Beer Color and Residual Alkalinity

37 Pages·2007·0.67 MB·English

by  The Palmers

NHC – Denver 2007
BBeeeerr CCoolloorr aanndd RReessiidduuaall AAllkkaalliinniittyy::
AA PPrraaccttiiccaall EExxaammppllee
John Palmer
Rick Bobbitt
Scott Jackson
TThhaannkk YYoouu!!
All malts provided by Briess Malting and
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Ingredients Co.
Yeast provided by White Labs Inc.
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Hops provided by Morebeer.com
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All the work provided by Rick Bobbitt and
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Scott Jackson of KROC!
WWhhyy WWaatteerr MMaatttteerrss
The water and the malts drive the mash chemistry
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and the enzyme activity.
Adding Brewing Salts Always Affects Flavor and
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pH.
Calcium, Magnesium, and Carbonate affect pH.
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Sulfates accentuate hop bitterness, making it more
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crisp.
Sodium and Chloride accentuate the malt flavors.
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RReevviieeww ooff ppHH
The target mash pH range for EVERY beer,
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regardless of style, is: 5.4-5.8 @ room
temperature.
pH papers are made to be used on room
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temperature samples.
pH meters with ATC adjust the measured pH
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of the sample to the calibration temperature.
Calibration solutions are most accurate at
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room temperature.
WWhhaatt ddooeess wwaatteerr ppHH mmeeaann??
pH can be interpreted as the ratio of negative
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ions to positive ions.
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The water may seem Hard,
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but it’s usually Alkaline.
WWhhaatt iiss HHaarrdd WWaatteerr??
Hard water contains high amounts of
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Calcium and Magnesium. (et. al.)
Hard water pH can range from 5-10.
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Acidic (<7) or Alkaline (>7)
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pH depends on the balance of hardness to
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alkalinity.
Hard water is GOOD for brewing because
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calcium is an important co-factor for many
brewing bio-chemical reactions.
WWhhaatt iiss SSoofftt WWaatteerr??
Soft water does not contain high levels of
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calcium, magnesium, or other cations.
Soft water pH can range from 7-10.
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Soft water can be alkaline, but alkaline
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water is not necessarily soft.
WWhhaatt ddooeess WWaatteerr SSoofftteenniinngg DDoo??
Salt-based Water Softeners exchange
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sodium ions for calcium, magnesium, iron,
etc.
Throwing the baby out with the bath water.
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Water Softeners do not affect the alkalinity.
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The result is extra-alkaline water.
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RReessiidduuaall AAllkkaalliinniittyy
Mash
(and beer) pH is the net effect of the
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Hardness, Alkalinity, and the Grainbill.
RA = alkalinity - (Ca/3.5 + Mg/7)
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Units are mEq/L
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High RA means you should brew dark beers
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Low RA means you should brew lliigghhtt bbeeeerrss
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