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lactic acid in bru'n water


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#1 positiveContact

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 02:47 PM

Is this as easy as it seems?  Just put in the mL/gal and make sure my pH is good?  add the lactic to the strike water while I'm heating it?

 

for instance I brought my pH from 5.4 down to 5.5 with 1.5mL of lactic (10 gallon batch with 12.28 gallons of strike water).  I won't be treating the sparge.



#2 Bklmt2000

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 04:01 PM

Is this as easy as it seems?  Just put in the mL/gal and make sure my pH is good?  add the lactic to the strike water while I'm heating it?

That's what i normally do: figure out how much lactic i need for the mash, and it to the strike water as it heats.  Easy-peasy.

 

I do the same thing if i need to add lactic to the sparge (just add to the water as it's heating up).



#3 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 04:27 PM

You forgot to the important step of dancing nekkid around the mash tun. PH just won't drop otherwise.



#4 positiveContact

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 04:29 PM

You forgot to the important step of dancing nekkid around the mash tun. PH just won't drop otherwise.

 

I'll have to close the garage door for that part.



#5 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 04:44 PM

I'll have to close the garage door for that part.

 

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#6 Bklmt2000

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 04:50 PM

I'll have to close the garage door for that part.

 

Just don't dance too close to the burner.  Just sayin'.  :D



#7 SchwanzBrewer

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 05:32 PM

Just don't dance too close to the burner.  Just sayin'.  :D

 

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#8 Poptop

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 06:29 PM

It's that simple with my lactic additions

#9 neddles

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Posted 21 September 2015 - 07:12 PM

It's that simple with my lactic additions

Yep. That's all.



#10 denny

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Posted 22 September 2015 - 08:51 AM

Is this as easy as it seems?  Just put in the mL/gal and make sure my pH is good?  add the lactic to the strike water while I'm heating it?

 

for instance I brought my pH from 5.4 down to 5.5 with 1.5mL of lactic (10 gallon batch with 12.28 gallons of strike water).  I won't be treating the sparge.

 

yes and yes!



#11 mabrungard

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Posted 23 September 2015 - 06:07 AM

If your starting water has more than about 25 ppm alkalinity, you should be acidifying your sparging water too. You didn't mention what your water is like.



#12 positiveContact

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Posted 23 September 2015 - 06:29 AM

firstly I do small batch sparges.  like on a 10 gallon batch I typically sparge with less than 3 gallons of water.

 

my source water is like this (according to the water company):

 

 Calcium (ppm) Magnesium (ppm) Sodium (ppm) Sulfate (ppm) Chloride (ppm) Bicarbonate (ppm)

   6                               3                          29                  14                       26                      27


Is this as easy as it seems?  Just put in the mL/gal and make sure my pH is good?  add the lactic to the strike water while I'm heating it?

 

for instance I brought my pH from 5.4 down to 5.5 with 1.5mL of lactic (10 gallon batch with 12.28 gallons of strike water).  I won't be treating the sparge.

 

meant to say 5.4 to 5.3 here but I think you guys knew what I meant.



#13 positiveContact

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Posted 24 September 2015 - 05:20 PM

so I slightly overshot my goal of 5.3 and ended up at 5.1-5.2.  is there any reason not to add the lactic after I mash in?  Or maybe not add all of it prior to mash in so I can do a spot check and see if I need more?



#14 matt6150

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Posted 24 September 2015 - 06:08 PM

I always add my lactic acid after I mash in. Just easier for me on my system. Works well for me.

#15 mabrungard

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 06:16 AM

Adding the acid after mashing in isn't a big deal, but you should recognize that there can be problems. The first problem is that the water's alkalinity will drop a bit as its heated. If you start with low alkalinity in the first place, this heating effect is of no concern. If your water has a bunch of alkalinity, then you might end up overdosing the water with acid.

 

The second concern with adding acid in the mash is getting it mixed in and fully distributed. Tests have shown that it is very difficult to mix a mash very well...even with Herculean effort. However, if you run one of those recirculating mashing systems like HERMS or RIMS, then the acid will get distributed in a few minutes of recirculation. For most brewers, adding all the minerals and acid to the water before adding the grain is the surest way to assure that those components are fully distributed in the water.



#16 matt6150

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 07:48 AM

Adding the acid after mashing in isn't a big deal, but you should recognize that there can be problems. The first problem is that the water's alkalinity will drop a bit as its heated. If you start with low alkalinity in the first place, this heating effect is of no concern. If your water has a bunch of alkalinity, then you might end up overdosing the water with acid.

The second concern with adding acid in the mash is getting it mixed in and fully distributed. Tests have shown that it is very difficult to mix a mash very well...even with Herculean effort. However, if you run one of those recirculating mashing systems like HERMS or RIMS, then the acid will get distributed in a few minutes of recirculation. For most brewers, adding all the minerals and acid to the water before adding the grain is the surest way to assure that those components are fully distributed in the water.

Good to know. I do have a HERMS so I always assumed it would get mixed up well. The HERMS is the reason I add lactic after I mash in because I heat up more water than I need.

So what level of alkalinity would be considered "low"?
Mine is 42ppm.

#17 Brauer

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 09:00 AM

So what level of alkalinity would be considered "low"?
Mine is 42ppm.

That's around the lower limit of the ability of boiling to reduce alkalinity, so boiling wouldn't be expected to lower the alkalinity below that.

#18 positiveContact

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 09:45 AM

my 33 alkalinity is sounding pretty good!  although I guess I should be acidifying it a little?


Edited by Evil_Morty, 25 September 2015 - 09:45 AM.


#19 mabrungard

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 11:35 AM

Yes, the solubility of calcium carbonate limits the lower limit of decarbonation by boiling or heating and if your water has less than about 40 to 50 ppm alkalinity, it is relatively immune to further decarbonation. 

 

Regarding the need to acidify sparging water, some like to say that 50 ppm alkalinity is acceptable and I prefer to apply a safety factor on that with my recommendation for 25 ppm or less. You are probably OK either way. Just be on the lookout for tannin and silicate harshness if you choose the higher value. I'm not saying it will happen, just that it might. 



#20 positiveContact

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Posted 25 September 2015 - 11:40 AM

Yes, the solubility of calcium carbonate limits the lower limit of decarbonation by boiling or heating and if your water has less than about 40 to 50 ppm alkalinity, it is relatively immune to further decarbonation. 

 

Regarding the need to acidify sparging water, some like to say that 50 ppm alkalinity is acceptable and I prefer to apply a safety factor on that with my recommendation for 25 ppm or less. You are probably OK either way. Just be on the lookout for tannin and silicate harshness if you choose the higher value. I'm not saying it will happen, just that it might. 

 

I don't really find my beers to taste tannic (is this a word?) but what does silicate harshness taste like??




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