Announcing the release of 'Mash Made Easy' version 8.45 in US and Metric formats

[Silver_Is_Money]

'Mash Made Easy' version 8.45 has just been published to my website. The spreadsheet is free and complete. There is no pay version. Available in both US and Metric versions.

Only change made:

Reduces the downward pH shift impact of calcium and magnesium mineralization within the mash to better comply with the pH shift observed by D.G. Taylor in the publication titled: "The importance of pH control during brewing." MBAA Tech. Quart. 27: 131-136

Presumes that D.G. Taylor's observed mineral induced pH drop measurement was made specifically for a standard 'Congress Mash' with a water to grist ratio of 4 Liters per Kg.

The effect of this has been to reduce the percentage of Kolbach pH drop due to the addition of Ca and Mg as observed within the mash to 81% of what Kolbach measured. Kolbach did not measure the effect of such mineral induced pH drop for calcium and magnesium added to the mash until knockout, well downstream of the mash. This is an attempt by me to bring the work of Kolbach and Taylor into better sync. for pH as measured within the mash (as opposed to measurement at knockout).

 

[Horseflesh]

I do EBIAB with a huge amount of dead space. After the last Bru’n Water math update, my predictions got worse, so much so that I reverted to an older version. I believe I read that this is a known issue for BW... to your knowledge does your tool work any better in this situation?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I do EBIAB with a huge amount of dead space. After the last Bru’n Water math update, my predictions got worse, so much so that I reverted to an older version. I believe I read that this is a known issue for BW... to your knowledge does your tool work any better in this situation?

MME does not attempt to alter initial mash pH's (or its mash pH guidance advice) based upon alterations in mash thickness (changes in the amount of water used by which to mash a given grist) provided strictly and specifically that all of the various 'mEq's' involved within the mash remain constant*. A quick review of the charts seen on page 4 of the dissertation titled "A Homebrewing Perspective on Mash pH III: Distilled-Water pH and Buffering Capacity of the Grist" by D. Mark Riffe and Mick Spencer, as published on May 10, 2018, will reveal this to be an accurate approach. If other mash pH assistant programs or spreadsheets exhibit noticeable swings in mash pH with changes in mash thickness for distilled water mashes, they should review page 4 of this dissertation and consider that in the real world of mashing such swings are not generally witnessed to occur.

*It should be made clear at this juncture that mEq's for both minerals and alkalinity do not remain constant with changes in mash thickness if they are based upon any attempt at maintaining constant ppm's within the mash water as its volume is varied, but the various of mEq's associated with the grist itself do remain constant therein as long as grist weight and constituency percentages remain constant. PPM is a highly problematic and massively flawed means whereby to approach water profiles for this very reason. And that is why the referenced dissertation above clearly specifies that its findings are for distilled water. For example, a constant 100 ppm of calcium or alkalinity present within a no-sparge 9 gallon mash volume has twice the pH shifting mEq's of both calcium and alkalinity vs. the mEq's of these present within a 4.5 gallon mash of an identical grist (with subsequent 4.5 gallon sparge). pH shift is induced (and thereby must be computed) in relation to mEq's, and not ppm's (until such ppm's are all converted into mEq's).

 

[RPh_Guy]

@Silver_Is_Money
I have a few thoughts, hope you don't mind...

Have you considered factoring in the amount of hops into the kettle (post-boil) pH prediction? From my understanding, hops can significantly shift the pH upward.
Also, is there any way you could make it so that the kettle pH tool pulls in the custom lactic or phosphoric acid strength?

I'm also wondering whether wheat has a different effect than barley ... I've noticed that my mash pH is fairly consistently lower than predictions (both MME and BW), and I tend to use a fair amount of wheat malt (Great Western) in my beers. I'm wondering if that may be the cause?
... How easy is it to measure "DI mash pH" for a particular grain?

@Horseflesh
You're including the "dead space" in the mash volume in the software, right? It doesn't make sense to me why dead space volume would be a problem (in any prediction software).

 

[Robert65]

From my understanding, hops can significantly shift the pH upward.

As I've also asked in another thread, can you please illuminate us?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Hmm well...
I guess since it's pretty well known that dry hopping increases pH, I assumed it also increases kettle pH. I can't find any articles to confirm this, but I'm a little intoxicated at the moment. I'm running into some paywalls.

I guess this would be a simple experiment.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

@Silver_Is_Money
I have a few thoughts, hope you don't mind...

Have you considered factoring in the amount of hops into the kettle (post-boil) pH prediction? From my understanding, hops can significantly shift the pH upward.
Also, is there any way you could make it so that the kettle pH tool pulls in the custom lactic or phosphoric acid strength?

I'm also wondering whether wheat has a different effect than barley ... I've noticed that my mash pH is fairly consistently lower than predictions (both MME and BW), and I tend to use a fair amount of wheat malt (Great Western) in my beers. I'm wondering if that may be the cause?
... How easy is it to measure "DI mash pH" for a particular grain?

I'm not sure as to how to measure the impact of hops on pH other than to brew batches with and without hops and compare their pH's.

You can see an example of measuring DI mash pH in my avitar photo. Mash 50 grams of malt in 150-200 grams of distilled water, then cool it and take the pH of the wort phase. I crush the malts in a coffee grinder. I use an induction stove for its excellent ability to maintain heat levels, and mash in glass cups (seen behind and to the right of the pH meter in the avitar photo) by placing the cups into a water bath in a pot on the stove. It takes some effort and constant temperature monitoring and frequent stirring, and I will not say that it is either an easy or enjoyable task. But buffer values derived from titration are required also, and the dissertation which I mention in post #3 is a good place to find values for both DIpH and buffering. That source does indeed use a higher DI_pH for wheat malt than does MME. Most of MME's DIpH values come from data supplied to me by Briess, and not from my own testing (which I have reserved for malts that I have oven modified). If you use a higher wheat DIpH value, and you are already seeing lower mash pH's than predicted, then such will actually make the situation even worse, as it will lead to more acid addition being called for.

Stating loosely that your mash pH's come out lower that predicted is rather vague. Specific details are required. If your actual measured mash pH's are consistently lower than predicted, then consider selecting lower base malt DIpH values in the MME drop down for that purpose. Or for the wheat malt or wheat flakes try lowering their DIpH somewhat via manual override.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

@RPh_Guy, would it be possible for you to provide complete details (recipe, water analyticals and volumes, added minerals, your mash pH results, time within mash for which pH was taken, brand and model of pH meter*, etc...) for one of your wheat beers that is consistently mashing at a noticeably lower pH than either MME and BW are predicting?

*Note, as my Apera pH60 pH meter aged it began getting progressively more difficult to bring it into reliably stable calibration, and my beer recipes suddenly all started mashing at lower and lower measured pH's until I finally gave up on this meter and bought a different brand. I'm wondering if this proclivity to read low mash pH's with time and use is a typical happenstance for this particular make and model of pH meter, or for others?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Version 8.46 is now on my website for download. The only change was a slight adjustment to predicted Ca(OH)2 addition quantities such that for the specific case where calcium ppm values within the mash are held constant between the choice to use baking soda and the choice to use Ca(OH)2 (the latter of which adds a lot of calcium), the alkalinity predicted for the mash also remains constant. Displayed mash water alkalinity was slightly off between baking soda and calcium hydroxide additions for version 8.45 when calcium values were adjusted to be identical. This is a very minor change edition.