brewmeister13
Well-Known Member
I've brewed two all grain batches now and both times my mash pH has been quite a bit above the estimate of Bru'n Water. My process is that I transfer the hot water to the MT and dough-in. After about 5 minutes I pull a sample and cool it quickly in an ice bath down to 77F or so. The meter is new and calibrated before both brew days.
My first batch was estimated at 5.4 and came in at 5.8. I started with distilled water and this is what was added:
9 lbs Maris Otter
10 Oz Vienna
10 Oz Munich
4 oz Crystal 60
1 oz Acid malt
6 Gallons water
3.6 g Gypsum
1.2g Epsom Salt
1.3g Baking Soda
3.6g Calcium Chloride
Mashed at 1.25 qts/lbs or about 15 quarts
After posting up here I learned that I should have left out the baking soda and that some of the problems may have come from the salts precipitating out of the water in the HLT (there was some chalk looking material at the bottom when I went to clean up.
For my second batch the estimate was 5.3 and again I came in at 5.8 prior to adjusting with Lactic Acid. This batch again was distilled water and I added the following:
8.25 lbs Maris Otter
1lb 11oz toasted Oats
1 lb Chocolate malt
12 oz Crystal 120
8 oz English Roasted Barley
8 oz Victory
8 oz Coffee malt
8 oz rice hulls
1.2g pickling lime
.6g Calcium Chloride
.4g Gypsum
.8g Epsom Salt
.8g NaCl
Again I mashed at 1.25 qts/gal or about 17 quarts. This time I added the salts directly to the MT with the grain.
Why are my measured pH's coming up so much higher than the estimated ones? And should I assume that my estimate is .5 pH higher than what I will see on brew day?
My first batch was estimated at 5.4 and came in at 5.8. I started with distilled water and this is what was added:
9 lbs Maris Otter
10 Oz Vienna
10 Oz Munich
4 oz Crystal 60
1 oz Acid malt
6 Gallons water
3.6 g Gypsum
1.2g Epsom Salt
1.3g Baking Soda
3.6g Calcium Chloride
Mashed at 1.25 qts/lbs or about 15 quarts
After posting up here I learned that I should have left out the baking soda and that some of the problems may have come from the salts precipitating out of the water in the HLT (there was some chalk looking material at the bottom when I went to clean up.
For my second batch the estimate was 5.3 and again I came in at 5.8 prior to adjusting with Lactic Acid. This batch again was distilled water and I added the following:
8.25 lbs Maris Otter
1lb 11oz toasted Oats
1 lb Chocolate malt
12 oz Crystal 120
8 oz English Roasted Barley
8 oz Victory
8 oz Coffee malt
8 oz rice hulls
1.2g pickling lime
.6g Calcium Chloride
.4g Gypsum
.8g Epsom Salt
.8g NaCl
Again I mashed at 1.25 qts/gal or about 17 quarts. This time I added the salts directly to the MT with the grain.
Why are my measured pH's coming up so much higher than the estimated ones? And should I assume that my estimate is .5 pH higher than what I will see on brew day?