Anybody heard if @utahbeerdude has done any new updates to his MpH calculator? I seem to remember he mentioned a while back (can't find it) that he we working on some updates for a new version. Haven't seen anything in a while though?
Indeed, MpH Water Calculator has been updated to version 3.0. The biggest changes have to do with (i) water-ion entry and (ii) the fact that two different water sources can be input. In addition, parameters for BJCP 2015 styles have been added (for convenience). The underlying calculations have not been changed. Cheers!
It's always possible that I'm doing something wrong (probable, really)....but when I click on the link, it downloads version 2.0, not 3.0. Looking forward to seeing the new changes and thanks, once again, for sharing your hard work.
I compared this to EZ Water and came out with a few ml. difference of lactic acid it would take to get my beer to 5.35 mash ph (this is where I like my hoppy beers). when I brew, I will add lactic acid, starting with the lowest one and add until I reach the desired. i will then let you know which is closest. I use an electronic ph meter, so it should be accurate.
@utahbeerdude I actually think I know where there is a difference between your sheet and EZ Water. I use chalk to get my bicarbonate up a little on ro water and EZ Water calculates 50% of the chalk (needs acid to fully dissolve)
That 50% factor is IMO a bit of rule-of-thumb arm waving because chalk just doesn't dissolve well under mash conditions. I very much doubt it's accurate across a wide range of mash temps, pH, etc. I'd recommend pickling lime or baking soda when you need to increase pH. ETA: re-reading your posts, I'm struggling to think of a good reason to use both chalk and acid in the same mash. You mentioned wanting to increase bicarbonate, but that's just a way to increase pH when needed, not usually an end goal in and of itself.
I use RO water and I want to increase bicarbonate to about 128ppm. I already have 2.5g of baking soda added, but dont want too much sodium, so in order to get the bicarbonate up w/out increasing sodium more, I use 1 g chalk. its not for ph at all, its purely for the bicarbonate. does this make sense? if not, do you have any other suggestions?
Why do you want to increase the bicarbonate to 128 ppm? I also build from RO (distilled actually), and I never target any specific bicarbonate level. It's really just a pH buffer, and one that it sounds like you don't need. I think you might be going about this the hard way.
this is the level I had when I lived at my old place and partially used its tap water. I guess I just havent tried brewing hop forward beers without having this bicarbonate level. maybe its time to try without chalk... thanks for your help!
Just to add to @VikeMan's response. You'll notice MpH does not have a place to add chalk. This is because it is highly discouraged (due to the unpredictability of its effect). There is no (or at least very little) flavor impact from carbonate; the only reason one might add it is to offset inherent acidity in the grain bill. Sodium Bicarbonate and/or calcium hydroxide should do the trick if necessary.
