Acidulated Malt

[bleachcola]

I want to try out this recipe but am wondering if there's too much acidulated malt in it. I have no experience with the stuff. Any advice? Way too much? I want to be able to taste a touch of lactic acid in the final product.

73% Pilsner
18% Wheat Malt
9% Acidulated Malt

OG: 1.051
IBU: 20 from a sixty minute boil of Tradition
Wyeast 3942
Just a gram each of coriander and curacao in this 3gal batch.

Water Info
PH: 6.8
Alkalinity: 59
Hardness: 110

[ajdelange]

At first blush, yes, way too much. The nominal wisdom is that each percent acidulated malt will drop the mash pH 0.1 units so 9% would drop it 0.9 pH relative to distilled water pH which would make it 4.8 - 4.9. Your water's RA would raise that somewhat (less that 0.1) which would still be too low but not by that much and the enzymes would probably still be able to do their job if not as effectively as at a somewhat higher pH. At those levels you would dobtless taste lactic acid but given you want that this would not be a problem. So you might want to consider mashing with half the specified amount of sauermalz which should give you a mash pH of around 5.4, letting the enzymes do their job and then adding the rest for flavor.

So the question arises as to where this recipe came from. Has someone brewed it with success? If so, you can forget my comments and follow that brewer's advice.

[Dmac08]

I have used as much as 10% in the grain bill for a wit. Just keep an eye on your PH and it will be fine. I don't see a problem with your recipe.

[positiverpr]

didnt you get "acidulated" enough two weekends ago? if you have any leftovers you could skip the acid malt and just dry hop with it. the beer will sound fine.

[ajdelange]

If you are going to add it to the beer I would think the liquid lactic acid a much more practical way to do it. You can just add it to taste but be aware that is takes a few days to "meld" and you can overshoot so do it to taste with a syringe or pipet in a glassfull, scale up to the volume of beer you are going to treat, add half, wait a day or 2, taste, add half the remaining half, wait etc. until it is right where you want it.

[bleachcola]

At first blush, yes, way too much. The nominal wisdom is that each percent acidulated malt will drop the mash pH 0.1 units so 9% would drop it 0.9 pH relative to distilled water pH which would make it 4.8 - 4.9. Your water's RA would raise that somewhat (less that 0.1) which would still be too low but not by that much and the enzymes would probably still be able to do their job if not as effectively as at a somewhat higher pH. At those levels you would dobtless taste lactic acid but given you want that this would not be a problem. So you might want to consider mashing with half the specified amount of sauermalz which should give you a mash pH of around 5.4, letting the enzymes do their job and then adding the rest for flavor.

So the question arises as to where this recipe came from. Has someone brewed it with success? If so, you can forget my comments and follow that brewer's advice.

I just pulled the recipe out of my ass. Read somewhere that 8-10% acidulated malt would let you taste the acid. And the wheat percentage is the upper limit of wheat that I can use before getting stuck mashes without the help of rice hulls. So threw it all together but then thought there might be an issue with water chemistry. But I don't know enough to figure that out. Was thinking that I might have to add 5.2 to raise the mash ph but then thought that would mess with the flavor.

[bleachcola]

If you are going to add it to the beer I would think the liquid lactic acid a much more practical way to do it. You can just add it to taste but be aware that is takes a few days to "meld" and you can overshoot so do it to taste with a syringe or pipet in a glassfull, scale up to the volume of beer you are going to treat, add half, wait a day or 2, taste, add half the remaining half, wait etc. until it is right where you want it.

I have this weird hang up that makes me want to accomplish taste profiles with malt instead of other things. I can't explain it but I have to try to accomplish a taste with just the malt before I use outside extras.

[Ironman]

If you are going to add it to the beer I would think the liquid lactic acid a much more practical way to do it. You can just add it to taste but be aware that is takes a few days to "meld" and you can overshoot so do it to taste with a syringe or pipet in a glassfull, scale up to the volume of beer you are going to treat, add half, wait a day or 2, taste, add half the remaining half, wait etc. until it is right where you want it.

I have this weird hang up that makes me want to accomplish taste profiles with malt instead of other things. I can't explain it but I have to try to accomplish a taste with just the malt before I use outside extras.

(In my best Tommy Chong voice..) Yea Man, Its like you got to stay natural with your brew man. adding lactic acid is like so unnatural man. I agree.