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Author Topic: pickling lime usage /dark beer profile  (Read 5685 times)

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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pickling lime usage /dark beer profile
« on: January 14, 2015, 02:54:34 pm »
Planning on using some pickling lime in a dark beer (black balanced brunwater profile) where im managing low sulfates and chloride levels, and therefore need a little bump to just calcium so using the pickling lime to add calcium and bump my PH up to 5.5.

besides the practice of adding pickling lime directly to the mash vs. the water as suggested, anything I should be aware of?
« Last Edit: January 26, 2015, 02:46:33 pm by wort-h.o.g. »
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
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Offline kramerog

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #1 on: January 14, 2015, 03:05:44 pm »
Unless you have a good scale, e.g., lab grade, the amount of pickling lime to add is probably beyond the ability of your scale or your eyeball to measure correctly.  A little bit of pickling lime goes a long way so it would be preferable to add too little because you would still most likely be in the mash range then add too much which would likely push the pH too high.

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #2 on: January 14, 2015, 03:11:18 pm »
Got a good gram scale that gets calibrated each use.
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest

Offline mchrispen

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2015, 03:29:03 pm »
Use some in DI water and measure the effectiveness of it. Got some from the grocery that apparently was old and/or exposed too long to air. It was about half as effective. Used Brun Water to root cause the problem.


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Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #4 on: January 14, 2015, 03:41:58 pm »
FWIW, I use baking soda to raise pH on the darkest of beers and stay with Na limits, using RO water.

EDIT - I see now what you're getting at with the Ca, Ken. I've always gotten things to work out with baking soda, but no harm in using some PL either.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2015, 04:18:57 pm by HoosierBrew »
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Offline davambs

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #5 on: January 14, 2015, 04:13:22 pm »
Do you calibrate the scale yourself? If so, what is the standard weights accuracy spec'd at?

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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pickling lime usage
« Reply #6 on: January 14, 2015, 04:23:11 pm »
Edit: 6mg. I calibrate .


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« Last Edit: January 14, 2015, 04:26:58 pm by wort-h.o.g. »
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest

Offline davambs

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #7 on: January 14, 2015, 05:49:26 pm »
Do you know the accuracy of the standard though?
You may be calibrating it before each use, but your scale can only be as accurate as the weight you compare it against.

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #8 on: January 14, 2015, 05:58:52 pm »
Do you know the accuracy of the standard though?
You may be calibrating it before each use, but your scale can only be as accurate as the weight you compare it against.

the weight is +-6mg
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest

Offline davambs

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #9 on: January 14, 2015, 06:04:06 pm »
That's some pretty solid accuracy for consumer use. Assuming the standard is still within its calibration interval.

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #10 on: January 14, 2015, 06:55:12 pm »

FWIW, I use baking soda to raise pH on the darkest of beers and stay with Na limits, using RO water.

EDIT - I see now what you're getting at with the Ca, Ken. I've always gotten things to work out with baking soda, but no harm in using some PL either.

Yep. I can ignore some of the parameters for black balanced, but I'm trying something a little different. So figured I would give the pickling lime a shot as it's the only way I can minimize chloride and sulfate and maintain 40-50ppm calcium.


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Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest

Offline beersk

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #11 on: January 15, 2015, 09:47:26 am »
FWIW, I use baking soda to raise pH on the darkest of beers and stay with Na limits, using RO water.

EDIT - I see now what you're getting at with the Ca, Ken. I've always gotten things to work out with baking soda, but no harm in using some PL either.
Right and I think a little more sodium is good for dark beers. That's what people are always afraid of when using baking soda, is too much sodium in the water profile. It's really not an issue.
Jesse

Offline HoosierBrew

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #12 on: January 15, 2015, 09:50:06 am »
FWIW, I use baking soda to raise pH on the darkest of beers and stay with Na limits, using RO water.

EDIT - I see now what you're getting at with the Ca, Ken. I've always gotten things to work out with baking soda, but no harm in using some PL either.
Right and I think a little more sodium is good for dark beers. That's what people are always afraid of when using baking soda, is too much sodium in the water profile. It's really not an issue.

Yeah, the only issue I could see would be if you used your local water and it were somewhat high in Na. But using RO, I make my stouts pretty roasty and never hit 50ppm.
Jon H.

Offline beersk

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Re: pickling lime usage
« Reply #13 on: January 15, 2015, 09:51:30 am »
Good call. I thought about that after I posted, but thought you'd say something. My water is pretty good, so I don't have to worry much about it, fortunately. A gram or so is usually all I need to raise the pH where I want it.
Jesse

Offline Wort-H.O.G.

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pickling lime usage
« Reply #14 on: January 15, 2015, 09:54:43 am »
So I'm not worried about sodium either...baking soda is in my additions. Trying something different and keeping chloride and sulfate low and seeing if it produces less harsh and smooth dark beer.  This requires a little calcium bump so would use
Pickling lime for that, and also to bring PH up to solid 5.5ish range.

« Last Edit: January 15, 2015, 10:14:39 am by wort-h.o.g. »
Ken- Chagrin Falls, OH
CPT, U.S.Army
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Harveys-Brewhaus/405092862905115

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php?title=The_Science_of_Mashing

Serving:        In Process:
Vienna IPA          O'Fest
Dort
Mead                 
Cider                         
Ger'merican Blonde
Amber Ale
Next:
Ger Pils
O'Fest