Effective alkalinity metho

[CallMeMrBrew]

I’ve gone thru AJ’s alkalinity formulas, both the short and the long version spreadsheet formulas, to treat city water alkalinity as mEq/L of acid addition. The city water alkalinity is 25 and pH is 7.9 and their target pH is 4.3. My target is pH=7 with 0 alkalinity which would allow the grist to lower the mash pH to 5.4 or there abouts. But the conundrum is this: the target water profile for IPA’s shows a preferred alkalinity of 26 mEq/L. What’s missing here? Is the target alkalinity incorrect? If I add bicarbonates to increase alkalinity wouldn’t that simultaneously raise the pH?

 

[VikeMan]

But the conundrum is this: the target water profile for IPA’s shows a preferred alkalinity of 26 mEq/L. What’s missing here? Is the target alkalinity incorrect?

Whose target is that? IMO, there should never be a "target" for alkalinity. It's just something you deal with on your way to getting the mash pH you want.

If I add bicarbonates to increase alkalinity wouldn’t that simultaneously raise the pH?

Yes.

 

[CallMeMrBrew]

Thanks.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

AJ deLange never suggested treating mash and/or sparge water to a true zero alkalinity, or alternately to a pH of 7, despite his naming the method the 'Zero Alkalinity Method'. AFAICT, he intended that if all brewing water was acidified to ~5.4 pH there would then be a level playing field whereby the various of software solutions would have one less thing to get wrong. For water with inherent Alkalinity, acidifying it to a pH of about 5.4 reduces the initial alkalinity to about 89-90% of inherent/initial levels. pH 7 was never considered the 'neutral' pH point from a brewing perspective. The brewers pH neutral point of concern is 5.40 (give or take a smidge). AJ is correct in stating that for water that has inherent alkalinity, acidification to ~pH 4.3 is required (at room temperature) whereby to truly zero the alkalinity, but he never advocated acidifying to 4.3 pH either. Zero alkalinity for AJ is 5.4 pH, plain and simple.

People often then wonder why Distilled, DI, and/or VERY high quality RO water can settle in at about 5.8-5.9 pH without still having some residual alkalinity component. They ask why doesn't it take a pH of 4.3 for these waters to achieve zero alkalinity, just as it does for water with inherent alkalinity. The answer is that these unique waters are not acidified, but instead utilize other unique methods whereby to reach a true zero (or right close to a true zero) alkalinity. Thus what occurs for the case of acidifying alkaline bearing water is irrelevant to these special water types.

In retrospect, perhaps AJ should have called his method the 'Brewers Neutral pH Point Method'. Calling it as he did has brought confusion ever since.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Documents from the brewing scientists of yore claim that once alkalinity is reduced to at or below 50 mg/L (ppm) it will no longer likely be capable of causing any problem issues during the sparge, regardless of it's pH, but the same documents also recommend that 25 mg/L alkalinity (or below) be utilized for sparging as a safety measure.

For the case of treating Alkaline water to pH 5.40 with acid and finding it to leave behind a verified 50 ppm alkalinity, such water would need to have ~475 mg/L (ppm) Alkalinity initially/inherently. Water at that level of Alkalinity will highly likely have mineral issues that are well more problematic and unaddressable than mere alkalinity, rendering it highly unusable.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Water at ~238 mg/L (ppm) Alkalinity initially, should (after acidification) analyze at a fully acceptable ~25 mg/L Alkalinity when at pH 5.40.

 

[cire]

I’ve gone thru AJ’s alkalinity formulas, both the short and the long version spreadsheet formulas, to treat city water alkalinity as mEq/L of acid addition. The city water alkalinity is 25 and pH is 7.9 and their target pH is 4.3. My target is pH=7 with 0 alkalinity which would allow the grist to lower the mash pH to 5.4 or there abouts. But the conundrum is this: the target water profile for IPA’s shows a preferred alkalinity of 26 mEq/L. What’s missing here? Is the target alkalinity incorrect? If I add bicarbonates to increase alkalinity wouldn’t that simultaneously raise the pH?

A target profile with alkalinity of 26 mEq/L? That can't be right, 1300 ppm as CaCO3?

Now your alkalinity of 25 ppm is perfect for a decent IPA mash with a minimum calcium level of 100 ppm.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I didn't notice the statement of 26 mEq/mL, having read it multiple times in my own mind as mg/L, but it certainly seems like an innocent enough typo.

And as to AJ, he did say his was the "Effective" Zero Alkalinity method, whereby I've rather, ahem, effectively glossed over the word "effective" many dozens of times as well.