nutty_gnome
Well-Known Member
Summary: Is a small amount of chalk effective or am I just adding insoluble minerals to my mash?
Long form:
So I am in need of a light pale ale for Summer. Here is the malt bill:
9lb Breiss pilsen (1 SRM)
1.5 Weyerman Carahell (roughly 11 srm)
Various late addition hops.
S-05 yeasty beasties
I do BIAB and will mash the grains with 7.75gal water.
I normally use gypsum and calcium chloride in the mash to boost calcium and set the sulfate to chloride ratio along with baking soda (to boost the 'OH's and lactic to (hopefully) arrive at the pH predicted by Ez Water Calc. and Bru'n Water Calc. It has worked well so far, the beers have been decent.
I'd like to move away from baking soda so i am looking at chalk as a way to build some bicarbonate/alkalinity along with calcium. Respected contributors have repeatedly stated that chalk doesn't dissolve well in the mash. I am wondering if that is true even if you only use a small amount of chalk.
The image below shows my planned water additions and expected profile based on the "yellow balanced" profile in Bru'n water. Ez Water Calc is also agrees that this combination would produce a proper pH. But will the chalk dissolve in the mash? Or am I just adding insoluble minerals to my mash?
Pic below:
Long form:
So I am in need of a light pale ale for Summer. Here is the malt bill:
9lb Breiss pilsen (1 SRM)
1.5 Weyerman Carahell (roughly 11 srm)
Various late addition hops.
S-05 yeasty beasties
I do BIAB and will mash the grains with 7.75gal water.
I normally use gypsum and calcium chloride in the mash to boost calcium and set the sulfate to chloride ratio along with baking soda (to boost the 'OH's and lactic to (hopefully) arrive at the pH predicted by Ez Water Calc. and Bru'n Water Calc. It has worked well so far, the beers have been decent.
I'd like to move away from baking soda so i am looking at chalk as a way to build some bicarbonate/alkalinity along with calcium. Respected contributors have repeatedly stated that chalk doesn't dissolve well in the mash. I am wondering if that is true even if you only use a small amount of chalk.
The image below shows my planned water additions and expected profile based on the "yellow balanced" profile in Bru'n water. Ez Water Calc is also agrees that this combination would produce a proper pH. But will the chalk dissolve in the mash? Or am I just adding insoluble minerals to my mash?
Pic below: