Sodium carbonates (bicarbonate of soda) or baking soda for salt additions???

[Monkhouse]

I’m so damn confused right now! So basically on Brewfather app it calls for the addition of:
baking soda (NaHCO3)
What I have in my cupboard is bicarbonate of soda which on the back of that pack states it is (sodium carbonates)
I look online and sodium carbonate is actually Na2CO3 so… what gives? Can I use my cupboard bicarbonate of soda (Na2CO3) or do I have to find some actual (NaHCO3) ??

 

[peebee]

There seems to be a bit of shenanigans with brackets. And I'm not sure "sodium carbonate" actually exists?

Sodium Bicarbonate (aka. Bicarbonate of Soda) sounds fine. Its more predictable than adding insoluble Calcium Carbonate ("chalk") to your mash ingredients (apparently it does work though). It adds "alkalinity" which is an unusual requirement, but "Carnforth" probably has very soft water? I use it 'cos we have soft water here in Wales.

 

[YeastFace]

Na²CO³ is the dried soda ash, once mixed with water you get NaHCO³

Na²CO³ + CO² + H²O - 2 NaHCO³

Americans calls bicarb baking soda (not to be confused with baking powder).

 

[Monkhouse]

There seems to be a bit of shenanigans with brackets. And I'm not sure "sodium carbonate" actually exists?

Sodium Bicarbonate (aka. Bicarbonate of Soda) sounds fine. Its more predictable than adding insoluble Calcium Carbonate ("chalk") to your mash ingredients (apparently it does work though). It adds "alkalinity" which is an unusual requirement, but "Carnforth" probably has very soft water? I use it 'cos we have soft water here in Wales.

carnforth does indeed have very soft water, it’s an imperial stout I’m adding the salt additions to. I can do pales no problem at all with my standard tap water but stouts I think need a bit of a helping hand when it comes to my water.
By the way I used brackets in order to make what I was writing clear to whoever read it.

 

[moto748]

There seems to be a bit of shenanigans with brackets. And I'm not sure "sodium carbonate" actually exists?

Sodium Bicarbonate (aka. Bicarbonate of Soda) sounds fine. Its more predictable than adding insoluble Calcium Carbonate ("chalk") to your mash ingredients (apparently it does work though). It adds "alkalinity" which is an unusual requirement, but "Carnforth" probably has very soft water? I use it 'cos we have soft water here in Wales.

Sodium carbonate does exist, it's washing soda. I have a big bag of it under my sink. I wouldn't put it in beer, though.

 

[Monkhouse]

Sodium carbonate does exist, it's washing soda. I have a big bag of it under my sink. I wouldn't put it in beer, though.

So how come this bicarb of soda from aldi states sodium carbonate on the back?

 

[Hazelwood Brewery]

Maybe if the ingredients are listed as carbonates it includes a blend of carbonate and bicarbonate?

Carbonate is more basic than bicarbonate so may have a bigger impact on pH.

I think you’d be fine using it. If the pH is a little off target then you’ll have learned something and you can make the necessary adjustment for your next brew.

 

[Monkhouse]

I’ve ordered some arm and hammer baking soda that actually has the ingredients listed as bicarbonate of soda. I didn’t think it was worth taking the risk- it’s quite a big beer I’m doing so don’t want to mess it up!
Thanks for all the replies
Dave

 

[peebee]

Sodium carbonate does exist, it's washing soda. I have a big bag of it under my sink. I wouldn't put it in beer, though.

Of course it does! Sorry, was thinking of something quite different. I pour loads of it down the sink every time I've finished using sodium percarbonate ("oxy" cleaner, etc.).

[EDIT: As for not putting washing soda in beer, many think sodium percarbonate is a no-rinse cleaner and effectively do put washing soda in their beer! Oh aye, and it was Calcium Bicarbonate I was having a brain fuse thinking of - it doesn't exist as a solid. Flippin' carbonate this, bicarbonate that, enough to melt anyone's head.]

 

[Pennine]

Next time grab some slaked lime rather than baking soda. You don't need to work about the sodium then.

Do you a have a pH meter to measure your mash pH?

 

[peebee]

Next time grab some slaked lime rather than baking soda. You don't need to work about the sodium then. ...

I happily use "slaked lime" too, often as well as baking soda. But I try to keep quiet about because I find it has one very significant property:

It can get you into all sorts of blazing arguments!

I think it mainly stems to its unusual use to soften water. But this counter-intuitive "property" can only occur in very high pH waters that you would never see coming out of a British tap. Still, it's worth revising on if you want to mention "slaked lime" very often.



I got myself some potassium bicarbonate to deal with potential overloading with sodium. But I've never had an opportunity to use it. I have potassium chloride too (to use instead of common salt), but again, never had a reason to use it.

 

[Pennine]

I happily use "slaked lime" too, often as well as baking soda. But I try to keep quiet about because I find it has one very significant property:

It can get you into all sorts of blazing arguments!

I think it mainly stems to its unusual use to soften water. But this counter-intuitive "property" can only occur in very high pH waters that you would never see coming out of a British tap. Still, it's worth revising on if you want to mention "slaked lime" very often.



I got myself some potassium bicarbonate to deal with potential overloading with sodium. But I've never had an opportunity to use it. I have potassium chloride too (to use instead of common salt), but again, never had a reason to use it.

I have wondered about potassium chloride, I use it as a salt substitute too but have read it can make beer metallic?

I have used lime on the fly if my mash drops below 5.2, works like a charm. I find though there is little reason to add either lime or baking soda to dark beers as they don't seem to lower pH as much as the software thinks with my relatively soft water.

 

[DuncR]

As a total aside (and hence we’ll worth ignoring), I went to school in Carnforth. Mind you, so did a lot of other people to be fare.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

I went to school in Carnforth.

Used to love visiting the steam museum thingy back in the day.

 

[Monkhouse]

I grew up on grosvenor place right next to the railway and a literal stones throw from steamtown. Went to our lady’s primary next door to carnforth high, Moved away around age 8 and moved back to start a family 10 years ago at the top of haws hill. Wouldn’t live anywhere else now tbf!