MachineShopBrewing
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know approx how many grams of pickling lime are in a tsp? My scale resolution only goes down to 1 gram and no tenths place.
How much pickling lime in a tsp?
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wildwest450
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It won't be exact, but it's around 5 grams.
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MachineShopBrewing
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Thanks,
Thats close enough for me. Brewing JZ's Belgain Dark Strong tomorrow and am anticipating mash pH coming in low with only adding 5.1 grams CaCl plus 1.0 gram CaSO4 to 6 gallons strike water. There is a ton of crystal malt in that recipe.
Has anyone used the pickling lime much for mash pH adjustment? I bought some a while back, but haven't had to use it yet. I am planning of starting with 1/4 tsp if the pH comes in at 5.1 which is where I anticipate it to be.
Thats close enough for me. Brewing JZ's Belgain Dark Strong tomorrow and am anticipating mash pH coming in low with only adding 5.1 grams CaCl plus 1.0 gram CaSO4 to 6 gallons strike water. There is a ton of crystal malt in that recipe.
Has anyone used the pickling lime much for mash pH adjustment? I bought some a while back, but haven't had to use it yet. I am planning of starting with 1/4 tsp if the pH comes in at 5.1 which is where I anticipate it to be.
A carefully leveled teaspoonful of pickling lime weighs 2.3 grams. This is very fluffy powder and I imagine that you could get numbers which vary quite a bit from 2.3 depending on how tightly the stuff is packed.
Please be careful with this. It has twice the alkalinity per unit weight of chalk - the more traditional means for controlling mash pH. Don't interpret that to mean that chalk is better. I really like the idea of increasing alkalinity, where necessary, with something that is much more soluble and doesn't contribute bicarbonate.
I don't know how much a "ton" of crystal malt is or what the titratable acidty of the particular malt is nor anything about your water but it is unlikely that the mash pH will be as low as 5.1. If you are basing the supposition that it will be that low on experience then you should be ready with the lime or chalk. If you are basing it on a spreadsheet calculation then be careful. The models that try to tie mash pH to grist component or finished beer color can be subject to large errors when dark malts are involved. For example, if I put my stout recipe and water parameters into one of them it tells me that my mash pH will be 5.0. It usually comes in at about 5.55. This is why I advise people to never add alkali to water or mash unless a valid pH measurement shows it to be necessary. A valid measurement means a pH meter. The strips are not nearly accurate enough. They seem to have a bias of 0.3 pH but it can be more than that and always, per reports I've seen, low. Thus if you use strips and read pH 5.1 it is quite probably that the mash pH is actually closer to 5.4.
If you make a valid pH reading and discover the pH is indeed 5.1 then add the lime in tiny increments. Stir, check again and keep going until you get to the desired pH. You don't want to overshoot.
No, I have never used calcium hydroxide to raise the pH of a mash. I have never, since I figured out what is going on, felt the need to do so. My stout is about 84 SRM and doesn't need it (mash pH 5.55 with my water which has total hardness of about 110 and alkalinity of about 80). My Bock is 26 SRM and comes in at pH 5.33 (with sauermalz) settling in at about 5.40 by the time the protein rest is reached. Those are the only 2 dark beers I do,
Please be careful with this. It has twice the alkalinity per unit weight of chalk - the more traditional means for controlling mash pH. Don't interpret that to mean that chalk is better. I really like the idea of increasing alkalinity, where necessary, with something that is much more soluble and doesn't contribute bicarbonate.
I don't know how much a "ton" of crystal malt is or what the titratable acidty of the particular malt is nor anything about your water but it is unlikely that the mash pH will be as low as 5.1. If you are basing the supposition that it will be that low on experience then you should be ready with the lime or chalk. If you are basing it on a spreadsheet calculation then be careful. The models that try to tie mash pH to grist component or finished beer color can be subject to large errors when dark malts are involved. For example, if I put my stout recipe and water parameters into one of them it tells me that my mash pH will be 5.0. It usually comes in at about 5.55. This is why I advise people to never add alkali to water or mash unless a valid pH measurement shows it to be necessary. A valid measurement means a pH meter. The strips are not nearly accurate enough. They seem to have a bias of 0.3 pH but it can be more than that and always, per reports I've seen, low. Thus if you use strips and read pH 5.1 it is quite probably that the mash pH is actually closer to 5.4.
If you make a valid pH reading and discover the pH is indeed 5.1 then add the lime in tiny increments. Stir, check again and keep going until you get to the desired pH. You don't want to overshoot.
No, I have never used calcium hydroxide to raise the pH of a mash. I have never, since I figured out what is going on, felt the need to do so. My stout is about 84 SRM and doesn't need it (mash pH 5.55 with my water which has total hardness of about 110 and alkalinity of about 80). My Bock is 26 SRM and comes in at pH 5.33 (with sauermalz) settling in at about 5.40 by the time the protein rest is reached. Those are the only 2 dark beers I do,
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MachineShopBrewing
Well-Known Member
Thanks AJ. Yeah, I always check with my meter, thats why I have not needed it yet(I bought it last year). A couple weeks ago I brewed this recipe and had a measured pH of 5.15 at room temp.
Batch Size: 6.50 gal
Boil Size: 8.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.065 SG
Estimated Color: 21.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 22.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.59 %
1.25 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 7.35 %
0.75 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 4.41 %
0.75 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 4.41 %
0.75 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4.41 %
0.25 oz Saaz [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 3.4 IBU
0.99 oz Pearle [7.80 %] (60 min) Hops 19.2 IBU
1.00 lb Candi Sugar, Dark (80.0 SRM) Sugar 5.88 %
0.50 lb Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM) Sugar 2.94 %
2 Pkgs Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530) Yeast
That was with 5 gallons strike using R/O with 1 tsp CaCl per your instructions. I am brewing this recipe today:
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.94 gal
Estimated OG: 1.103 SG
Estimated Color: 23.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 28.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 13.04 %
12.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 52.17 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 13.04 %
1.00 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
1.00 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
1.00 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.17 %
0.50 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.17 %
2.50 oz Saaz [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 28.9 IBU
1.00 lb Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 4.35 %
1 Pkgs Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530) [Starter 20Yeast-Ale
I am anticipating the pH coming in around the same and want to get it closer to 5.4 if I can. This beer is going to sit until next year and then compete, so I want to make sure that I do everything right, even the little stuff. IIRC, Kai's tests showed that the crystal malt had much more of a lowering effect on mash pH than the roasted malt. That, I believe, accounted for my lower than ideal pH last brew.
I don't use any spreadsheets any more since I got my pH meter. I only use the beersmith water calc tool to adjust my Ca into range. My pH always seems to fall into the 5.2-5.3 range when taken at room temp using your water adjustment methods with straight R/O water plus CaCl.
I am planning on measuring and starting with 1/4 tsp lime if needed and measuring multiple times while recording the results for future use.
Batch Size: 6.50 gal
Boil Size: 8.00 gal
Estimated OG: 1.065 SG
Estimated Color: 21.2 SRM
Estimated IBU: 22.6 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
12.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 70.59 %
1.25 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 7.35 %
0.75 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 4.41 %
0.75 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 4.41 %
0.75 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4.41 %
0.25 oz Saaz [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 3.4 IBU
0.99 oz Pearle [7.80 %] (60 min) Hops 19.2 IBU
1.00 lb Candi Sugar, Dark (80.0 SRM) Sugar 5.88 %
0.50 lb Cane (Beet) Sugar (0.0 SRM) Sugar 2.94 %
2 Pkgs Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530) Yeast
That was with 5 gallons strike using R/O with 1 tsp CaCl per your instructions. I am brewing this recipe today:
Batch Size: 6.00 gal
Boil Size: 7.94 gal
Estimated OG: 1.103 SG
Estimated Color: 23.5 SRM
Estimated IBU: 28.9 IBU
Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 %
Boil Time: 90 Minutes
Ingredients:
------------
Amount Item Type % or IBU
3.00 lb Extra Light Dry Extract (3.0 SRM) Dry Extract 13.04 %
12.00 lb Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 52.17 %
3.00 lb Munich Malt (9.0 SRM) Grain 13.04 %
1.00 lb Aromatic Malt (26.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
1.00 lb Caramunich Malt (56.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
1.00 lb Special B Malt (180.0 SRM) Grain 4.35 %
0.50 lb Melanoiden Malt (20.0 SRM) Grain 2.17 %
0.50 lb Wheat Malt, Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 2.17 %
2.50 oz Saaz [5.50 %] (60 min) Hops 28.9 IBU
1.00 lb Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 4.35 %
1 Pkgs Abbey Ale (White Labs #WLP530) [Starter 20Yeast-Ale
I am anticipating the pH coming in around the same and want to get it closer to 5.4 if I can. This beer is going to sit until next year and then compete, so I want to make sure that I do everything right, even the little stuff. IIRC, Kai's tests showed that the crystal malt had much more of a lowering effect on mash pH than the roasted malt. That, I believe, accounted for my lower than ideal pH last brew.
I don't use any spreadsheets any more since I got my pH meter. I only use the beersmith water calc tool to adjust my Ca into range. My pH always seems to fall into the 5.2-5.3 range when taken at room temp using your water adjustment methods with straight R/O water plus CaCl.
I am planning on measuring and starting with 1/4 tsp lime if needed and measuring multiple times while recording the results for future use.
Looks like a plan. Good luck with it.
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MachineShopBrewing
Well-Known Member
That worked out perfectly. Initial reading came in at 5.1 just as I anticipated. I added approx a 1/4 tsp of pickling lime and stirred it in. I waited 5 more minutes and took another reading and it came in at 5.34. Perfect.
I laughed when I looked at the 1 lb bag of lime and realized I now have a lifetime supply of it using it for pH adjustment.
I laughed when I looked at the 1 lb bag of lime and realized I now have a lifetime supply of it using it for pH adjustment.
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MachineShopBrewing
Well-Known Member
pH measurement after cooling in was 5.1 with an OG of 1.100. This one is gonna be tasty when it is finished.
Can't ask for more than that.
wildwest450
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2007
- Messages
- 8,978
- Reaction score
- 191
Sorry about that, I really didn't know the density of pickling lime, I was guessing in between gypsum and calcium chloride.
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Banjoman76
Well-Known Member
That worked out perfectly. Initial reading came in at 5.1 just as I anticipated. I added approx a 1/4 tsp of pickling lime and stirred it in. I waited 5 more minutes and took another reading and it came in at 5.34. Perfect.
I laughed when I looked at the 1 lb bag of lime and realized I now have a lifetime supply of it using it for pH adjustment.
Ever think of making pickled cucumbers to drink with your brew ?
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MachineShopBrewing
Well-Known Member
I am going to use it this summer to make pickles also considering I have a whole sack of it. I have heard that you really have to be careful though when using it.
Only in the sense that it has a bit more than twice the alkalinity of chalk per unit weight and that it is completely and quickly soluble whereas chalk takes a long time to dissolve. Thus if you are used to chalk you may get a surprise when using lime.
No particular care is required in handling. This is in contrast to quick lime (CaO) which releases a lot of heat when it reacts with water to form the slaked (Ca(OH)2) form to the extent that it can start fires if it gets damp. Pickling lime is slaked lime.
No particular care is required in handling. This is in contrast to quick lime (CaO) which releases a lot of heat when it reacts with water to form the slaked (Ca(OH)2) form to the extent that it can start fires if it gets damp. Pickling lime is slaked lime.
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MachineShopBrewing
Well-Known Member
I was referring to making sure to get it all rinsed off the pickles or I guess the pH of the canning solution can get to high and create an opening for botulism. Just what I have read, the little that I have read about it.
Roger that. Botulism does warrant respect. The notebook in which I keep sausage recipes is labeled "Botulus" which is the Latin word for sausage but also serves to remind me every time I pick it up.
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