Please help me lower pH

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TOWEYWACKER

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Hey everyone. Ill be brewing the centennial blonde ale recipe from this website. For the smaller batch, the recipe is as follows...

7 lbs 2-row
0.75 lbs Carapils
0.5 lbs Crystal 10L
0.5 lbs Vienna

mash with 2.58 gallons H2O

I use the primer designed by AJ and I start with 100% RO water. I don't want to add a ton of CaCl2 to get my pH down. By using the EZ water calculator, it estimates that I will be at a pH of 5.63 with the addition of 2 grams CaCl2, which is as much as I wanna go. I have a dropper bottle of 88% phosphoric acid, but I have never had to use it, because I have always used minerals to get my pH down. How do I go about this? I know that the phosphoric acid cannot take the place of the lactic acid on the EZ calc. (I wish it was as simple as that). I'm supposed to add the phosphoric acid to the mash water and not the actual mash, right? Any roundabout amount that I can expect to add? PS, I have a pH meter.
 
Try the Brunwater calculator. I found that EZ water estimates my pH by at least a tenth too high. At 5.6, you're right in there, but I'd check Brun'water as well.
 
Just got done using Brun'water and, surprise surprise, it ended up right at 5.5. Thanks a lot Yooper! Have you brewed the centennial blonde yet? I see from several forums that you build your water profile from RO or distilled water to. If you were brewing this, how would you go about your mineral additions?
 
Just got done using Brun'water and, surprise surprise, it ended up right at 5.5. Thanks a lot Yooper! Have you brewed the centennial blonde yet? I see from several forums that you build your water profile from RO or distilled water to. If you were brewing this, how would you go about your mineral additions?

Yes, actually, I have done that beer!

I'm of the "less is more" camp. I sparge with RO water, but in the mash use just enough calcium chloride to get to about 50 ppm for calcium. I don't increase anything else, not for that beer. It's not much- maybe two grams? off of the top of my head.
 
Thanks! I agree with the less is more approach to. The less I complicate any recipe, the better the outcome.
 
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