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I would like to get some thoughts on my last question above on the mash water volume below the false bottom.

"The science is exact but my understanding is inexact" What makes the science feel inexact is that these are for the most part not linear models. Boy, I should be a really wise man! I started out with this recipe trying to match your recommendation of 1 teaspoon of CaCl for which I used 3.6g...

What do you mean by 2 degrees of freedom? How much should I be concerned with sulfate and chloride levels and the Sulfate to Chloride ratio? Much of what I read says that the ratio affects taste perception from very malty to very bitter. Is it really that important/perceivable? In the case...

Bru'n Water calculated 1.6g CaCl for the full mash water, which, per Bru'n Water, added 41 ppm Ca and 73 ppm Cl to my existing water for a total of 50 ppm Ca and 77 ppm Cl. I scaled the 1.6g back for my test mash water. Bru'n Water's calculated CaCl for the sparge was 2.15g, bringing the total...

AJ, of course that doesn't make any sense. I typed in 4. instead of 5. It was 5.50, 5.60 and 5.40. Funny how the brain works (or doesn't); hit me at lunch). So, same questions?

I thought it would be better to start a new thread since the original thread seems to have run its course with a discussion about the acidity of the Brown Malt. To recap, I am getting ready to brew a simple two grain porter recipe that calls for 6.25# Maris Otter (3L) and 3.6875# (65L) Brown...

Thanks Silver! Knowing that I would want to shoot for 50ppm Ca is relatively easy to achieve with one of the spreadsheets like Bru'n Water. I really didn't know what I was shooting for so I was using AJ's recommendation of 1 teaspoon of CaCl dihydrate as a starter. Since almost all of the...

Hope this is still being monitored. I've been out of touch for a while. I am ready to do my 2nd test mash with both grains (MO & Brown) and salts for this Porter. I know now that I'm not trying to match any profile like the ones in Bru'n Water but I do need to determine what levels I would...

I'm curious, how does the age of a malt affect its acidity assuming its been stored properly. I store my grains in 5 or 7 gallon plastic tubs with gamma lids.

No, not that at all. I think the Brown Malt diph reading is pretty accurate. I just want to play around with the meter and get more comfortable when the reading is stable using AJ's technique.

I think I need to practice taking readings before I do another test mash especially since I only have enough extra Brown Malt for two more tests. Any suggestions as to what I can use to test on that is in the 4 - 7 range. StarSan is around 3. Or I could use the 4 or 7 buffer solution.

AJ, I have a question. At the end of the 20 min test mash I made 3 successive measurements of the same sample and got the 3 results posted above 5.01, 5.13, and 5.15. I calibrated the meter before the test and had done a stabilization test a couple of weeks ago. I'm curious as to why the...

Just finished a test mash on 7oz Brown Malt with 21oz DI water at 150 for 20 mins. Took 3 measurements which were 5.01 @ 20C, 5.13 @ 19.6C, and 5.15 @ 19.4C. I was planning on doing a 2nd test with some bicarb to determine buffering but ran out of time since this was my first test mash and I...

Ok, I have carefully reviewed all input in Bru'n Water and Brewer's Friend and see no data input errors. Bru'n water predicts 5.18 with existing water and no salt additions. Brewers Friend predicts 4.63 with same input. I am including screen shots for Bru'n Water so please review and let me...

The fact that I am seeing a low pH prediction from two different spreadsheets would certainly make that a logical conclusion, one I would come to as well. Of course the other possibility is that there is some sort of bug in the spreadsheet logic. I have checked and double checked my input and...

Martin said that although the brown malt is roasted that I should treat as a base malt. Treating it as Roasted lowered the predicted ph to 4.30. Note that the 5.18 (base malt) and the 4.30 (Roasted) were with no salts. Thanks for the clarification AJ. Thomas Fawcett, EBC 175-200 (~66-75L)...

This is where I am still uncomfortable with the water chemistry. I know AJ's Primer sticky does not use gypsum for a porter. However, if I am trying to hit some mineral levels for a suggested profile (like a Brown Malty or Brown Balanced, then gypsum is a choice to use to hit those levels. I...

2.5g Gypsum, 4g CaCl (mash only right now). With my water and no additions prediction is 4.63. As AJ said something seems fishy.

Well both Martin's and Kai's spreadsheets are predicting a very low pH (Martin, 5.18) In Brewer's Friend: Using my current water & desired mineral levels predicted pH is 4.54 Using water of 0 alkalinity and pH of 5.4 & desired mineral levels pH is 4.45 To move from 4.45 to 5.38 would require...

Thanks AJ. Probably going to vent a bit here, so please take with a grain of salt. Is this situation due to the particular grain bill? I keep thinking I am getting a grasp on the overall tenets of water chemistry. I expected that the the initial pH of this mash would be on the high side and...