Alkalinity/pH and salts again!

[aamcle]

This is doing my head in!

Please check my water adjustment procedure with respect to Alkalinity/Residual Alkalinity.

1. Get a profile for my water, it's usualy about 110 ppm as CaCo3 Alkalinity, also listed are Ca, Mg, CL, So4, Na and others.

2. Decide on the water profile I want to use eg Burton-upon-Trent or Munich or....

3. Use a calculator usualy Brewersfriend. I always enter the grain bill into the calculator.

4.I then use the calculator to determine how much ams/crs I need to adjust the pH and what salts I need to add to match the target water as closely as possible.
There have been occasions were I have had to use ro water to reduce the overall salts concentration.

5. Use the calculator to acidify the sparge .

Usualy this will get me between pH 5.2 and 5.4 but I check the pH with a meter and make any minor adjustments about 10 mins into the mash.
It is very unusual for the pH to change more than a little during the mash.

I have been following that procedure for years but Alkalinity and Residual Alkalinity have raised their heads again and always manage to confuse me.

If the water profile is right ie the correct amounts of Ca, So4 and so on are there and the pH is right surely its job done?


Thanks All.

And thanks for putting up with yet another water post.

 

[doug293cz]

Starting water alkalinity (along with the grain bill) is needed to calculate mineral and acid additions needed to achieve the target mash pH. Residual alkalinity can be ignored. If your Ca, SO4, and Cl levels are in the desired range, and the mash pH comes in within an acceptable range, that's all you need to worry about.

Brew on

 

[aamcle]

That is exactly what I thought and what I aim to do. Every so often Alkalinity especialy RA gets thrown about and sadly confuses me.


Thanks.

 

[Peebee]

Aamcle? From Newton-le-Willows (UK) I presume?

As @doug293cz said: "Residual alkalinity can be ignored.". One less to worry about!

As for "Alkalinity", now that is important, especially for calculators to predict mash pH. You need a good value from your report, 110ppm ("as CaCO3", that is fairly low, and they do have a preference for "as HCO3" over here, as do I, which will be 110x1.22 or 134.2ppm ... remember the magic number of 1.22). Mine is 20.8ppm as CaCO3 (25.4ppm as HCO3) and causes me trouble because the value (and therefore mash pH value) jumps about. Same with you?

I'm currently messing with one of these tools:

Hellish expensive (80 quid), but the popular "Salifert kit" is less convenient and doesn't work below 300ppm no longer (and I haven't an alternative to suggest.).

Working with "Alkalinity" is much easier/better than old fashioned "Hardness" if that's what you are using instead. Dump the "Hardness", its only purpose is to mash your head!

AMS? Acidic Murphy's Solution. CRS (Carbonate Reducing Solution) made more sense? Well, name has changed now, and I don't think it'll be going back.

 

[aamcle]

I usualy just use Brewersfriend advanced water calculator. But if enough noise about RA comes along it gets confusing.

 

[doug293cz]

I usualy just use Brewersfriend advanced water calculator. But if enough noise about RA comes along it gets confusing.

Just ignore anything about RA.

Brew on