I've recently started logging my Mash pH and trying to target/adjust based on BeerSmith 2 predicted mash pH. So checking my recipe last night and seeing it predicted 5.48 without any acid additions, I was happy. I'm sure it's mainly from the dark/roasted malts in my grain bill.
Then while mashing in this morning, I hit a dilemma. In reading one of Gordon Strong's recipe books, he recommends a technique of adding the roast malts at vourlaf, to take the edge of some of the bitterness you can get. I've tried this in the past with great success, and really like the smoother taste I get from the dark malts in this way. But if the dark malts were the source of my low predicted mash pH, by adding them at the end of my 60 minute rest, that would mean my mash was done at a presumably higher pH based on my 2-Row and Munich malts that will be soaking for an hour.
Does anyone that tracks/targets mash pH also do this process of adding roast malts at the end of the mash? I'm going to measure my mash pH at a couple points along the way. I'm curious if my mash pH starts off high (say 5.8) for the first 60 minutes, but then drops to 5.4 at the end of the mash, I presume all the advertised great effects of a target mash pH will not be achieved, right? And if I used acid to lower the mash pH of my 2-Row + Munich mash, would things go awry in the beer's final taste if the pH dropped again after adding my roast malts at the end of the 60 minute rest?
Recipe for Black Lager:
12 lbs 2-row
3 lbs Munich
0.75 lbs Carafa II
0.5 lbs Chocolate malt
Mashing 2-Row and Munich for 60 minutes at 152F, adding the Carafa and Chocolate, then raising temp to 168F for 10 minute mash out.
Then while mashing in this morning, I hit a dilemma. In reading one of Gordon Strong's recipe books, he recommends a technique of adding the roast malts at vourlaf, to take the edge of some of the bitterness you can get. I've tried this in the past with great success, and really like the smoother taste I get from the dark malts in this way. But if the dark malts were the source of my low predicted mash pH, by adding them at the end of my 60 minute rest, that would mean my mash was done at a presumably higher pH based on my 2-Row and Munich malts that will be soaking for an hour.
Does anyone that tracks/targets mash pH also do this process of adding roast malts at the end of the mash? I'm going to measure my mash pH at a couple points along the way. I'm curious if my mash pH starts off high (say 5.8) for the first 60 minutes, but then drops to 5.4 at the end of the mash, I presume all the advertised great effects of a target mash pH will not be achieved, right? And if I used acid to lower the mash pH of my 2-Row + Munich mash, would things go awry in the beer's final taste if the pH dropped again after adding my roast malts at the end of the 60 minute rest?
Recipe for Black Lager:
12 lbs 2-row
3 lbs Munich
0.75 lbs Carafa II
0.5 lbs Chocolate malt
Mashing 2-Row and Munich for 60 minutes at 152F, adding the Carafa and Chocolate, then raising temp to 168F for 10 minute mash out.