steeping and ph

[yeoldebrewer]

Apologies in advance, because this subject must have been covered somewhere on HBT.

I've never thought much about the effect of water ph on steeping specialty grains. One of the smoothest beers I have brewed was as kit using only LME and hops, while most of my recipes with steeping grains tend to be drinkable to good, but still a bit harsh.

I normally use Ozarka Drinking Water or Spring Water for brewing and steep at volumes higher than recommended for mashing. According to Ozarka's web site, ph may vary between about 5 and 7. Would a ph at the higher end of this range have a negative effect on steeping? If so, what should I add to acidify the water? Would small amounts of gypsum lower the water ph?

 

[Scut_Monkey]

Read section 3 part 15 of How to brew. I had to read it multiple times but it really helped me to understand what I was doing with residual alkalinity and how it affects all grain. With a partial mash I'm sure it would have some affect.
http://www.howtobrew.com/section3/chapter15.html

I am now adjusting my water based on the style/flavor I'm trying to achieve as well as for residual alkalinity for efficiency reasons. It has given me a huge hop flavor compared to before for an IPA. The nice thing about water manipulation is that it's relatively cheap. I would also recommend downloading Beersmith (free for 21 days) as it helps immensely with figuring out water additions, if you plan to go down that route.

 

[Scut_Monkey]

One of the smoothest beers I have brewed was as kit using only LME and hops, while most of my recipes with steeping grains tend to be drinkable to good, but still a bit harsh.

Also, what temp are you doing your partial mash at? Might be too high of a temp. What temp are you fermenting at? I guess it would help if you could be more descriptive about how it tastes "harsh".

 

[yeoldebrewer]

I've been mashing at an indicated 150-160 and hoping my thermometer is accurate. I try to keep it closer to 150.