No acid malt - can I use an acid rest?
- Thread starter WelshPaul
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RobWalker
Well-Known Member
i remember reading that acid malt actually only exists to keep in check with german purity laws - you can use other methods to change the ph if you're not fussed about using 100% malt :lol: can't help from there....
rpt
Brewing without a hat
The Graham Wheeler recipe for Adnams Broadside contains acid malt, so it's not just German beers that use it.
pittsy
Landlord.
acid malt does lower ph in mashing , it is pilsner malt sprayed with lacto something or other (can't spell or remember) so is very useful and easy , acid rests won't work as it will take possibly days for the ph to start to lower so skip the acid .My last batch was brewed with 4% and it dropped by around 3% extra , i've yet to sample any as it's in fermenter .
pittsy
Landlord.
p.s , use around 20% distilled water and that will lower ph by around 0.2 maybe.
It helps to have small bottle of lactic acid in the kitchen, just in case. 
If you have any winemaker shop nearby, try them. Lactol has common use in winemaking. If you want to drop pH, you might try with phosphoric acid, it's just as safe as lactic, although stronger. But in this case phosphoric is of no use.
If you have any winemaker shop nearby, try them. Lactol has common use in winemaking. If you want to drop pH, you might try with phosphoric acid, it's just as safe as lactic, although stronger. But in this case phosphoric is of no use.
pittsy
Landlord.
no idea , do you know what your mash ph is ( depends on how much dark malt you use , dark = lower ph ) and have you a water report ? i could assist you with what you can do .
mabrungard
Well-Known Member
You need to know your alkalinity and the rest of the water quality parameters first. If you have little alkalinity, then an acid rest could provide the acidity needed to reach a proper mash pH. But if the water has significant alkalinity, the acid rest won't dent it without allowing hours or days to let the lactic bacteria do their work.
If the water has significant Temporary Hardness, then a quick boil, rest, and decant could drop that alkalinity to a more modest 50 to 60 ppm range. That might make it possible to use an acid rest and hit your pH.
Using Citric acid is an option, but it has fairly notable flavor impact. If the alkalinity is low and you don't have to add much, then it might work.
Do visit the Water Knowledge page on the Bru'n Water website to learn more about this acidification issue. By the way, Bru'n Water includes a calculator with Citric acid, but you have to know what your water profile is.
Good luck.
If the water has significant Temporary Hardness, then a quick boil, rest, and decant could drop that alkalinity to a more modest 50 to 60 ppm range. That might make it possible to use an acid rest and hit your pH.
Using Citric acid is an option, but it has fairly notable flavor impact. If the alkalinity is low and you don't have to add much, then it might work.
Do visit the Water Knowledge page on the Bru'n Water website to learn more about this acidification issue. By the way, Bru'n Water includes a calculator with Citric acid, but you have to know what your water profile is.
Good luck.
Decent water reports are hard to come by in my area (Dwr Cymru). I can find the "average hardness" and I can find a full breakdown of every single foreign body in the water, but nothing as useful as pH or CACO3.pittsy said:
rpt
Brewing without a hat
Have you asked your water company for a full report? They should send you one if you ask.WelshPaul said:
pittsy
Landlord.
nice 1 , be sure to ask as much as you can think of for water treatment as they have already done all the hard work
