6 replies to this topic

[LeftyMPfrmDE]

Finally decided to get serious with water chemistry. Brewed up a SMaSh of golden promise and mosaic. Last go around with this beer, mash Ph was 5.8 this time, 5.3, going off a ward labs report as a baseline.

Kind of hoping this is the last veritable to work the kinks out of my pale ales; they always come out...ok, i guess; always seem to come out muddled.

[Big Nake]

The 5.3 mash pH is good for sure. I'm not an expert on BNW but in terms of the pH, I feel like the different spots in the process have different impacts. The mash pH is for yield, mash efficiency and ideal conditions for the conversion. If you do a sparge like I do, that pH reading is more to make sure that the sparge does not rise above 6.0 where more tannin extraction could be an issue. My water pH is 7.5 so mixing that directly with the grains could be (and has been) an issue. Last, the kettle pH can drive the beer's final flavor in one direction or another. If the pH is lower, the beer can have that refreshing *SNAP* to it. If the boil/kettle pH is higher, the beer can be more boring (people call it flabby) and flat-tasting. My guess is that this latest beer of yours will have some new (better) flavors for you.

[LeftyMPfrmDE]

flabby would be a good description; the APAs I make always seem to be missing that "SNAP", as you say. the sparge had a pH of 5.8, and didn't get a chance to measure the kettle pH. Time will tell on this one.

[HVB]

5.3 is good.  What was the water profile?  PPM for Ca, Cl and SO4 mainly.

[LeftyMPfrmDE]

Ca: 17.6, Cl: 39, s04: 36

[Big Nake]

With a lot of our long-held beliefs being smashed by the guys at Brulosophy (thanks Marshall!), I can say that one area that you still want to be careful with is a mash or sparge (grains and water mixed together) with a pH at or even approaching 6.0. I say that with many years of experience and many, many gallons of dreadful pale beer to my credit. It was only once I pretreated the strike water and sparge water and got the pH lower that I was able to make consistently good styles like helles, pilsner, kolsch, American lager, etc. Knowing how all these pieces fit together can only help so you're on the right road for sure.

Ca: 17.6, Cl: 39, s04: 36

The balanced Cl:SO4 is fine but I would like to see the Ca higher. 1 gram each of CaCl and CaSO4 would help... maybe even a little more (says Drez ).

[HVB]

Ca: 17.6, Cl: 39, s04: 36

I think it will be a better beer than the one at 5.8pH.  Personally, I would have gone a little higher on SO4 if you were trying to not be muddled but each person/drinker has a preference and sometimes that can only be discovered with trial and error.