Acidifying sparge water
Term from the Brauwerkstatt brewing glossary, category “Brewing water and pH”.
Explanation
Hard water has a high pH. If the pH rises above about 6 during lautering, tannins dissolve out of the husks. So many brewers acidify the sparge water with a little lactic acid until the alkalinity drops to around 1 to 36 mg/l (18–36 mg/l as CaCO₃) or the pH is 5.5 to 6. The brewing water calculator can work out mash and sparge water separately.
Work it out yourself
Water volume calculator – How much water do you need on brew day, and how hot does it have to be? The calculator tells you step by step.