Lactic acid and water question.

[lexingtondover]

Hi all,

On a brew day about a month ago I purchased some RO water, added some salts and lactic acid, then heated the water for my mash and HLT. Something came up and I had to ditch my brewing plans for the day, so I cooled and bottled all the water for a future brew date.

My question is about heating lactic acid. I've read that you should make sure to add it before heating the water. Well, thats what I did, but now it's been a month and I'd like to use the water now. Is there any chemistry issue that could have developed in the last month that would make the brew water any different than when it was created? Something that happens when you heat it, then cool it, then heat it again... Know what I mean?

If anyone is good with water, please give me your opinion. I'd like to brew this weekend.

Thanks!

JL

 

[lexingtondover]

I'll answer my own question.

When I tried to use this saved water, I saw weird growths floating in it. So I threw it out and used new water. I'm not sure if the contamination was an air born problem or if it was caused from the salts/acid I used.

JL

 

[mabrungard]

There is no problem with adding acid to hot water. The only reason you don't want to add acid to hot water is when you have calculated your acid addition based on the alkalinity of the un-heated water. When you heat water, the CO2 is driven off and the alkalinity drops and that means that you would end up overdosing your water with acid, based on the calculated addition.

If you want to add acid to hot water, figure out what the alkalinity of that heated water has become and then calculate the acid addition based on that revised alkalinity.

But back to the original question, it should have been OK to use that water. I doubt there was much in that water to support the growth of anything, but water is cheap! Do remember that the boiling would have rendered any contaminants, harmless. You could have used it.