Something I've always wondered that would help me with mashes for very dark beers:
Is it okay for me to add nothing but Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) to the mash to raise the mash pH in a very dark beer?
Does the mash actually need Calcium, or can I add my Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Chloride, etc. after the mash and in the boil kettle?
I guess the base question is: Does the mash need any specific minerals, or just a specific pH?
Example:
Strike Water: 4 gallons
Total Grist Weight: 10.5 lbs
Estimated SRM: 41.6
Roasted Mat % of Specialty Grains: 43%
To get a pH of 5.3, I'd need a Residual Alkalinity of 295+. To get there with just Sodium Bicarbonate in the mash, I can add 7.4g of Baking Soda.
However, I also need at least 50 ppm Calcium. And, I want 100 ppm Chloride and 50 ppm Sulfate. To get all of that and still maintain a pH of at least 5.3 during the mash, I'd need: 1.94g Epsom, 3.15g Calcium Chloride, 7.58g Baking Soda, 3.03g Undissolved Chalk.
If I'm lucky and all I actually care about during the mash is pH and not the actual mineral content, then I can get away with: 7.4g Baking Soda in the mash; 1.94g Epsom, 3.15g Calcium Chloride in the boil kettle. Those numbers are calculated for 4 gallons rather than 5, but you get the point.
Is it okay for me to add nothing but Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) to the mash to raise the mash pH in a very dark beer?
Does the mash actually need Calcium, or can I add my Calcium Sulfate, Calcium Chloride, etc. after the mash and in the boil kettle?
I guess the base question is: Does the mash need any specific minerals, or just a specific pH?
Example:
Strike Water: 4 gallons
Total Grist Weight: 10.5 lbs
Estimated SRM: 41.6
Roasted Mat % of Specialty Grains: 43%
To get a pH of 5.3, I'd need a Residual Alkalinity of 295+. To get there with just Sodium Bicarbonate in the mash, I can add 7.4g of Baking Soda.
However, I also need at least 50 ppm Calcium. And, I want 100 ppm Chloride and 50 ppm Sulfate. To get all of that and still maintain a pH of at least 5.3 during the mash, I'd need: 1.94g Epsom, 3.15g Calcium Chloride, 7.58g Baking Soda, 3.03g Undissolved Chalk.
If I'm lucky and all I actually care about during the mash is pH and not the actual mineral content, then I can get away with: 7.4g Baking Soda in the mash; 1.94g Epsom, 3.15g Calcium Chloride in the boil kettle. Those numbers are calculated for 4 gallons rather than 5, but you get the point.