First off, my biggest problem is my RO plant, I'm trying separately to sort that already.
When I started off here 3 months ago the RO pH was 5.5 to 5.6 at 5-10ppm, which made for easy salt additions and consistent pH. For some unknown reason, one day the pH jumped up to 6, while the ppm stayed the same. I've tweaked the salts to try to bring up the RA more, but on my highest selling wit I am now ending my boils around 5.7, from 5.4 previously. Luckily the post-ferm pH is still 4.4-4.5, which is high but acceptable in a beer that sells out in 4-5 days.
My RO water is right now consistently 6.0-6.2. This is India, so the plant is for the entire restaurant and bar...so I have input to make changes to the plant but I do not run it.
I recently started adding 85% phosphoric to my HLT at the beginning of the day and after re-filling it for sparge. I added 20ml to 1500L yesterday and my wit's first runnings were still 5.9. I added another 20ml to the sparge water and 20ml directly to the kettle. My kettle full was 5.8, my post-boil 5.7 and my last runnings 6.2. I'm not a big fan of acid additions, but should I try adding more acid, add some acidulated malt, up my Ca and Mg additions, or remove all of the carbonates from my salt additions?
My current wit water additions in ppm, and all of my salts are added to the mash strike water. Grain is milled into bags and then dumped in after the tun is at full fill and manually stirred.
Ca- 80
Mg- 3
SO4- 56
Na- 15
Cl-93
Bicarb- 65, as 0.03 g/l CaCO3 and 0.04 g/l Baking Soda
RA- neg 4
When I started off here 3 months ago the RO pH was 5.5 to 5.6 at 5-10ppm, which made for easy salt additions and consistent pH. For some unknown reason, one day the pH jumped up to 6, while the ppm stayed the same. I've tweaked the salts to try to bring up the RA more, but on my highest selling wit I am now ending my boils around 5.7, from 5.4 previously. Luckily the post-ferm pH is still 4.4-4.5, which is high but acceptable in a beer that sells out in 4-5 days.
My RO water is right now consistently 6.0-6.2. This is India, so the plant is for the entire restaurant and bar...so I have input to make changes to the plant but I do not run it.
I recently started adding 85% phosphoric to my HLT at the beginning of the day and after re-filling it for sparge. I added 20ml to 1500L yesterday and my wit's first runnings were still 5.9. I added another 20ml to the sparge water and 20ml directly to the kettle. My kettle full was 5.8, my post-boil 5.7 and my last runnings 6.2. I'm not a big fan of acid additions, but should I try adding more acid, add some acidulated malt, up my Ca and Mg additions, or remove all of the carbonates from my salt additions?
My current wit water additions in ppm, and all of my salts are added to the mash strike water. Grain is milled into bags and then dumped in after the tun is at full fill and manually stirred.
Ca- 80
Mg- 3
SO4- 56
Na- 15
Cl-93
Bicarb- 65, as 0.03 g/l CaCO3 and 0.04 g/l Baking Soda
RA- neg 4
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