Puddlethumper
Well-Known Member
That depends on the grains and the alkalinity of the water but it is not an unreasonable number by any means. 88% lactic acid is 11.6 N which means that 2 mL yields 23.2 mEq. In a typical mash with 10 pounds of grain and 10 gal of water that might be expected to shift mash pH by about 0.06 pH or so.
Yes.
I noticed in my last batch (an American Amber and the first I've acutally tested) that mash pH was at 5.4 with only the natural acidifying action of the grist. However the sparge tested at about 6.2. I had made no adjustments to the water beforehand or during the process as I was just trying to get a handle on where things were without modification.
Granted, I was using test strips instead of a meter so my numbers aren't going to be as accurate as they probably should be.