Mash pH adjustment

[tfa1337]

Hello all,
Water chemistry has never been my strong point, having a hard time hitting the right pH on our mashes. I have Calcium Chloride, Gypsum, and Lactic Acid 88% on hand. We are brewing 20bbl batches. Our light beer has 1150lbs of grain in it, Rahr 2row being the base malt, and we are mashing in with about 400gallons of water. What would you add to adjust the pH?

Here's a recent water report from Ward

pH 					8.0
Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) Est, ppm 	69
Electrical Conductivity mmho/cm 	0.12
Cations / Anions, me/L 			1.1 / 1.2

Sodium, Na 				4
Potassium, K 				< 1
Calcium, Ca 				14
Magnesium, Mg 				3
Total Hardness, CaCO3 			48
Nitrate, NO3-N 				0.3 (SAFE)
Sulfate, SO4-S 				1
Chloride, Cl 				4
Carbonate, CO3 				3
Bicarbonate, HCO3			50
Total Alkalinity, CaCO3			46
Total Phosphorus, P			0.51
Total Iron, Fe				0.04

Thanks!

[brewmaster 2011]

Have you tried using Weyermann acidulated malt? The rule of thumb with it is 1% of acidulated malt in the grist bring the Ph down by .1.

[AnthonyB]

I would input all my information into Bru'n Water, available at https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/ and that would reveal that for example, assuming you're doughing in with around 375 gallons of water that 190mL of phosphoric acid would reduce your pH to 5.4 or that around 75 pounds of acid malt would do the same... your numbers will vary depending on your exact batch size, etc. but that spreadsheet is really useful for figuring it all out.

[SeattleBrewer]

That is great water! Similar to Seattle's water, which is very soft. You'll need about 80 ppm calcium for proper yeast flocculation to occur, so for a pale beer like the one you described, I would recommend either a 30/70 or up to a 50/50 split of gypsum and cal chloride, respectively. This will lower Ph, add some crispness to your beer (sulfate), help boost malt roundness (chloride) and aid in yeast health and flocculation (calcium).

In my experience for a 15 bbl batch, from 6oz up to a pound total of minerals is a good starting place for very pale beers. I would recommend 8-10oz total of minerals to start, and acidify your sparge water slightly (no higher Ph than 6 if you can). The minerals will help buffer the sparge slightly, but the acid added to the sparge water will keep tannin extraction to a minimum and help to hit a acceptable Ph in the kettle of 5.4-5.8.

That's what I'd do if I were to attack this beer from the Ph side of things. When you get into dark beer territory, you can add calcium carbonate, which will give you the calcium you need, plus the carbonate will give you a boosted alkalinity to buffer those acidic dark malts. I'm less familiar with water adjustment for dark beers, but have worked at a brewery that added a significant amount of gypsum to a very dark mash. I was not a fan of the results. Very bitter and aggressive with little malt character.

Cheers and good luck!
Greg

[tfa1337]

Thanks for the help and suggestions everyone. I will try a few things and see if I can get my pH in line finally