I don't mean to beat a dead horse here, but I really want to ensure success on my first AG brew. Tomorrow I am brewing an AG Stout and I have calculated my water/base malt residual alkalinity at -50. So I am expecting to add some alkalinity to get a RA of somewhere around 225 (with just base malt). That means either Baking Soda or CaCO3 (chalk), right? Of course, this is theoretical since I don't know exactly what sort of acidity my combo of flaked barley and black patent will contribute. So would I be best off just chucking my pre-mash calculations and relying solely on pH measurements once I begin the mash with the expectation that I am going to have to raise the alkalinity to get a proper 5.2 pH? Is that the surest way to go about things?
I don't need to hire a chemist do I? Because that would definitely make this the most expensive five gallons of Stout ever.
I don't need to hire a chemist do I? Because that would definitely make this the most expensive five gallons of Stout ever.
