Announcing the release of 'Mash Made Easy' version 8.48

[Silver_Is_Money]

Announcing the release of 'Mash Made Easy' version 8.48 in both US and Metric format.

Changes include:

1) Adds a statement within the descriptor for the Target Mash pH indicating that this target pH presumes that mash pH readings be taken at 20 degrees C., or 68 degrees F.

2) Replaces the essentially useless 'Sulfate/Chloride Ratio' with feedback of final water 'Total Hardness', per valued user feedback and request.

As always, MME is both free and complete, though user contributions by which to support and sustain this effort are accepted and appreciated.

 

[brewgar]

Thank you, Larry, for the update.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

A notable improvement for MME was actually introduced with version 8.47, which I now retrospectively realize that I failed to announce. It involves the alkalinity harmony exhibited by additions of either baking soda or calcium hydroxide, a simple yet detailed description for which is as follows:

Calcium ions (Ca++) increase Wort acidity during the Mash. Calcium hydroxide releases not only strongly Wort alkalizing OH- ions, but also far more weakly Wort acidifying Ca++ ions. Therefore more alkalinity is required of calcium hydroxide by which to overcome the acidity introduced via its own Ca++ ions.

The effect of the above can be observed by first adding the MME recommended baking soda quantity to hit your desired pH target, recording the alkalinity introduced to the Wort thereby, and then backing out the baking soda to zero and replacing it with the MME calculated calcium hydroxide addition. One immediately sees that the added Ca++ of the calcium hydroxide is countered by higher Wort alkalinity.

Record both the new Ca++ ppm (mg/L) value and the alkalinity at this juncture for the case of having added calcium hydroxide. Then back the caclium hydroxide addition out to zero.

Now add sufficient calcium sulfate and/or calcium chloride such that the Ca++ within the Wort is now the precisely the same increased ppm (mg/L) value level as for when the calcium hydroxide had been added.

Lastly add the newly seen MME recommended baking soda addition. Now compare the Wort alkalinity for baking soda at this juncture and witness that it is indeed identical to the increased Wort alkalinity recorded earlier for the calcium hydroxide addition.

I would consider this exercise as a serious software proof test for the proper internal handling of baking soda and calcium hydroxide. These 2 criteria must both be met:

1) More alkalinity must be introduced for calcium hydroxide than for baking soda to counter the Ca++ increase. If alkalinity does not increase for calcium hydroxide vs. baking soda the software fails.

2) The same alkalinity must be witnessed for both baking soda and calcium hydroxide for the specific case whereby Ca++ is adjusted to be the same for each. If it does not, the software again fails.

Software offering pH increase via both baking soda and calcium hydroxide must pass both tests.