Beer Forum

Hey all,

I purchased citric acid from my LHHS since they didn't have any lactic. The label on the package doesn't state the strength of the citric acid and when i asked the staff they didn't know. any idea on what the "standard strength" is?

i want to use it acidify my sparge water.

thanks,

tg

No clue as to the strength. I would check the ph of a known volume of water, add a small measured amount of that citric acid and recheck the ph. You should be able to extrapolate how much to use for a known volume of sparge water.

Wayne

Bugeater wrote:No clue as to the strength. I would check the ph of a known volume of water, add a small measured amount of that citric acid and recheck the ph. You should be able to extrapolate how much to use for a known volume of sparge water.

Wayne

This would require a ph meter though (not sure strips would be accurate enough) and i'm hoping to do it on the cheap.

bufordsbest wrote:

Bugeater wrote:No clue as to the strength. I would check the ph of a known volume of water, add a small measured amount of that citric acid and recheck the ph. You should be able to extrapolate how much to use for a known volume of sparge water.

Wayne

This would require a ph meter though (not sure strips would be accurate enough) and i'm hoping to do it on the cheap.

go down to the pest store and get a PH test kit for aquariums, they are about 10 bucks, should get you close enough to be able to extrapolate addition.

The relative strength of the two acids depends on the pH. In taking water from pH 7-8 to pH around 6 citric is, on a weight basis, about 6% stronger than lactic so that if you used 1 gram of lactic you'd get the same effect with 0.94 grams of citrtic. OTOH in lowering mash pH (where you are going from pH around 5.7 to 5.3 or 5.4 citric is about 2% weaker so that if you had used 1 gram of lactic you would have to use 1.02 grams of citric. IOW, they are approximately the same in strength in either case.

That aside, I'd follow the advice to do a test with some of the water. I would think that pH strips would be accurate enough in this case. Do you really care about setting the pH of the sparge water accurately? But I do think every brewer should own a pH meter.

Thanks for the reply AJ.

I guess i don't need that accurate of a ph reading for sparge water, as long as i'm sub 6.0 i'd be happy. i'm starting off with 7.9 though so that's why i figure i should be making an adjustment.

a ph meter is probably on my list of next things to get.

[quote="bufordsbest"]any idea on what the "standard strength" is?/quote]

None of that matters.
You need to know the pH of the fluids before & during the mash
Every thing you do to the mash messes with the pH.
If you are disinclined from getting a spendy pH meter get those lovely accurate colorphast strips they are great.

I believe that unless there are additives it's 99.9% pure so it's about 100% ascorbic acid

But you'll be testing the mash anyway.
Use it in increments of 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon and have a pH test means and some Water Salts handy in case you got carried away.