Adjusting recipe PH in Brewfather

[buddsy]

So Ive been playing around with Brewfather making my own recipes. Either reusing and adjusting other peoples or creating my own.

David Heath & Homebrew Network both have good youtube videos detailing how its done.

As you make adjustments the graph showing "style" levels changes so you can make adjustments and see how they change various aspects.


The mash PH is shown in green if you are at an optimal range and red if you go out of this.


So as I understand it your starting water PH has no real effect on your mash PH as long as your alkalinity has been considered/treated?

I understand that dark roasted malts reduces the alkalinity and you can add acid malts.


So my question is what are my options to adjust a mash PH up and down?

Hope not too stupid newbie question :-)


Thanks in advance

buddsy

 

[foxy]

I occasionally use phosphoric acid 25%, generally for my water adjustments around 5 grams of chloride and gypsum, we have soft water here. You are right about the darker malt, what I find best is to make the darker non fermentable malts a late addition, raise the temperature to 77 C and add the crystal, chocolate, roast etc for 15 minutes.(mash out) Apart from that you can steep them either hot or cold steep and add at the end of boil. This makes the salt adjustments easier.
Don't know about how Brewfather works as I have never used it.

 

[buddsy]

Nice one thanks for the info.

I guess my question is not really brewfather specific its just this software estimates the PH from the recipe.

So making the darker malts non fermentable, that means the OG needs to come from the base malt?

The darker malts do they give much sweetness? Or are they low in adding sweetness due to their nature of being roasted?

Thanks again

buddsy

 

[foxy]

Even though the darker malts are known as non fermentable they do add some fermentable sugars. I think that is why Gordon Strong advocates making the non fermentable malts a late addition when they can't be converted, just adding colour, sweetness and body.
Well worth getting Gordon Strong's book Brewing Better Beer.

From another forum.
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/do-crystal-malts-add-more-unfermentables.85755/

 

[buddsy]

Thank you I will do that.

buddsy

 

[The Baron]

Even though the darker malts are known as non fermentable they do add some fermentable sugars. I think that is why Gordon Strong advocates making the non fermentable malts a late addition when they can't be converted, just adding colour, sweetness and body.
Well worth getting Gordon Strong's book Brewing Better Beer.

From another forum.
https://aussiehomebrewer.com/threads/do-crystal-malts-add-more-unfermentables.85755/

I too add my darker possibly bitter/astringency grains late additions to get the colour and less of the dark roasted bitterness which can spoil a beer