Yet Another Berliner Weiss Question.

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Supergenious, Apr 11, 2015.

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  1. Supergenious

    Supergenious Maven (1,273) May 9, 2011 Michigan

    Going to brew my first Berliner in the several weeks. I plan on doing something similar to @FATC1TY method for souring wort. know there has been a lot discussed about this already, but one thing I'm still too sure about... I know it is advised to lower the ph to (3.5-3.8, I think?) prior to souring wort. What is an estimate to how much lactic acid to add (volume) to achieve this? I'm just looking for a good starting point, then check and adjust accordingly.
     
    #1 Supergenious, Apr 11, 2015
  2. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    IMO, you really want a pre-souring pH of more like 4.5-4.8, rather than 3.5-3.8. I estimate the amount of lactic acid to use by using the water tab in BrewCipher. Do the normal mash pH calculations to determine mash additions. Then, turn on the Brew-In-A-Bag parameter on the parameters tab. (This ensures 100% of your water is included in the second pH calculation you're about to do.) Then add lactic on the water tab until you hit the target. The difference between the new Lactic Acid qty and the previous qty (if any, from the original mash pH calc) is the amount to add to your full volume pre-souring. Write it down (maybe on the Notes tab), because you'll probably want to turn BIAB back off (unless you actually are doing BIAB) and undo the additional lactic qty on the water tab, so that the recipe reads correctly for the actual mash. It's easier than it sounds. You can do it a lot faster than I just typed it.
     
    #2 VikeMan, Apr 11, 2015
    Supergenious and ChrisMyhre like this.
  3. Supergenious

    Supergenious Maven (1,273) May 9, 2011 Michigan

    Thanks @VikeMan ! That is exactly what I was looking for. Yes, my mistake, I meant 4.5-4.8. I might add that I use Brewcipher for every batch I brew. I find it quite useful, and more accurate than most of the other brew software available.
     
    #3 Supergenious, Apr 12, 2015
  4. pweis909

    pweis909 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,250) Aug 13, 2005 Wisconsin
    Pooh-Bah

    What have you been doing for the last several weeks? What's your excuse for not keeping to the weekly schedule? How do you expect to contribute to the revitalization an obscure style if you don't keep to the weekly schedule! CONSTABLE! Arrest this man for wrongful neglect of a sour beer style!
     
    #4 pweis909, Apr 12, 2015
  5. Supergenious

    Supergenious Maven (1,273) May 9, 2011 Michigan

    I know, I should be ashamed to call myself part of this forum! Actually, I've been waiting for the weather to warm up. It's finally starting to get up to the 60's.
     
    #5 Supergenious, Apr 12, 2015
  6. Lukass

    Lukass Pooh-Bah (2,891) Dec 16, 2012 Ohio
    Pooh-Bah

    If you can get your hands on some acidulated malt, I'd just use that for mash pH correction. Here was my schedule during the mashing phase. Then once the wort got down to around 110F, I tossed my uncrushed grain into the carboy and let 'er sour away:

    4.0 lbs. German Pilsner malt
    4.0 lbs. White Wheat malt
    4 oz Acidulated Malt
    Separate 8 oz Acidulated Malt (added during 156° °F step-up to acidify sour mash - post sugar conversion)
    Separate 6 oz uncrushed pilsner malt for wort inoculation

    Mash @ 150 °F for 60 min
    Step up to 156 °F for 10 min
    Mashout at 168 °F for 10 min
     
    #6 Lukass, Apr 13, 2015
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