Lactic Acid and Mashing

[Kennanwt5]

Quick question for the forum..

I am brewing an IPA, and in order to get my mash pH in a decent range, I need to add lactic acid 88% to the mash water. I planning on a 7 gallon batch, and will mash with 5 gals of water on a grain bill of 15 lbs of Pale base malt and .375 lbs of Crystal 24. Does anyone see a problem if I use 5ml of the lactic acid in the mash water?

Mash Profile after 5 ml Lactic Acid addition, 3grams of CaSO4, 2grams of CaCl2, and 3grams of NaHCO3:

Mash pH = 5.49
RA = -210
Calcium = 107
Mg = 17
NA = 71
Cl = 123
Sulfate = 105

 

[ajdelange]

The pH of the mash will probably be in the range 5.56 - 5.7 depending on the base malt. The lactic acid will contribute about 57 mEq of protons of which a bit over half will be consumed by the bicarbonate so why use the bicarbonate? It's cancelling the lactic and bringing the pH too high. Take it out and the pH range drops to 5.46 - 5.6 which is OK but note that these calculations were made on the assumption that you are adding salts and acid to RO water (0 alkalinity). If there is any alkalinity that will push the pH up and you will require more lactic (or another) acid.

 

[Kennanwt5]

The pH of the mash will probably be in the range 5.56 - 5.7 depending on the base malt. The lactic acid will contribute about 57 mEq of protons of which a bit over half will be consumed by the bicarbonate so why use the bicarbonate? It's cancelling the lactic and bringing the pH too high. Take it out and the pH range drops to 5.46 - 5.6 which is OK but note that these calculations were made on the assumption that you are adding salts and acid to RO water (0 alkalinity). If there is any alkalinity that will push the pH up and you will require more lactic (or another) acid.

Yeah... I am getting a 5.49 pH using EZ_water. My water has organically high bicarbonate levels, as measure by CaCO3....203ppm Sucks... I am cutting my water source with 50% distilled. So my mash water is 50% distilled and 50% city water.

Here is my water report =(
Ca = 79 ppm
Mg = 34 ppm
Na = 51 ppm
Cl = 140 ppm
SO4 = 25 ppm
Alkalinity CaCO3 = 203 ppm

Thank you for your time in helping me wrap my head around this. This community is amazing!

 

[Yooper]

Cutting the bicarbonate and the chloride by diluting with RO water or distilled water is a great way to deal with it. Both are too high.

Don't add chloride to this- it's already a bit on the high side. If you cut it in half, by using some RO water, it would be better.

Just add gypsum to increase your sulfate, if you want, and the acid to get your mash pH at 5.4ish.

EZ water always estimates the mash pH high for me- I'd suggest trying another spreadsheet to compare- say, bru'nwater or brewer's friend. Brewer's Friend is easier than bru'nwater at first (bru'nwater has a bit of a learning curve, but it is much better in the long run for water knowledge) and I think it's more accurate at guestimating probable mash pH.

 

[bobbrews]

That's a lot of sodium and chloride. What does your water profile look like before the adjustments you made?

Shoot for something near this range for an AIPA:

Mash pH = 5.4-5.5
Calcium = 80-100 ppm
Mg = 10-20 ppm
NA = 10-20 ppm
Cl = 30-50 ppm
Sulfate = 170-250 ppm

^This is just an estimate and what I typically do for my IPAs. You want the hardness high and the alkalinity low.