lowering ph.

Yes i understand the outdated part, who wants food and drink that has no additives?/ chemicals make things taste better everyone knows that

 

[Head First]

Yes i understand the outdated part, who wants food and drink that has no additives?/ chemicals make things taste better everyone knows that

Gotta chuckle at this. Most of what we use to balance water in the way we want it, is already in the water in some chemical form or other. We just add or subtract to get the balance we want. The grain does a lot of the work for us also depending on the type of beer you are brewing. If you help it out.

 

[Nosybear]

Gotta chuckle at this. Most of what we use to balance water in the way we want it, is already in the water in some chemical form or other. We just add or subtract to get the balance we want. The grain does a lot of the work for us also depending on the type of beer you are brewing. If you help it out.

I get a chuckle from it as well - the lactic acid in the bottle at 88% concentration likely came from the same tribe of bacteria that sour the malt for acidulated malt.

 

[sbaclimber]

I get a chuckle from it as well - the lactic acid in the bottle at 88% concentration likely came from the same tribe of bacteria that sour the malt for acidulated malt.

...and that is what blew my mind when I discovered how acidulated malt is made. Besides the 1000 other obvious reasons, the german purity law is just BS when it is "okay" to add something to the malt to alter it, but not to the wort...

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I use phosphoric myself too only because I had a sour accident by adding too much lactic acid but at the same time I’m have the mindset that believes who cares what others think do what makes you happy not what others want

 

[Nosybear]

Phosphoric is more dilute, therefore more precise. I measure my lactic acid with the medicine syringes from Walmart.

 

[Hawkbox]

Do you get weird looks from the pharmacist when you get a bunch of little syringes too?