RA Adjustment for Oatmeal Stout.

[SeanGC]

I've added water adjustments before for flavor (Burton water for an Old Ale), but this is my first attempt at adjusting the Residual Alkalinity in my beer to meet my target Mash PH.

Here's a picture of my adjustment using the chart provided by John Palmer on his website, Howtobrew.com

NYC Water:
MG (ppm) - 1.2
CA (ppm)- 5.5
Alkalinity - 14.8 (I accidentally copied 1.2 on the chart, ignore that)

Adjustment
CaCO3 (ppm) - ~300 to achieve a mash ph of 6.1 (Oatmeal Stout at 31 SRM)

Is this correct?

 

[SC_Ryan]

This chart is pretty out of date. Even the more current spreadsheets are spotty at best. If you're really concerned with mash pH, you should get a meter and mozy on over to the brewing water chemistry primer.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/

 

[mabrungard]

The Primer is of no help at all when the beer subject moves from a light lager or ale. But your advice to monitor mash pH more directly with a meter is valid.

Unfortunately, Palmer's spreadsheet persists in confounding and misdirecting brewers when it comes to darker beers. To answer the OP's question: No you won't need that much alkalinity in any beer...even an oatmeal stout.

 

[SeanGC]

Good. I'm glad I consulted with HBT first lol. For the record, I have a ph meter, the one found on theelectricbrewery.com, and it has been very resourceful. I use the 5.2 ph stabilizer with positive results. However, I was under the impression, due to the acidity of darker roasted grains, that one might need to adjust their water a bit more to achieve the right ph (haven't brewed a stout since I've had the meter).

Thanks for clarifying.

 

[SC_Ryan]

The Primer is of no help at all when the beer subject moves from a light lager or ale.

Uh...

For beers that use roast malt (Stout, porter): Skip the sauermalz.

 

[SeanGC]

So, just to double check (and keeping it simple). I should buy chalk (CaCO3) and add it directly to the mash to raise the PH until I've hit my desired range, correct?

 

[Yooper]

So, just to double check (and keeping it simple). I should buy chalk (CaCO3) and add it directly to the mash to raise the PH until I've hit my desired range, correct?

No.

No chalk!

You can use a spreadsheet, (ignore RA stuff) like Bru'nwater or EZ water (which I don't like all that much but it's a start) and use it to get to the desired mash pH. You want to hit 5.2-5.5 or so at mash temperatures.

Throw out any "5.2 stabilizer", especially if you are trying to make water additions.

 

[gbx]

On the recent Brew Strong episode, John Palmer all but says everything he wrote in How To Brew about water is wrong - the nomographs don't work, chalk doesn't actually raise mash pH, etc

...and the water primer is the single best source of "what should I do to my brewing water?" information out there. If you want to nerd it up and get a pH meter, play around with spread sheets, etc, then go for it but if you don't care for that, the water primer will do you well.

 

[MNDan]

I've hit a lot of pH marks using the water spreadsheet 3.0 FWIW. Close enough that I don't use my pH meter much anymore.