need some help....I forgot the lactic acid in the mash....

[urg8rb8]

Can I just put it in the boil? Also, how is this going to effect mash conversation?

 

[JimRausch]

More information please.
Why were you using it? For pH adjustment, or in a kettle sour? How much were you supposed to add? What style of beer?

 

[urg8rb8]

More information please.
Why were you using it? For pH adjustment, or in a kettle sour? How much were you supposed to add? What style of beer?

It was 1.5 ml for mash pH. What I ended up doing was just putting it into boil.

 

[Jag75]

It was 1.5 ml for mash pH. What I ended up doing was just putting it into boil.

Not sure that would work the way it was intended. Its added to the mash to get your mash ph where you want . Once your mash is done the mash ph cant be adjusted . This is just my opinion of course . I'm not a chemical science type of guy . Maybe someone here will have a detailed answer.

 

[JimRausch]

It was 1.5 ml for mash pH. What I ended up doing was just putting it into boil.

As Jag hinted at, adding lactic acid to the mash lowers the pH into the range you wanted. Did you get mash conversion anyways? Yes, I'm sure you did. Was mash efficiency as good as expected? Maybe not. Did you do anything by adding it to the boil? No. Did it hurt? Also no.
You're fine, and I'm sure things are progressing along normally today.

 

[North_of_60]

I did the same thing a few brews ago. I remembered it after I started the boil. It was supposed to be a 4.5 ml addition. I just left it out. The beer turned out great anyway.

 

[Qhrumphf]

There's been a rather long running thread in the brewing science section on this topic. The evidence from pro-level literature and peer reviewed papers indicate that kettle pH is more important than mash pH. Much of the literature (especially at homebrew level) that suggests certain mash pH values does so becuase those flow downstream to kettle pH. The actual benefits of a given *mash* pH has less conclusive evidence.

The issue, if you're not using RO water and fly sparging, may be sparge pH towards the tail end. If you're batch sparging or no-sparging that may also be a non-issue even without RO water.

Apart from the sparge pH part, you're likely just fine, and in some cases maybe even preferable, adding your acid to the boil instead of the mash.

 

[DVCNick]

So like you said, normally I've only ever read that the Mash Ph is what matters, so I've been treating only the strike water with the recommended acid dose (don't have a Ph meter so just using the calculators). Should we be treating the sparge water too?

 

[Robert65]

Any alkalinity in sparge water needs to be neutralized or the pH will climb during the sparge, leading to extraction of tannins and silicates. Kettle wort pH needs to be reduced so that the chilled wort pH will be 5.0-5.2 in order for kettle finings like Irish moss or Whirlfloc to function, and for yeast to be able to drop pH quickly into the correct range for good fermentation performance, protection from infection, proper flocculation, and various other goals including perceptible differences in beer flavor. Mash pH just needs to be "close enough;" sparge alkalinity and kettle pH need to be precisely controlled.

 

[bracconiere]

Mash pH just needs to be "close enough;" sparge alkalinity and kettle pH need to be precisely controlled.

enlighten me, i thought it was the other way around....i've only adjusted mash ph, for that precious couple points of efficiency....as far as tannins go, i only sparge with 168f water....

 

[Qhrumphf]

enlighten me, i thought it was the other way around....i've only adjusted mash ph, for that precious couple points of efficiency....as far as tannins go, i only sparge with 168f water....

It's a trinity. Sparge temp is the *least* important variable. pH is arguably the most important. With runoff gravity somewhere in between.

 

[Robert65]

Sparge temperature has little or nothing to do with tannin and silicate extraction. Note that you can boil decoctions for hours without a problem -- as long as the pH is okay. pH is the key to tannin and silicate problems. Runoff density is questionable. Homebrewers are told to stop runoff somewhere before reaching 3°-4°P to be safe, but professionals run off to near 1°P. The supposed mechanism by which density would play a part has never been proposed that I have seen, except in an offhand comment I once saw from Martin Brungard hypothesizing about some possible effect of osmotic pressure. Probably the assumption behind the homebrew rule is that pH will be too high at this point, but with no alkalinity in the sparge liquor this is unlikely, and the assumption must be that homebrewers neither can nor do monitor and control alkalinity.

Short story: Those enzymes in the mash are quite happy across a wide range of conditions (you definitely do need to be in that range, but is a range.) Sparge alkalinity (or lack of) is crucial, and kettle finings and yeast have very specific requirements.

The focus on exact mash pH, and especially the fantasy of some magic software to reliably predict it, is a homebrew thing. The professional literature and commercial practice focus on getting the correct conditions in the casting wort.

Again, there's been a lengthy thread or three on this over on the Brewing Science boards.

 

[bracconiere]

Again, there's been a lengthy thread or three on this over on the Brewing Science boards.

must explain my confusion...over on "brew science" they just tell me i'm too stupid, keep my mouth shut....lol

 

[Jag75]

must explain my confusion...over on "brew science" they just tell me i'm too stupid, keep my mouth shut....lol

Lol , glad I'm not the only one

 

[bracconiere]

Lol , glad I'm not the only one

and now i'm glad i'm not alone...lol, you make the malt and pour the water on it....