Acid malt

[Budgie]

Evening all,

I finally got my brew fridge build last weekend so I'm having a crack at my first proper lager - a Pilsner tonight.

I've bought some pH test strips too as I've never bothered testing my mash pH before. I know acid malt can be used to drive down the pH, but I've read that a small addition to the grain bill is recommended for all pilsners.

So my question is should I add some to the grain bill, and if so how much? Or should I check the mash pH first then add if necessary?

Vielen dank.

 

[MyQul]

The brewpaks grain guide says a max 10% but you might want to add less and see how i goes. It's also suppsed to add a certain 'zing' to a lager too. Never used it myself though

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64077

 

[strange-steve]

Well the reason for using acid malt in a pilsner is that with a 100% pils malt grist most people need to lower their water alkalinity to get the mash pH correct. Weyermanns rule of thumb is that 1% acid malt will reduce the mash pH by 0.1, however unless you know your water chemistry it's all guess work.
What is your alkalinity? Do you treat your water? What would the mash pH be without the acid malt?

 

[Budgie]

The brewpaks grain guide says a max 10% but you might want to add less and see how i goes. It's also suppsed to add a certain 'zing' to a lager too. Never used it myself though

http://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=64077

I've stuck 50g into a 10 litre batch which is only about 2.8% of the grist. The pH was 5.2 so I'm happy with that. I do have soft water though so it probably wasn't really necessary. I'm not sure what effect the acid malt will have taste wise. I suspect something very subtle if anything.

 

[Budgie]

Well the reason for using acid malt in a pilsner is that with a 100% pils malt grist most people need to lower their water alkalinity to get the mash pH correct. Weyermanns rule of thumb is that 1% acid malt will reduce the mash pH by 0.1, however unless you know your water chemistry it's all guess work.
What is your alkalinity? Do you treat your water? What would the mash pH be without the acid malt?

Water treatment is something I'm just researching so a relative novice really. I had read that 1% = a .1 reduction in pH but having never tested my mash pH before, as you say was just guess work. Seems to have worked out OK so far though. (This is the bit where I pretend I knew what I was doing all along!)

 

[strange-steve]

Afaik acid malt is about 3% lactic acid by weight so you've used about 0.15g/l of acid which I think is well below the taste threshold.
Good luck with your foray into water treatment, it's not as complex as people think. One thing though, don't confuse hardness with alkalinity. Hard water is good for brewing, alkalinity is bad.

 

[geetee]

I made a pale ale using 3% acid malt, 3% flaked oats and teh rest lager malt. No pH adjustment just added to the mash. used all styrian hops with it and I got a fruity zingy lager coloured ale, one of the best I have made.

I got the idea from a local brewery ,Wylam, who used the same malt bill in a grapefruity NZ hopped ale , that was awesome! It's worth a try fro a refreshing summer beer, if we ever get a summer that is!

 

[Budgie]

I made a pale ale using 3% acid malt, 3% flaked oats and teh rest lager malt. No pH adjustment just added to the mash. used all styrian hops with it and I got a fruity zingy lager coloured ale, one of the best I have made.

I got the idea from a local brewery ,Wylam, who used the same malt bill in a grapefruity NZ hopped ale , that was awesome! It's worth a try fro a refreshing summer beer, if we ever get a summer that is!

Sounds great. Not holding out much hope for getting a summer though!

 

[MyQul]

I made a pale ale using 3% acid malt, 3% flaked oats and teh rest lager malt. No pH adjustment just added to the mash. used all styrian hops with it and I got a fruity zingy lager coloured ale, one of the best I have made.

I got the idea from a local brewery ,Wylam, who used the same malt bill in a grapefruity NZ hopped ale , that was awesome! It's worth a try fro a refreshing summer beer, if we ever get a summer that is!

Sounds fantastic. Do you know what the alkalinity of your water is?

 

[F00b4r]

I made a pale ale using 3% acid malt, 3% flaked oats and teh rest lager malt. No pH adjustment just added to the mash. used all styrian hops with it and I got a fruity zingy lager coloured ale, one of the best I have made.



I got the idea from a local brewery ,Wylam, who used the same malt bill in a grapefruity NZ hopped ale , that was awesome! It's worth a try fro a refreshing summer beer, if we ever get a summer that is!

I will attest to it being a great beer, I have my take on it being made very soon [emoji3]
GeeTee what was the Wylam beer?

The acid malt was mashed separately and then added, this meant it added the zing but didn't screw up the mash up, see the Slovenian Triple SSS thread [emoji6]

 

[geetee]

I will attest to it being a great beer, I have my take on it being made very soon [emoji3]
GeeTee what was the Wylam beer?

The acid malt was mashed separately and then added, this meant it added the zing but didn't screw up the mash up, see the Slovenian Triple SSS thread [emoji6]

The Wylam beer was called "WxY" a colaboration with Yeastie boys from New Zraland launched at the Crown Posada, they only made one batch as far as I know, I spoke to Ben Wilkinson the Wylam brewer and he gave me the info on the beer. It was interesting in that they had three variants, Bottle keg and cask and all were very different beers. The keg was superb like drinking Breakfast grapefruit at 6.3% ABV. Packed with all the usual tropical NZ hops. I still have the bottle I was given on the night. I am hoping to repeat using Green Bullit, Rakau, Motueka and dry hopped with Nelson Sauvin

PS my water is not very alkaline I check it often with Salifert test and never have to adjust it. I usually add a few gms of calcium chloride and suphate (gyspum) following my Northumbria water report

 

[BeerisGOD]

Just wandering what acid malt brings to the table flavour wise. I know it's used in adnams broadside which does have a unique taste. But if it's just for pH I'm prob not all that concerned

 

[F00b4r]

Just wandering what acid malt brings to the table flavour wise. I know it's used in adnams broadside which does have a unique taste. But if it's just for pH I'm prob not all that concerned

It can bring a slight tang, which can add a freshness to a beer.
Some people have a sensitivity to lactic acid (this is what acidulated malt surface is sprayed with) though so some people may not like the effect at certain thresholds.