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The highly roasted black malts used to make Guiness add acidity to the mash. But why is this region of the world renowned for producing outstanding dark beers?. The lower pH of an optimum mash (5.2-5.5) normally prevents these compounds from appearing in the finished beer. The water does not allow the pH of a 100% base malt mash to hit the target range of 5 - 5.8, it remains higher and this extracts harsh phenolic and tannin compounds from the grain husks. The high alkalinity of the water makes it difficult to produce light pale beers that are not harsh tasting. This results in hard, alkaline water with a lot of buffering power. The water of Ireland is high in bicarbonates (HCO 3 -1), and has a fair amount of calcium but not enough to balance the bicarbonate. The other beer to consider is Guiness, the famous stout from Ireland. The brewers used an acid rest with this water to bring the pH down to the target mash range of 5.1 - 5.5 using only the pale lager malts.įrom "American Handy Book", 2:790, Wahl-Henius, 1902
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The water of Pilsen is very soft, free of most minerals and very low in bicarbonates. A Pils is a crisp, golden clear lager with a very clean hoppy taste. The Pilsen region of the Czech Republic was the birthplace of the Pilsener style of beer. The best way to explain this is to describe two of the world's most famous beers and their brewing waters.
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The chemistry of the water determines how much of an effect each malt addition has. In distilled water, 100% caramel malt would typically yield a mash pH of 4.5-4.8, chocolate malt 4.3-4.5, and black malt 4.0-4.2. Using a dark crystal or roasted malt as 20% of the grainbill will often bring the pH down by half a unit (.5 pH).
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caramel, chocolate, black) to the mash can have a large effect on the pH. (Remember, the target is 5.1-5.5 pH.) The natural acidity of roasted specialty malt additions (e.g. When you mash 100% base malt grist with distilled water, you will usually get a mash pH between 5.7-5.8.
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