Does Mash PH Affect Mash Temperature

[TheSmithsEra]

Hello Friends,

Can someone help me with this question. Or tell me if it even matters, yes i searched but all I found was threads about taking ph readings at room temperature or not and so on..

So my questions is: Will being in the right mash ph affect the mash temperature at all, ie.. more consistent temperature throughout the mash time or has no affect on the mash temperature.

If there is a link please post. Thanks

 

[afr0byte]

No, the mash pH doesn't affect the temperature. The temperature does affect mash pH, though. The pH of the mash will be lower at higher temperatures (slightly lower).

 

[TheSmithsEra]

Sweet. Thanks for your help!

 

[mchrispen]

At the risk of being taken to school here, I understand the opposite is true. Mash temperature will affect mash pH, not the other way around.

Temperature will affect mash pH, at least to some nominal degree. We sweat a great deal over measurement of mash pH at room temperatures for a reason, and not all of that is because of the bad impact on ATC pH probes. I saw variations between pH at mash temperatures and room temperatures before I learned I was destroying my meter. Mash pH is a function of alkalinity of the liquor interacting with the acids and buffering capacity of the grist - clearly outlined in the sticky Primer. Mash temperatures, in steps, favor specific enzymatic and protease activity that release and convert starches to sugars, which are pH sensitive.

You choose mash temperature to match the ferment ability and mouth feel goals of the style you are brewing, and adjust mash pH into the optimal range for conversion. The general rule of thumb, however, is that higher mash temperatures favor more dextrines in wort, for more mouthfeel and less attenuation, and the opposite for thinner mouth feel and higher attenuation. Kai has done a lot of experimentation on the variable in mashing - and a good read. Palmer and Gordon also cover mash chemistry in their books, but the technical information is growing a bit dated as new analysis is breaking some of our common assumptions, as such I keep an open mind.

To answer your specific question - there maybe a very slight and incremental heat exchange as the mash changes pH, but it is minimal compared to the heat output required to achieve specific mash temperatures. That said - being at the right temperature and right mash pH (per your goals) should provide the end product that you desire in your beer.

 

[TheSmithsEra]

At the risk of being taken to school here, I understand the opposite is true. Mash temperature will affect mash pH, not the other way around.

Temperature will affect mash pH, at least to some nominal degree. We sweat a great deal over measurement of mash pH at room temperatures for a reason, and not all of that is because of the bad impact on ATC pH probes. I saw variations between pH at mash temperatures and room temperatures before I learned I was destroying my meter. Mash pH is a function of alkalinity of the liquor interacting with the acids and buffering capacity of the grist - clearly outlined in the sticky Primer. Mash temperatures, in steps, favor specific enzymatic and protease activity that release and convert starches to sugars, which are pH sensitive.

You choose mash temperature to match the ferment ability and mouth feel goals of the style you are brewing, and adjust mash pH into the optimal range for conversion. The general rule of thumb, however, is that higher mash temperatures favor more dextrines in wort, for more mouthfeel and less attenuation, and the opposite for thinner mouth feel and higher attenuation. Kai has done a lot of experimentation on the variable in mashing - and a good read. Palmer and Gordon also cover mash chemistry in their books, but the technical information is growing a bit dated as new analysis is breaking some of our common assumptions, as such I keep an open mind.

To answer your specific question - there maybe a very slight and incremental heat exchange as the mash changes pH, but it is minimal compared to the heat output required to achieve specific mash temperatures. That said - being at the right temperature and right mash pH (per your goals) should provide the end product that you desire in your beer.

I completely appreciate your response. I'm still newbing at water so forgive me.

My questions was geared at not getting shot for using 5.2 Stabilizer

It seemed to me that I was not getting good efficiency in my mini mashes because my mashes would sometimes drop like up to 10 degrees in my mash tun and when I used 5.2 Stabilizer (once so far) the temperature held on the dot for 60 minutes.

So that lead me to believe that maybe I hit the right mash ph and thats why my temperature didn't flounder.