Alkalinity Level For Mild

[Saisonator]

I wonder what you aim for?
I am getting my water from 210ppm down to 80ppm with lactic acid.

 

[Wouter]

I wonder what you aim for?
I am getting my water from 210ppm down to 80ppm with lactic acid.

A pH of approximately 5.4 during mashing. Which I do by adding lactic acid and measuring the pH with a pH meter and/or indicator paper.
Anyway somewhere between pH=5.2 and 5.6 is usually the recommended pH, so I just keep to this.

 

[MyQul]

According to Brupaks water treatment, between 100ppm - 150ppm

"Mild Ale. Alkalinity as CaC03 - 100 to 150 p.p.m. Calcium - 90 to 110 p.p.m."

http://www.brupaks.com/water treatment.htm

For dark beers including milds I dont strip out any alkalinity, I just use it my water untreated straight out the tap. Peckham Springs if you will , and it seems to work for me. My water alkalinity is anything from about 180ppm-200ppm

 

[trueblue]

I brew mild's fairly regularly and aim for and alkalinity of 40-70ppm for the mash and 15-25ppm for sparge. Also aim for a sulphate:chloride ratio of 1:3

 

[Sadfield]

Ditto. I use my porter profile. CO3 - 50ppm, 1:3 SO4:Cl ratio. Not that I've done a lot of Milds, but use the same for Brown Ales.

 

[Saisonator]

Hmm quite a big variation from Brupaks?

 

[Sadfield]

I based mine (Porter Profile) of Graham Wheelers water calculator over in Jim's. For Milds he gives the following.

Ca -150
Mg - 10
Na - 50
Co3 - 25
SO4 - 152.9
Cl - 229.3

Not saying one is more right than the other, just interesting in the range of variation. I think at one time most breweries in the country would have brewed mild as a cheap, low strength ale using differing water sources, hence the range in values.

 

[ACBEV]

Also it depends on what kind of mild your brewing... For example Tetley Mild was pale and Fullers X ale (Hock) was very dark (coloured with dark invert sugar and brewers caramel colourant) , neither had any roast malts. These were cheap beers and the ingredients reflected that. Some Best Milds had some roast malts and even crystal malts Lees, Best Mild is a good example), which is nearer to the modern tendency to darken milds with dark roasted malts to achieve the desired colour.

 

[Saisonator]

I based mine (Porter Profile) of Graham Wheelers water calculator over in Jim's. For Milds he gives the following.

Ca -150
Mg - 10
Na - 50
Co3 - 25
SO4 - 152.9
Cl - 229.3

Not saying one is more right than the other, just interesting in the range of variation. I think at one time most breweries in the country would have brewed mild as a cheap, low strength ale using differing water sources, hence the range in values.

Co3-25, that's really low? The bitters I did had higher alkalinity.
As ACBEV remarked about change in the style, maybe this does not allow for the addition of chocolate malt.

 

[Saisonator]

Co3-25, that's really low? The bitters I did had higher alkalinity.
As ACBEV remarked about change in the style, maybe this does not allow for the addition of chocolate malt.

Thinking about it, I have not been happy with any of my amber ales so far, so may need a re-think.

 

[ACBEV]

Thinking about it, I have not been happy with any of my amber ales so far, so may need a re-think.

The newer roasty stuff is more like weak porter or stout and the water profile should match, either a London or Dublin profile. Fullers for example only add gypsum for pale beers and use the water as is for dark beers with roast malts such as stout and porter.

 

[Saisonator]

The newer roasty stuff is more like weak porter or stout and the water profile should match, either a London or Dublin profile. Fullers for example only add gypsum for pale beers and use the water as is for dark beers with roast malts such as stout and porter.

That's interesting, considering that my water is probably from the same source as Fullers.

 

[MyQul]

The newer roasty stuff is more like weak porter or stout and the water profile should match, either a London or Dublin profile. Fullers for example only add gypsum for pale beers and use the water as is for dark beers with roast malts such as stout and porter.

As mentioned I use my water as is for stouts/porters too. I'm guessing I get my water from the same place a Fullers - Thames Water

 

[Saisonator]

As mentioned I use my water as is for stouts/porters too. I'm guessing I get my water from the same place a Fullers - Thames Water

Yes you have much the same alkalinity as me and you've made enough beer.
I wonder if the Fullers Yeast suits the water?
I made a Pale Ale and I will open the first bottle in an hours tim, it smelt fantastic whilst fermenting.

 

[MyQul]

Yes you have much the same alkalinity as me and you've made enough beer.
I wonder if the Fullers Yeast suits the water?
I made a Pale Ale and I will open the first bottle in an hours tim, it smelt fantastic whilst fermenting.

I always acidify my water for pale beers as I get a harsh bitterness otherwise

 

[Saisonator]

I ended up adding 0.2 ml lactic acid per litre to remove 104 ppm of alkalinity from my 210 ppm CaCO3 tap water.
210-104=106ppm and my mash PH measured after 10 mins was 5.28 so worked out fine.
MyQul as a matter of interest what does you mash PH come to with un-acidified tap water, or do you just work on outcome?