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For some reason, I feel like someone has told me NOT to use baking soda to raise the mash pH. I'm already mashing pretty thin, and don't want to dilute the mash anymore. Plus, huge grain bill, not so sure how that would work out in the long run as far as mash tun space goes.
So, baking soda to raise mash pH, yay or nay?
Posted 34 days ago.
The only reason not to would be because you do not want the sodium.
I use it sparingly because I have nearly 300 ppm sodium in my tap water, and my RO system strips most, but these is still quite a bit.
Sodium bicarbonate works well, is safe to handle, dissolves reasonably well and is probably the least 'reactive' basic addition, second to perhaps chalk.
Posted 34 days ago.
IIRC the reactions are slow to stabilise, when a bigger addition is needed you may run out of time. Calcium hydroxide is somewhat faster, sodium or potassium hydroxide are a lot faster.
Posted 34 days ago.
What sorts of beers would you need to raise your mash ph, everything I've brewed, where I've calculated my mash ph (or tested it before adding acit malt / la) I have to lower, with the exception of our RIS, which was close enough. I'm just wondering if it's a function of base water / risidual alkalinity, or a style / ingrediant I'm missing.
AO
Posted 34 days ago.
I use RO water exclusively and build with minerals - so often a dark(ish) beer will require some little additional alkalinity to remain in a decent mash pH range.
Posted 34 days ago.
Or you could just steep them separately and not have to mess with pH as much.
Posted 34 days ago.
Matt, I don't know if it's too late, but pickling lime/slaked lime FTW if looking to raise mash pH.
Talk to @Nickosuave311, and he will tell you all about why it's superior to NaHCO3 (or read Martin Brungard).
Posted 34 days ago.
I used Baking Soda for now since there weren't any immediate objections, and I was only trying to raise it by .2 so hopefully there won't be any off flavors from it. That said, I'll look into pickling lime in the future!
Posted 34 days ago.
Yeah, definitely get some pickling lime on hand. It's super cheap and available all over, I got mine at Fleet Farm. The second best in my mind is potassium bicarbonate, only because it works fairly quickly, is sold pretty much at any LHBS, and doesn't add salty flavors to beer. It is less effective at adding alkalinity per gram than calcium hydroxide, but not enough to make it worthless. It's also much less dangerous to use than calcium hydroxide.
Posted 34 days ago.
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