Version 2.0 of Palmer's Residual Alkalinity Spreadsheets

[WitsEnd]

A resource I've found about water treatment goals. Might be a start for someone looking into tweaking their water.

http://madfermentationist.blogspot.com/ ... -made.html

[BigNastyBrew]

Nothing like being 6 months late and a few bucks short....

I have a question on the spreadsheet that I could not figure out based off of the instructions provided. This is for the sparge water section

1. I have no clue where to get HCl.
2. My LHBS sells lactic and citrus acids and the LHBS guy has never used salts or acids for brewing. He only uses bottled water and 5.2. Being a new AG brewer, I am interested in the "other way..." the Palmer way.

I understand at the macro level why one would not want to use straight HCl. Can I use all Lactic? It's already at 67% by default? How about Lactic and Citrus combined?

Thanks, all

[Hoppy Brewah]

I have been using Palmer's spreadsheet for a while now to adjust my mash water. My water is relatively soft at 26 ppm calcium bit high in alkalinity at 218 as CACO3. If untreated my water is great for dark beers, SRM = 21-26. I have been using gypsum and calcium chloride to buffer the alkalinity in lighter beers and to increase calcium for yeast health and sulfate levels for hoppy beers. In pale colored beers I use lactic acid to lower the alkalinity of the mash and sparge.

For sparge water, it says to add 10.1 ml of lactic (88%) to reduce alkalinity for 10 gallons of water from ph 9.0 to 7.0. However it says the same 10.1 ml if I enter ph = 7.1 or ph = 14. Wouldn't the ph of my water change the amount of lactic acid needed to bring the ph down to 7 or 6? I think the lactic acid additions have helped the flavor of my light colored beers, but does anyone with a better chemistry knowledge know how much lactic I should add to my sparge water? Or should I look into using R/O or distilled water to dilute my water or build it back up with salts as Doctor Scott does? Cheers!

[DBear]

First Time using the spreadsheet question. Do the mineral additions = total grams for total water, or grams for each gallon of water?

2 gr CaCl total for a 4 gal mash or 2gr CaCl for for each gallon of a 4 gallon mash - 2gr x 4gal = 8 gr total.

Thanks

[BigNastyBrew]

First Time using the spreadsheet question. Do the mineral additions = total grams for total water, or grams for each gallon of water?

2 gr CaCl total for a 4 gal mash or 2gr CaCl for for each gallon of a 4 gallon mash - 2gr x 4gal = 8 gr total.

Thanks

I just asked this same question

For all of the mash water (not each gallon)

[DBear]

Thanks BNB

[natmartin]

How would using a PH buffer like 5.2 affect the salt additions from this spreadsheet?

[DannyW]

How would using a PH buffer like 5.2 affect the salt additions from this spreadsheet?

throws them out the window. Since we don't know what is in 5.2, we can't calculate for it. Seems to me it's one or the other - use the spreadsheet, or use 5.2. either way will probably make beer

Oh, and for what it's worth, I sparge with RO water so I don't have to mess with acid at that point in the process. I figure if I'm just trying to neutralize alkalinity, and I have non alkaline water available, why not use it?