BIAB pH not decreasing

[Fly_Guy]

I am driving myself crazy over figuring out what happened/what I need to do to get a lower mash pH when mashing, especially lighter beers. I know the obvious answer is add acid or remove alkalinity.
Here is the recipe I made
3 lbs Briess 2-Row (1.8L)
3 lbs Dingeman's Pale ale (3.9L)
10 oz Toasted Flaked Rye (3.9L?)
7 oz Caramel 40 (40L)

This was placed in 3.5 gallons of distilled/RO water (kroger brand) and they claim there's no detectable level of anything in it but does have a pH of 6.1.

When I put this into any brewing water software, with any water profile, (only tried brewers friend and bru'n water), even with 88% lactic additions I cannot get my mash pH less than 5.65 (brewer's friend) or 5.70 (bru'n water).

What am I missing or doing wrong? Using this software can't be this hard right?

Here is the link to the water report.
https://www.kroger.com/content/v2/binary/document/info/terms/water-quality_report-1603746386542.pdf

 

[VikeMan]

When I put this into any brewing water software, with any water profile, (only tried brewers friend and bru'n water), even with 88% lactic additions I cannot get my mash pH less than 5.65 (brewer's friend) or 5.70 (bru'n water).

If you're saying that no matter how much lactic acid addition you specify, the predicted pH won't go below those values, that doesn't make sense. (Thus your question!) Maybe post a screenshot(s) from Brewer's Friend.

 

[Fly_Guy]

I had to do a bunch of updates to the computer and now I have to reenter everything to bru'n water and brewer's friend. I'll get around to that tomorrow.

 

[Fly_Guy]

Well, after resetting my computer and getting all the updates installed, it's now working as I would have expected it too. I don't know if I did something different when I began putting my info into it again or what......time to RDWHAHB and prep my next batch!

 

[AZ Maverick]

Well, after resetting my computer and getting all the updates installed, it's now working as I would have expected it too. I don't know if I did something different when I began putting my info into it again or what......time to RDWHAHB and prep my next batch!

Good to hear.
I was just about to reply that I put your numbers into Brewers Friend Mash Calculator and I can run the pH up and down easily with additions of lactic acid!
Glad all is working now.

 

[Fly_Guy]

When you input in brewers friend ( I only have free versions of things right now) does it ever change the numbers at the top?
I could put in a target pH and then it would spit out how many mLs of lactic, but it wouldn't update the pH at the very bottom of everything. Is that what that program does?

 

[AZ Maverick]

In the Mash Chemistry and Brewing Water Calculator, it will change the pH on the Mash Report (under the grist info). It doesn't change anything at the top. If you save the report you can also update the recipe.

 

[Fly_Guy]

I just tried it on an iPad and it worked. I have no idea what was going on with my brain when I was working on it earlier on a computer...I guess there's some magic in these homebrews after all haha

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I will add that sometimes with Bru'n Water in Excel, I get a warning about recursive formulas (with red lines pointing between cells). In that state, any changes will not update the pH value. There is a setting to enable iterative calculations (under File > Options > Formulas).