Water Additions Question - Brewing Watermelon Wheat

[Jiffster]

I am brewing this Watermelon Wheat recipe this weekend and I would like to confirm my plan for water additions.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=21227

My Grain Bill
3 lbs 8.0 oz Wheat Malt, White (Rahr)
2 lbs 8.0 oz Pale Malt (2 Row)
3.2 oz Carabelge (Didn't have Honey Wheat)

This is only my second batch using RO water and additions. I was previously using my tap water filtered through a carbon filter and Campden tablets.

Looking at the "A Brewing Water Chemistry Primer" I see that I should add 1 teaspoon of Calcium Chloride Dihydrate for every 5 gallons of water.

I'm going to need ~7.5 gallons for this brew (5 gallon batch) so I'll treat my RO water with 1.5 teaspoons of Calcium Chloride Dihydrate.

Will I also need to add 3% "Acid Malt" to my grain bill?

Thanks.

 

[bigdaddybrew]

The Brun'water spreadsheet works well for me. I get good results using it but I don't have a ph meter. I like to be on the lower end for my lighter colored beers 5.2 to 5.3 it seems to make them brighter. In my darker beer 5.4 to 5.5 seems to make them smoother. I use R/O water. I add 1/2 tsp Gypsum 1/2 tsp Calcium Chloride and a 1/4 tsp of sea salt for 5 gallons of mash water. I get this basic profile...
Ca 49
Mg 0
SO4 59
Na 31
Cl 91
HCO3 0
ALK 0
Then I enter my grain bill and mash thickness into the spreadsheet and make adjustments using Phosphoric acid or Pickling lime to get a predicted mash ph. To accenuate the bitterness you could start with more Gypsum. I use the same mineral additions for the sparge water but do not add any Pickling lime. You can measure the ph of the sparge water and add acid if you want to match the mash ph but I batch sparge and this profile has no buffering capacity so I don't bother.

 

[Jiffster]

Bigdaddybrew,
That's some awesome info but I have to admit this is over my head for where I'm at with my understanding of water.

I'm not certain how to apply this to my planned brew.

 

[bigdaddybrew]

I entered your recipe into Brun'water spreadsheet...
5 gal batch
1.5 qt per pound mash
3.5lbs wheat malt
2.5 lbs 2 row
3.2oz Carabelge
4 oz of Acid malt
Results in estimated PH of 5.3
Ca 49
Mg 0
SO4 0
Na 0
Cl 87
HCO3 0
ALK 0
So that looks good. If you want to build water you should download the free Brun'water speadsheet. There is a learning curve but it will help you get into the ballpark. Good luck brewing!

 

[Jiffster]

I entered your recipe into Brun'water spreadsheet...
5 gal batch
1.5 qt per pound mash
3.5lbs wheat malt
2.5 lbs 2 row
3.2oz Carabelge
4 oz of Acid malt
Results in estimated PH of 5.3
Ca 49
Mg 0
SO4 0
Na 0
Cl 87
HCO3 0
ALK 0
So that looks good. If you want to build water you should download the free Brun'water speadsheet. There is a learning curve but it will help you get into the ballpark. Good luck brewing!

I would still add the 1 Tsp per 5 gallons of Calcium Chloride, as stated in the "Primer, in addition to the 4 oz of Acid Malt, correct?

I do have the free version of Bru'n Water on my laptop and I've only experimented with it a little in entering my water report info.

I was considering donating to get the "supporters" version but I use only Mac computers at home. I do have a subscription to "Office 365" so I can use Excel on my Mac's but I may not have that subscription for much longer.

I also saw the info on Bru'n Water's site stating to use "LibreOffice" if you don's have Excel but he states to use v3.6 and the only versions available are 5.XX.

He also recommends OpenOffice. I'll give that a try.

I appreciate your help and taking the time to enter my info into Bru'n Water, etc.

Thank you.

 

[ajdelange]

Cut the calcium chloride in half (we will be redoing the Primer soon with reduced salt amounts).

As to the sauermalz I'm not sure what to tell you as I have just received some new measurements on Weyermann's wheat and it is quite alkaline: DI mash pH of 6. Three percent sauermalz would get you to pH 5.63 using this malt. Ordinarily we'd think that marginally high but I've brewed many a very fine wheat beer with pH that high which has led me to believe that wheat beers don't benefit from the lower pH's to the extent that lagers, for example, do. Cutting the sauermalz in half would give you a mash pH of 5.75 with this wheat malt and that is uncomfortably high but then I don't know that you are going to be using this same malt. So I guess I'd say to be on the safe side go with the 3%. This illustrates the importance of checking the pH of a test mash when using a material you haven't brewed with before.

 

[Jiffster]

Thanks ajdelange. I can see the importance of investing in a pH tester.

My LHBS lists Weyermann's as the acid malt they have in stock.

I have been reading up on the recommendations for testers. Would you mind telling me which one you use or recommend?

 

[ajdelange]

I have measured the Weyermann's acidulated myself and so am confident in its parameters but the wheat malt measurements were done by someone else and while he seems to be doing things right his results imply that Weyermanns wheat malt has a higher DI mash pH than barly malts do. Perhaps that is indeed the case. The buffering capacities are about the same though.

For brewing I use Hach Intellical meters but do not recommend them to most because of their cost. Fortunately Hach released a pocket meter a couple of years ago called the Pocket Pro pH+ which sells for a little over $100 and checks out as a good meter though they did have some roll out problems with it. Lots of people on this forum have used them with success. Omega has a similar unit which gets good notes from the guys on here. If you prefer a bench top type people seem to find the Milwaukee MW102 acceptable but it seems most are going for the Hach.

 

[Jiffster]

Excellent, thanks for the recommendations.

Regarding the amounts in the "primer", if I do my next brew before it has been updated, what approach would you recommend I take in determining my water additions.

I realize the primer is intended as a "jumping off" point and that's exactly where I am at. I plan to use the recommendations in the primer until I am able to get a pH tester and as I learn how to make the determinations myself.

 

[ajdelange]

I'd say just take half of every quantityh mentioned there except the sauermalz.

 

[Jiffster]

Thank you. Appreciate the help.