What are you brewing?

[nzbrewer]

Since this is the most popular thread on the RealBeer.co.nz forum I thought I would start it here just to see what happens

[vdog]

Nope - I do three additions. 40IBU of Cascade at 60min, 18IBU Goldings at 30min and 5IBU Goldings at 10min. My OG is higher than yours though (1.062), so you'll want to scale it to suit.

[jt]

Don't think I'll go 1:1, it's not that sort of beer
The dark ale's have had the malt focus lately - might just leave it at 65-70% - a bit up on the lighter mild
Thanks

[JackoNZ]

Well today is WnBC Imperial Plum IPA time. Just bringing my mash water up to temp for this recipe:

5.60 kg ..Pale Malt (2 Row) UK (Bairds) (3.1 SRM) Grain 86.55 %
0.30 kg .Munich I (Weyermann) (8.1 SRM) Grain 4.64 %
0.19 kg .Crystal, Pale (Bairds) (50.8 SRM) Grain 2.94 %
0.19 kg .Global Light Caramel - 20L-30L (9.0 SRM) Grain 2.94 %
0.19 kg Sugar, Table (Sucrose) (1.0 SRM) Sugar 2.94 %


10.00 gm .Pacific Jade [11.60 %] (60 min) Hops 13.2 IBU
10.00 gm .Pacific Jade [11.60 %] (55 min) Hops 12.9 IBU
10.00 gm .Pacific Jade [11.60 %] (50 min) Hops 12.6 IBU
10.00 gm .Pacific Jade [11.60 %] (45 min) Hops 12.1 IBU
10.00 gm .Centennial [9.20 %] (30 min) Hops 8.0 IBU
10.00 gm .Centennial [9.20 %] (25 min) Hops 7.3 IBU
10.00 gm .Centennial [9.20 %] (20 min) Hops 6.3 IBU
25.00 gm .Pacific Hallertau [4.50 %] (Dry Hop 5 Hops -

0.01 gm Koppafloc (Boil 15.0 min) Misc
2.00 kg Plum (Secondary 7.0 days) Misc
2 Pkgs SafAle American Ale (DCL Yeast #US-05) Yeast-Ale

Having a bit of a play with this one so layering the hops instead of one big hit and also adding some sugar to hopefully dry it out a little. Might dry hop the pacifica if the plums end up coming through quite strong. I read it has a slight cinnamon spice aroma so it should go well with the plums.

72IBU's and ~8%ABV

[JackoNZ]

Today I tried out my new PH meter with some interesting results. The tap water is around 7.5 but once grains were mashed in that had dropped to 5.26, which is about spot on I believe. So am I lucky with my tap water or is that combo of grains enough to bring the PH down?

[Mike Neilson]

Awsome stuff aye make brewing Idiot proof!! Not wait till you add Gypsum or chloride and your mash ph is 4.9 and you have to add carbonate to get it up!! Any way just mashed this in

Clear Out The Grain Robust Porter

57% Golden Promise
18% Munich II
6% Melanodin
4% Flaked Barley
4% Pale Choc
2% Choc
2% Cara Afa Special II
3% Thomas Fawcett Dark Crystal
3% Caramunich II

67 Mash

30Ibu Chinook @ 60

1.057 - 1.014
WLP007

I have done 140ppm of carbonate, but its a Baking Soda addition not Chalk, to see what the benefit is also 60ppm Chloride to get the Calcium up. Hopefully the beer is nicely seasoned!!

[Mike Neilson]

Just boiling now, Thomas Fawcett dark crystal + roast malts = Dark stone fruits, Raisins with coffee and choclate!! Fucking nice!! I just which I had some Target to bitter it with oh well Chinook will do. Thomas Fawcett Dark Crystal is so good!! I dare you's all to try it in your dark beers this winter!!

[denimglen]

So am I lucky with my tap water or is that combo of grains enough to bring the PH down?

You mashed the right grist with the right water.

If that was a light coloured beer expect a dark beer to be a lower pH or vice versa.

pH of the water doesn't actually have much to do with the pH of the mash. It's the combinations of ions reacting with malt compounds that gives you your pH.

[Mike Neilson]

pH of the water doesn't actually have much to do with the pH of the mash

Of cause it dose!! Imagine if you water was highly alkaline around 8.5 say that means your grist has to work harder to get you ph down. I know of 1 brewer who makes a bloody nice stout who has to ad Lactic in it to get it down as the water he uses is so hard.

[denimglen]

Not necessarily.

Just because you're water is high pH it doesn't mean that it has a high buffering capacity.

The pH only is telling you the ratio of H+ to OH-, not how easily they stay disassociated.

Overview of pH.

[Mike Neilson]

Meh Glen, Commonsence prevails, Go chuck a Teaspoon of Baking soda into a cup of water and see what the ph is? than chuck a teaspoon of vinegar into it and see what happens, Take a ph reading of your tap water than go boil your tap water for 10 mins than see what the PH is? I use the KISS method of brew science.

[Soren]

I think I'm with glen on this one, the composition of minerals in the water is more important for the mash ph than the actual ph of the water. CaCl for example does not do much to the pH of the water (as far as I remember!) but has a big effect on the mash ph.

[denimglen]

Sweet as bro, you run with that I'll go with the years of research on the topic.

Do you think there would be so many RA calculators/nomographs/spreadsheets out there if it really was as simple as 1 = 1?

CaCl for example does not do much to the pH of the water (as far as I remember!) but has a big effect on the mash ph.

Exactly. Dump a whole bunch of 5.2 buffer into water and you're likely to see very little change in the pH. Mash in and watch it hit 5.2 everytime no matter the grist.