BeerGod bless the Chemistry

[Gledison]

After 5 brews, learning and trying to improve here and there I decided to try as technical accurate as possible in order to see the results.
my RA is quite high (ca 300 ppm) so I've adjusted my pH from 6.2 to 5.2 with lactic acid 80%. all my calculations were based on my previous efficiency of 75%. This time I/ve got 85% (BIAB). I thought firstly that something was wrong (first time using a refractometer). After double checking with my hydrometer I've got 1.4° P higher than expected. Due to that i decided to short the boiling time to 60 min in order to get more beer in the end.
I hope that fermentation will be better due to the lower pH as well.
lets see how it tastes after 4 weeks
Cheers

 

[Nosybear]

I find when I control the pH well, I get clearer beers with a "brighter" flavor. I hope the same holds for you. The pH change you mentioned will result in higher yield - the enzymes work better in a lower pH range than 6.2!

Have you ever tried pre-boiling the water to get rid of some of the temporary hardness?

 

[Gledison]

I find when I control the pH well, I get clearer beers with a "brighter" flavor. I hope the same holds for you. The pH change you mentioned will result in higher yield - the enzymes work better in a lower pH range than 6.2!

Have you ever tried pre-boiling the water to get rid of some of the temporary hardness?

Grrat

I find when I control the pH well, I get clearer beers with a "brighter" flavor. I hope the same holds for you. The pH change you mentioned will result in higher yield - the enzymes work better in a lower pH range than 6.2!

Have you ever tried pre-boiling the water to get rid of some of the temporary hardness?

Great. Let's see how it will end up.
I normally boil the water before mashing. The problem I think is that I will reduce the Ca ions due to calcium carbonate precipitation. By adjusting the pH I can keep the ions as it is just reducing the bicarbonate.
Thanks

 

[J A]

The last batch I did, I simply added a small amount of Acidulated Malt rather than the water additions I had been using. My efficiency was up and the beer is really nice.
Acidulated malt was invented to solve the problem of mash PH without running afoul of the Reinheitsgbot...it's something to think about.

 

[Gledison]

The last batch I did, I simply added a small amount of Acidulated Malt rather than the water additions I had been using. My efficiency was up and the beer is really nice.
Acidulated malt was invented to solve the problem of mash PH without running afoul of the Reinheitsgbot...it's something to think about.

Yep, i used in my first Batch . Then i read the acidulated malt is just a malt soaked in lactic acid. By adding lactic acid slowly in the mash you can controll very well the pH you want. I find it easier

 

[thehaze]

I treat my water and get very good results. The flavours are brighter and the final product is much more refined compared to the beers I made without making any water adjustments. My mash pH is always between 5.2 and 5.4.

I would say that lactic acid/phosphoric acid and salts ( CaCl2, MgSO4, etc. ) are needed to make better beer.

 

[Nosybear]

I treat my water and get very good results. The flavours are brighter and the final product is much more refined compared to the beers I made without making any water adjustments. My mash pH is always between 5.2 and 5.4.

I would say that lactic acid/phosphoric acid and salts ( CaCl2, MgSO4, etc. ) are needed to make better beer.

Agreed. No amount of water manipulation is going to make up for bad sanitation, poor fermentation control, underpitching, etc. But water control, and I'm finding pH specifically, is the difference between good beer and great beer.