Pickling Lime - where to buy locally

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by jcojr72, Nov 30, 2014.

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  1. jcojr72

    jcojr72 Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2009 Massachusetts

    I am brewing up a stout today, and could really use some pickling lime. Anyone have a recommendation of where I can buy it locally. I am in Boston. Thanks.
     
    #1 jcojr72, Nov 30, 2014
  2. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    The best places to look are those that have canning supplies. I found my bag at a farm supply store. Those may be scarce in Boston. Some big box stores carry it, but those can be seasonal.
     
    #2 hopfenunmaltz, Nov 30, 2014
  3. koopa

    koopa Initiate (0) Apr 20, 2008 New Jersey

    If you can't find it today (and your water doesn't have too high of a sodium content to begin with) consider using baking soda to increase your pH instead.
     
    #3 koopa, Nov 30, 2014
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  4. jcojr72

    jcojr72 Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2009 Massachusetts

    Thanks, could not find it. Unfortunately my water has high sodium. I think I will cut my water with more distilled and use baking soda.
     
    #4 jcojr72, Nov 30, 2014
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  5. jamesb7

    jamesb7 Initiate (0) Feb 4, 2011 Rhode Island

    Walmart, in the section with the ball jars. They also have calcium chloride at a decent price.
     
    #5 jamesb7, Nov 30, 2014
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  6. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    Walmart FTW!
     
    #6 jbakajust1, Dec 1, 2014
  7. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    When I looked at Wally world it was out for the winter. Farm supply had it.
     
    #7 hopfenunmaltz, Dec 2, 2014
  8. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    I guess it could be hit or miss there. Fred Meyer (Kroger) has it, as well as a local store we have called Bi-Mart.
     
    #8 jbakajust1, Dec 2, 2014
  9. ChrisMyhre

    ChrisMyhre Initiate (0) Sep 15, 2013 Massachusetts

    Shaws by the checkout.
     
    #9 ChrisMyhre, Dec 2, 2014
  10. jcojr72

    jcojr72 Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2009 Massachusetts

    I ended up not using any. But can someone clarify something for me.

    Palmer (and other sources) says that bicarbonate should be 150-250 ppm for dark beers. My understanding is that the reason for the higher HCO3 for dark beers is the fact that the dark malts will naturally acidify the mash, in turn neutralizing the HCO3, and bring the mash to a desirable pH.

    I have water with low bicarbonate, which is why I was looking for pickling lime to help increase the HCO3. Instead I held back a portion of the dark malts during the mash, and added them to the vorlauf. This kept my mash pH at a desirable level. Is this an acceptable approach?

    Is pH the only consideration to give HCO3?

    What about taste? Since the acids in the malt neutralize the HCO3, does that mean that after the mash, all beer styles have essentially no HCO3? In that case, I am guessing that it will not have any impact on final beer taste, but what if not all HCO3 is neutralized?
     
    #10 jcojr72, Dec 2, 2014
  11. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,647) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah

    Dark beers have a more rounded taste with a higher pH, 5.5-5.6 in the mash. You do want more alkaline water for dark beers, but don't overdo it. It is a balancing act between the malt, the hardness (Ca and Mg) and the alkalinity. The Burton water profile has high alkalinity, but also has a high amount of calcium that makes it good for light colored beers.
     
    #11 hopfenunmaltz, Dec 2, 2014
  12. jbakajust1

    jbakajust1 Pooh-Bah (2,552) Aug 25, 2009 Oregon
    Pooh-Bah

    You can actually leave the dark malts out of the entire mash and add them multiple ways. Gordon Strong is the biggest proponent of this. It makes the pH issue a non-issue, and keeps the more acrid flavors out of the final product. The longer the dark malts are hot (mash and/or boil) the more acrid the flavors will be. These are the different options he gives:

    Add during the vorlauf
    Warm steep and add to beginning of the boil
    Warm steep and add to end of the boil
    Cold steep and add to the end of the boil
    Cold steep with short boil, quick chill, add to fermenter (great for Black IPA)
     
    #12 jbakajust1, Dec 2, 2014
  13. jcojr72

    jcojr72 Initiate (0) Mar 31, 2009 Massachusetts

    Thanks for the responses.
     
    #13 jcojr72, Dec 3, 2014
  14. utahbeerdude

    utahbeerdude Maven (1,374) May 2, 2006 Utah


    pH is the major consideration with regards to bicarbonate level. Indeed, a proper mash pH should be the target, not HCO3 concentration. I believe it best to view the HCO3 ion as simply one of several ions that affect mash pH (the others being Ca and Mg and OH).

    As hopfenunmalz stated, a pH in the range of 5.5 to 5.6 is often preferred for dark beers due to a more rounder taste. It is my understanding that this rounder taste is related to the final beer pH, not directly to the HCO3 concentration. One can infer from Martin Brungard's discussion of brewing related ions that that HCO3 does not directly contribute to the flavor of the beer (as he does not mention any flavor impact of this particular ion, while he does discuss flavor impact of other ions).
     
    #14 utahbeerdude, Dec 3, 2014
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