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- Feb 15, 2017
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Hi all,
A bit of a technical question.
Does anyone know how the water adjustments and pH calculator works on the site?
1. Is the calculator based on final fermenter volume for salt additions as there is no mention of “final” only “total” water to be adjusted.
2. How does the calculator take into account boil off when doing pH adjustments?
My primary concern is that by adjusting the mash water correctly for optimum enzyme activity/reducing hardness and then adjusting the sparge water for hardness, that once boil is complete I will be left with a super acidic wort going into fermenter. Will this not affect the yeast which tends to naturally stall on reaching low pH?
I have so far only been adding salts to my mash water at start and adjusting pH to 5.5 then also adding acid to sparge water too as is necessary to reduce carbonate levels. On taking a pH reading of sparge water it hits the same pH as targeted in mash (5.5) based on what the calculator tells me to add.
BUT... then I boil... boiling reduces carbonate by precipitation and volume also decreases which increases concentration of everything! Alarm bells ring as I wonder ‘what happens to all that acid?!’. I’d really love someone to explain how the calculator handles this please.
My biggest problem here in London is our super hard water and high carbonate levels. Sadly we don’t have a RO or water would be altogether less confusing!
I’m using 80% Lactic as my acid.
I have not had the foresight to take a pH reading of my final cooled wort that goes into FV.
Cheers
A bit of a technical question.
Does anyone know how the water adjustments and pH calculator works on the site?
1. Is the calculator based on final fermenter volume for salt additions as there is no mention of “final” only “total” water to be adjusted.
2. How does the calculator take into account boil off when doing pH adjustments?
My primary concern is that by adjusting the mash water correctly for optimum enzyme activity/reducing hardness and then adjusting the sparge water for hardness, that once boil is complete I will be left with a super acidic wort going into fermenter. Will this not affect the yeast which tends to naturally stall on reaching low pH?
I have so far only been adding salts to my mash water at start and adjusting pH to 5.5 then also adding acid to sparge water too as is necessary to reduce carbonate levels. On taking a pH reading of sparge water it hits the same pH as targeted in mash (5.5) based on what the calculator tells me to add.
BUT... then I boil... boiling reduces carbonate by precipitation and volume also decreases which increases concentration of everything! Alarm bells ring as I wonder ‘what happens to all that acid?!’. I’d really love someone to explain how the calculator handles this please.
My biggest problem here in London is our super hard water and high carbonate levels. Sadly we don’t have a RO or water would be altogether less confusing!
I’m using 80% Lactic as my acid.
I have not had the foresight to take a pH reading of my final cooled wort that goes into FV.
Cheers
