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Bill Pierce
Moderator
Username: Billpierce
Post Number: 10899
Registered: 01-2002
Posted From: 24.141.103.148
| | Posted on Thursday, November 05, 2009 - 11:56 pm: | 
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Denny recently made a reference to this, and some of you receive both the HBD and the AHA's TechTalk e-mail digests, where this has also been mentioned. I wanted to specifically bring it up here, in case those who are technically minded might have missed it.
Homebrewer Kai Troster has done some cutting-edge research into the contribution of malt to the mash pH. It builds on the findings of Paulas Kohlbach in the 1940s and early 1950s regarding water alkalinity, and adds significant new data regarding malt acidity, the other half of the buffering system that determines the mash pH. His (rather preliminary) article is here: http://braukaiser.com/documents/effect_of_water_and_grist_on_mash_pH.pdf
I admit this may be a struggle to read, and it needs further research and refinement, but the point to take away is this: it may very soon be possible to enter a recipe and a brewing water profile, and assuming they are accurate, be able to calculate the resulting mash pH and the brewing salt and/or acid additions that are necessary to adjust it.
In the last decade, A.J. deLange, John Palmer and Tom Meier have done a lot to facilitate an understanding of the water alkalinity side of the equation for homebrewers, but apart from some very rough approximations based on beer color, this is the first real data about the malt acidity.
The hope is that in the not too distant future we could match a grain bill to a particular mash regime and water profile in a standard brewing software application, and have it calculate the additions necessary to achieve a desired mash pH. This would make it much easier for the ordinary all-grain brewer who wants to pay attention to detail but doesn't want to have to be a chemist to understand these important factors.
I for one think this is a big deal, although I confess to being a geek about this subject.
(Message edited by BillPierce on November 05, 2009) |
Jeff Rankert
Member
Username: Hopfenundmalz
Post Number: 128
Registered: 06-2008
Posted From: 68.60.49.98
| | Posted on Friday, November 06, 2009 - 12:41 am: |
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I have the .pdf downloaded. It is going to take some time to digest in detail, as my last Chemistry course was in 19-ought-71. Good piece of work, and I have been looking at Kai's site for a while, especially his water profiles for German beers. |
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