Rahr 2 row

[PartagasD4]

I bought a 50 pound bag of Rahr 2 row from my LHBS around Thanksgiving. Here is the the malt analysis sheet I downloaded from BSG.




Most of the data is easily looked up online, except there is pH data at the bottom of the sheet. pH 5.84 What does this indicate?
I guess I could email BSG or Rahr malting and ask them. I thought maybe someone here would know.

After reading Kai Troester's .PDF about the effect of water and grist on mash pH I performed the small mash that he did in that paper. I crushed 12.5 grams of my Rahr 2 row and mashed it in 50 ml of distilled water at about 150ish for 15-20 minutes. Cooled the sample and measured the pH with a freshly calibrated pH meter and it measured 5.83 pH.

Maybe I answered my question already?

I have brewed 1 beer with this malt with 90% of the grist was the Rahr.
The main reason I am asking is because I followed some advice that is around more than 1 homebrew forum that the Rahr malts seem more acidic. Even in Kai paper he discovered this. I missed my mash prediction by + .19 pH. It was still in acceptable range (5.59) but I try to be more accurate than that

View attachment Resources_CraftBrewing_COA_COA_20150910_22438-10_TRCK 29974_BSG_KASO_2P.pdf

 

[PartagasD4]

Lol seems I need to learnhow to post an image

 

[IslandLizard]

I'm willing to bet it's the pH of a Congress standard mash.

However, it looks like the crop years are 2014 and 2013, for each respective variety. That makes me wonder... Is the grain indeed 1 and 2 years old?

BTW, this is the most comprehensive malt analysis I've ever seen from a Rahr malt. I use them a lot.

 

[ajdelange]

...I followed some advice that is around more than 1 homebrew forum that the Rahr malts seem more acidic. Even in Kai paper he discovered this. I missed my mash prediction by + .19 pH. It was still in acceptable range (5.59) but I try to be more accurate than that

Yes, it was widely bandied about that Rahr was very acidic. A lot analysis reading 5.84 is going to be a big surprise to a lot of people and shows why you trust mash pH predictions based on color or malt type at your peril.

Now the maltster here at least takes a DI water mash pH measurement and puts it on his data sheet. If he would only take another measurement with an addition of acid ammounting to 20 mEq/kg or something like that and report that pH of the buffering WRT to the DI pH (mEq/kg•pH) and if only the other maltsters would follow suite we could get reasonable pH predictions very easily.

 

[PartagasD4]

I'm willing to bet it's the pH of a Congress standard mash.

However, it looks like the crop years are 2014 and 2013, for each respective variety. That makes me wonder... Is the grain indeed 1 and 2 years old?

BTW, this is the most comprehensive malt analysis I've ever seen from a Rahr malt. I use them a lot.

Yes I was surprised at the dates on the grains also but the 1 beer I made so far with it was pretty good.

I'm just getting into this part of brewing so I don't know if this is normal for the age of grain or not. I don't know if the higher pH caused it but it was a very hoppy IPA and it just didn't have a lot of hoppy bite, it was kind of muted not like the first 2 but still a good beer.

This is the 3rd time I made this IPA and usually have the pH around 4ish.
BTW seems like the Malting Company of Ireland also gives pH. I found 1 randomly at BSG but this site says the files is to large to upload.

 

[KWright_VT]

This is nothing but a guess, but I suspect the barley grains were from those years, and it was malted by Rahr in 2015. I wouldn't think properly stored barley would degrade over a couple of years. I would think it would only be after it was malted that the clock starts ticking.

I looked up Metcalfe, and it is a variety of malting barley. We've done a little grain farming on a very small scale, and would hold sometimes until prices were up.

 

[PartagasD4]

Yes, it was widely bandies about that Rahr was very acidic. A lot analysis reading 5.84 is going to be a big surprise to a lot of people and shows why you trust mash pH predictions based on color or malt type at your peril.

Now the maltster here at least takes a DI water mash pH measurement and puts it on his data sheet. If he would only take another measurement with an addition of acid ammounting to 20 mEq/kg or something like that and report that pH of the buffering WRT to the DI pH (mEq/kg•pH) and if only the other maltsters would follow suite we could get reasonable pH predictions very easily.

Yes I learned my lesson, small test mash like you always suggest so no more surprises. The only change to this IPA was the 2 row and 2 or maybe 3 oz less of acid malt that I should have added.

Thanks

 

[PartagasD4]

This is nothing but a guess, but I suspect the barley grains were from those years, and it was malted by Rahr in 2015. I wouldn't think properly stored barley would degrade over a couple of years. I would think it would only be after it was malted that the clock starts ticking.

I looked up Metcalfe, and it is a variety of malting barley. We've done a little grain farming on a very small scale, and would hold sometimes until prices were up.

Thanks for that info, learn something new every day.

 

[IslandLizard]

This is nothing but a guess, but I suspect the barley grains were from those years, and it was malted by Rahr in 2015. I wouldn't think properly stored barley would degrade over a couple of years. I would think it would only be after it was malted that the clock starts ticking.

I looked up Metcalfe, and it is a variety of malting barley. We've done a little grain farming on a very small scale, and would hold sometimes until prices were up.

Right, the grain was harvested in those years, siloed, and likely malted in 2015. I'm sure it's part of their pipeline, yet, still wondering if malting 2 year old grain is common, or perhaps desired? As you said, when properly stored raw grain can last for years. Even malt lasts for years. I found a small stash of Golden Promise that's 5 years old, still mashes fine and tastes like malt you buy today.

 

[brewfun]

Right, the grain was harvested in those years, siloed, and likely malted in 2015. I'm sure it's part of their pipeline, yet, still wondering if malting 2 year old grain is common, or perhaps desired?

Barley has to go through a "rest" period before it'll properly germinate. That time is at lest six months, according to a Briess seminar I attended. The grain is kept bone dry, so one year is no different than several decades of storage.