I've measured flaked barley and found it ti have a DI mash pH of about 5.6 and buffering at that pH of about -36 mEq/kg•pH. Thus it would not pull the mash pH down to 5.2 (and it didn't as you saw) nor should a spreadsheet program arrive at a prediction of 5.2 unless it, and/or the flaked barley (which I have not measured) are terribly mis-modeled by the spreadsheet. Simple way to find out: run the spreadsheet with these two components quantities reduced to 0.01 pound or some similarly small value. What happens to the pH estimate if you do that?
Another suggestion is to try a different spreadsheet.
The pH of the distilled water (nor that of the tap water) have very little to do with the mash pH. It is their alkalinities that count. DI water has virtually 0 alkalinity (1 or 2 ppm as CaCO3)
Another suggestion is to try a different spreadsheet.
The pH of the distilled water (nor that of the tap water) have very little to do with the mash pH. It is their alkalinities that count. DI water has virtually 0 alkalinity (1 or 2 ppm as CaCO3)
