Bicarbonate vs Acid addition - Thoughts?

[rolomo]

I'm brewing a Pale Ale and using Bru'n Water. The final water profile suggests a bicarbonate level of 110ppm. My "adjusted" water is currently at 60ppm and I have no further adjustments available to raise this level without seriously impacting the other characteristics.

The estimated target Mash pH is 5.5.

Assuming that I would like to lower the pH closer to 5.2 (and I'm sure someone will ask why), I find that adding acid to the Mash will certainly lower my pH, but it also lowers my Bicarbonate even further.

So, anybody have any thoughts on the trade-off for lower pH versus higher Bicarbonate or the opposite in terms of taste or Mash Efficiency? (and the amount of lactic acid is well below any taste threshold).

Thanks!

 

[TheMadKing]

The bicarbonate is only necessary as a pH buffer to balance out any acidic malts in darker beers. If you are brewing a pale ale, a bicarbonate level of 0 is just fine. The only thing it will do is make you need less acid to reach your desired pH. As far as I know bicarbonate has no flavor benefits and serves only as a pH buffer.

So uh... Why do you want your pH so low? 5.3-5.4 is more usual for a pale.

 

[jwalk4]

+1 @TheMadKing

It makes no sense to try and raise your bicarbonate and lower you're PH at the same time. Similarly, Brun'Water will sometimes calculate a negative Bicarbonate level. That doesn't exist in nature, rather it will indicate additional acid in the water.

Focus on PH and Brun'Water will get you pretty darn close.

 

[rolomo]

Thanks. I needed the reminder about the Buffer. It now makes sense. And I really appreciate the responses!

 

[mabrungard]

That 110 ppm bicarbonate is just a starting point. If you review the comments that are included in the spreadsheet, you will see that you shouldn't focus on producing that bicarb content. Rather, you should focus on achieving your desired pH.

 

[rolomo]

Thanks Martin. Appreciate your input and spreadsheet.