Greetings,
I need some advice on what steps I need to take to better dial in my pH for a Hefeweizen I'm working on. I have brewed it twice and I plan to brew my third attempt again in February.
Below is the grain bill, water, salt and acid additions, calcium and magnesium levels of my water(without factoring in salt additions), and pH/gravity readings taken during my brewing process.
Grain bill
5.13# White Wheat (3.0 SRM)
4.62# Pilsen (1.8 SRM)
0.51# CaraPils (1.5 SRM)
Strike Water Volume and Additions
Total Volume: 5.40 Gallons
Total Alkalinity (as CaCO3): 29
Calcium: 30
Magnesium: 10
pH before treatment: 8.3
Phosphoric Acid 85% Addition: 0.40 mL
Calcium Chloride: 1.7 Grams
pH after treatment: 5.71
Mash pH after 5 minutes: 5.55
Sparge Water Volume and Additions
Total Volume: 3.90 Gallons
Phosphoric Acid 85% Addition: 0.20 mL
pH after treatment: 5.39
Boil Kettle Calcium Chloride Addition: 1.5 Grams
Final Runnings
pH: 5.80
Gravity: 1.012
Wort pH: 5.55
Wort gravity: 1.051
My question is do I add more acid or add more calcium chloride to lower the pH? My personal preference would be to use the acid to avoid altering my chloride to sulfate ratio which is balanced. So how much acid would be enough if that is the case?
Obviously my additions to lower pH weren't enough and after getting half way through Palmer/Kaminski's Water Book it looks like the "treatment" didn't do anything. I say that operating under the assumption that the DI pH of my malts (mostly base malts) listed above would yield a 5.5ish DI pH. Which essentially is what my mash resulted in.
Just looking for suggestions on ways to get the mash pH closer to 5.4, and wort pH closer to 5.2.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I need some advice on what steps I need to take to better dial in my pH for a Hefeweizen I'm working on. I have brewed it twice and I plan to brew my third attempt again in February.
Below is the grain bill, water, salt and acid additions, calcium and magnesium levels of my water(without factoring in salt additions), and pH/gravity readings taken during my brewing process.
Grain bill
5.13# White Wheat (3.0 SRM)
4.62# Pilsen (1.8 SRM)
0.51# CaraPils (1.5 SRM)
Strike Water Volume and Additions
Total Volume: 5.40 Gallons
Total Alkalinity (as CaCO3): 29
Calcium: 30
Magnesium: 10
pH before treatment: 8.3
Phosphoric Acid 85% Addition: 0.40 mL
Calcium Chloride: 1.7 Grams
pH after treatment: 5.71
Mash pH after 5 minutes: 5.55
Sparge Water Volume and Additions
Total Volume: 3.90 Gallons
Phosphoric Acid 85% Addition: 0.20 mL
pH after treatment: 5.39
Boil Kettle Calcium Chloride Addition: 1.5 Grams
Final Runnings
pH: 5.80
Gravity: 1.012
Wort pH: 5.55
Wort gravity: 1.051
My question is do I add more acid or add more calcium chloride to lower the pH? My personal preference would be to use the acid to avoid altering my chloride to sulfate ratio which is balanced. So how much acid would be enough if that is the case?
Obviously my additions to lower pH weren't enough and after getting half way through Palmer/Kaminski's Water Book it looks like the "treatment" didn't do anything. I say that operating under the assumption that the DI pH of my malts (mostly base malts) listed above would yield a 5.5ish DI pH. Which essentially is what my mash resulted in.
Just looking for suggestions on ways to get the mash pH closer to 5.4, and wort pH closer to 5.2.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.