Watermelon wheat water profile

[Jbrew]

Hello all, planning to do a hell of high watermelon clone that I found off this forum.
I’ve been using distilled water and building my water profiles with the ez water calculator spread sheet. All the beers I’ve done since I’ve started using the water calculator have used enough crystal malt where the mash pH with the addition of only a few grams of Calc chloride, epsom salt, and gypsum to bring the mash pH into an acceptable range of about 5.4.
This beer however is 6 lbs pale malt and 6lbs white wheat. No specialty malts whatsoever.
I was shooting for a water profile of 50 calc, 50 chloride, and 50 SO4. At that profile, according to the spreadsheet my mash ph will be about 5.8. Kinda out of range. Unfortunately I do not have any lactic acid or acidic malt on hand to lower it and this beer is kind of a rush to have done for a bbq in August. How bad do you think the beer and my efficiency will be if I roll with the mash ph that high?
Thanks all,
Jeff

 

[RPh_Guy]

Do you have some vinegar?
Does the calculator let you specify your acid and its strength?

 

[Jbrew]

I do have vinegar. It does not let you specify the acid type. You have a choice between acidulated malt or lactic acid. Then it allows you to enter the amount and it’s acid content.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Assuming your vinegar is 5% acidity:

1mL of lactic acid is equivalent to 11.7mL of vinegar if my math and various other assumptions are reasonably accurate.

Vinegar is volatile, therefore boiling your wort will remove all of it, leaving no taste or smell.

Cheers

 

[snarf7]

Vinegar is volatile, therefore boiling your wort will remove all of it, leaving no taste or smell.

Cheers

Wait, so it will boil off the taste and smell yet the acidity will remain? Interesting...I often do the opposite when I cook with wine, a boil will boil off the alcohol yet leaves the flavor behind

 

[RPh_Guy]

Wait, so it will boil off the taste and smell yet the acidity will remain?

The acidity will be gone too. However it will have already served it's purpose in the mash.

a boil will boil off the alcohol yet leaves the flavor behind

The alcohol boils off because it is volatile, and the alcohol flavor leaves with it. The flavor that remains is not from the alcohol.

 

[Jag75]

Good info !