As some of you are already aware I have put together a spreadsheet (yes, another spreadsheet) which, while it can certainly be used for planning brews and is quite flexible, was actually developed to showcase a set of VBA functions which are potentially useful to people who want to put together spreadsheets of their own customized to their own particular ways to doing things. Of course this includes developers.
There are 64 functions. Some of them do handy things like convert SG to Plato and the converse but most of them are used in estimating mash pH or in estimating acid or base additions needed to hit a desired mash pH given a chosen grist composition. Invocation is the same as with any other Excel function e.g. if you type =Plato(1.040) into a cell the Plato value corresponding to 1.040 SG will appear in that cell. There is a modest sized malt data base. Malt properties are modeled by a DI pH and three (linear, square, cubic) buffering terms. Users can populate the data base with any malt data they have i.e. if they feel they can derive pHDI and a (and b and c) from some other information such as malt type, color or the maltster's childrens' names they have they are free to do so.
The main thing being offered here is the ability to predict and control mash pH based on the science of acid/base chemistry. Alkalinity is not modeled as a constant times the bicarbonate ion content. It is not assumed that source water pH doesn't matter. It is not assumed that mash pH is a linear function of malt pH or color. It is not assumed that blended waters properties don't depend on the pHs of the waters mixed. It is not assumed that phosphoric and lactic acids release 1 proton per molecule independent of mash pH nor that sodium bicarbonate absorbs 1 per molecule. Thus these functions eliminate many of the small error sources inherent in what we have started to refer to as "first generation" spreadsheets. Thus, "second generation" spreadsheets put together using these functions should return better answers than first gen. spreadsheets provided they are fed good malt data.
There is a manual which documents the function calls and lays out the basics of the proton accounting method of mash pH determination and control.
The current versions of spreadsheet and manual are at brewingfunctions.yolasite.com.
Come back with any questions or comments.
There are 64 functions. Some of them do handy things like convert SG to Plato and the converse but most of them are used in estimating mash pH or in estimating acid or base additions needed to hit a desired mash pH given a chosen grist composition. Invocation is the same as with any other Excel function e.g. if you type =Plato(1.040) into a cell the Plato value corresponding to 1.040 SG will appear in that cell. There is a modest sized malt data base. Malt properties are modeled by a DI pH and three (linear, square, cubic) buffering terms. Users can populate the data base with any malt data they have i.e. if they feel they can derive pHDI and a (and b and c) from some other information such as malt type, color or the maltster's childrens' names they have they are free to do so.
The main thing being offered here is the ability to predict and control mash pH based on the science of acid/base chemistry. Alkalinity is not modeled as a constant times the bicarbonate ion content. It is not assumed that source water pH doesn't matter. It is not assumed that mash pH is a linear function of malt pH or color. It is not assumed that blended waters properties don't depend on the pHs of the waters mixed. It is not assumed that phosphoric and lactic acids release 1 proton per molecule independent of mash pH nor that sodium bicarbonate absorbs 1 per molecule. Thus these functions eliminate many of the small error sources inherent in what we have started to refer to as "first generation" spreadsheets. Thus, "second generation" spreadsheets put together using these functions should return better answers than first gen. spreadsheets provided they are fed good malt data.
There is a manual which documents the function calls and lays out the basics of the proton accounting method of mash pH determination and control.
The current versions of spreadsheet and manual are at brewingfunctions.yolasite.com.
Come back with any questions or comments.
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