Is there a guideline as to the upper limits of sauermalz and lactic acid one would want to add?
First, let me say that the instructions in the original post are very clear. The only ambiguity I saw was,
"For British beers: Add 1 tsp gypsum as well as 1 tsp calcium chloride"
This was clarified later in the thread, and, if I understand it correctly, this is in addition to the baseline that already adds 1 tsp calcium chloride, so it would total 2 tsp calcium chloride and 1 tsp gyspsum. It may make sense to edit the original post to make this completely clear.
The other piece of info I picked up later in the thread is that for 1 tsp we are assuming 5 g. Perhaps the original post should be converted to grams.
Thanks so much for this.
I'm pretty sure it is one of each. Calcium chloride for the baseline PLUS one of gypsum if you wish to accentuate hope bitterness. Yooper posted the sticky from her account so AJ can't do a direct edit.
I'd certainly like clarification on those questions if possible. My assumption was that for British/Pales we were to add 1 tsp of each (gypsum and cal chl). Also, I've been assuming a tsp of gypsum = 4 grams while a tsp of cal chl = 3.4 grams. Those figures were given in Palmer's book so that's what I've been using personally and what I've given as information in my brew chart. If we're supposed to be assuming something different I'd love to know so that both myself and anyone using my brew chart have the best available info.
Thanks.
cp
I'm just now getting to 'post-fermentation' with some of my beers since acquiring a pH meter and using this primer (although I haven't tasted any of them yet, a con of having a pipeline I guess). I've noticed that my post-fermentation pH is a little lower than expected. With a pre-fermentation pH of 5.45-ish I'm getting 4.2-ish after fermentation (using sauermalz in mash)...
Is this anything to be concerned about (and is it normal)?
Using mostly RO and sauermalz it seems I'm trying to decrease the buffering ability (so the sauermalz and roast/crystal malts can reduce pH enough) but then post-boil it appears that I may need more buffering ability. Would adding a very small amount of CaCO3 at the end of the boil help? Would it counter any sourness perception?
Lastly, is the ability to reduce pH during fermentation yeast strain dependant? Do certain strains do this better than others?
Is that 5.47 at room temp? Then the pH at mash temp would be what - say 5.3 ish?
Yes, 5.4 to 5.5 at room temperature is, IMO, ideal. But you'll see lots of other ranges quoted as being optimum. Unfortunately, you often can't tell what temperature they are talking about. DeClerck states that all his pH's are for room temperature. Other authors omit this statement but I think it is safe to assume that most measurements are at room temperature.
Latest 4.2 post-ferm pH was a Vienna lager using White Labs WLP833 German Bock yeast. It's only ~2 weeks old so it'll be a while before I get around to drinking it. Brewed a Boh Pils with the cake so I'll have another measurement in a couple of weeks (but no taste for a couple of months).ajdelange said:Now if it is a lager that is coming in at 4.2 we might scratch our heads a bit...
I assume you mean 4.6?4.2 is low for Vienna - all mine come in around 5.6 so I'm a little puzzled. Meter was calibrated day of measurement? Buffers were fresh? Smells clean and tastes OK (no infections)? What yeast strain?
If a sample tastes clean, then I wouldn't worry. You did everything right and pH's fell in place along the way. The beer should be fine.
Is there any reason I shouldn't use 5.2 Stabilizer to control pH?
If you reword the question slightly to "Is there any reason I can't use 5.2 Stabilizer to control pH?" then the answer is yes, there are a couple. They have been set forth so often here that I'll only give the top level answer that the product does not work in most cases (no one with a pH meter on this or any other forum I'm aware of has seen it do what we expect it to do) and it adds a lot of sodium to the brew.
Water can ruin your day in 2 ways:
1. It can cause mash pH to be too high. This usually results in dull flavors - an insipid beer.
2. There can be something in the water which causes an off flavor to appear
a)Chloramine - bandaid, plastic,smokey taste
b)Geosmines etc. - musty taste
c)Excess of chloride paired with sodium/potassium - salty taste
d)High content of some metallic ion such as copper, iron or zinc - metallic taste
e)High sulfate content - harsh hops bitterness.
f)Something else I don't know about or have forgotten about.
As he hit mash pH the problem isn't 1) and must be one of the items in 2.
The prescribed formula lists "calcium chloride dihydrate (what your beer store sells)" Online beer stores offer calcium chloride. Just want to make sure we are talking about the same thing.
I've always used the dihydrate obtained from a chemical supplier because it is more stable i.e. it doesn't pick up water from the air which makes it easier to weigh accurately, it won't turn soupy on you if you leave it out etc.
The recommendation "1 tsp per 5 gallons" is pretty approximate. It assumes the dihydrate and that the dihydrate weighs about 5 grams per tsp. This would yield about 72 mg/L calcium ion concentration and and 127 mg/L chloride. Using the same amount of anhydrous salt would increase calcium and chloride by about 32% to 95 and 127.
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