Mash Residual Alkalinity Adjustment Worksheet Version 2.

4 (US Units)
Palmers Residual Alkalinity Worksheet Instructions by John Palmer
All Rights Reserved, 2008
Scope:
The purpose of this spreadsheet is to help the brewer calculate salt and acid additions to
create brewing water with a target amount of residual alkalinity (RA), with respect to the target
color of the beer, to ensure the correct mash pH (5.4-5.8 @ 20C).
Note: If you want to modify the calculations in the spreadsheet for your own uses, the sheet
protection password is "modify".
Background:
Residual alkalinity is a powerful tool that every homebrewer can use whether they brew with
malt extract or all-grain. It describes the relationship between water mineral content and mash
and beer pH. In my opinion, understanding residual alkalinity is the key to being able to brew
great beers in any style.
The concept of residual alkalinity was published in 1953 by Paulas Kohlbach, who determined
that the pH of a distilled water mash was about 5.75, and that calcium and magnesium in
brewing water react with malt phytin to neutralize alkalinity according to the following equation:
Alkalinity = (Calcium/3.5) + (Magnesium/7)
Alkalinity that is not neutralized by calcium and magnesium is termed residual alkalinity, and
residual alkalinity will drive the ph of the mash, and subsequently the beer, upwards. As
mentioned above, this changes the beers flavor, dulling it or even causing it to be harshly
bitter.
The equation for residual alkalinity is:
RA = Total Alkalinity ((Calcium/3.5) + (Magnesium/7))
where the values are all in the same unit, either milliequivalents/liter or ppm as CaCO3.
Residual alkalinity is not the balance of hardness to the alkalinity; it is the balance of alkalinity
to the calcium and magnesium levels and the malts. For this reason, you need to know the
individual calcium and magnesium levels in the water, not just the total hardness as CaCO3. It
is the residual alkalinity and the natural acidity of the malts in the grain bill that determines the
mash pH.
For best results, for all beer styles, the mash pH should be 5.15.5 when measured at mash
temperature, and 5.45.8 when measured at room temperature. (At mash temperature the pH
will measure about 0.3 lower due to greater dissociation of the hydrogen ions.) Darker malts
have more natural acidity, and therefore require more residual alkalinity to balance them to
arrive at the optimum pH. However, the relationship is a general one different malts of the
same Lovibond color value can have different amounts of acidity. You can use the calculated
color of a beer recipe as a guide, but dont rely on it as gospel to determine the appropriate
amount of residual alkalinity; it is a general relationship, like cloud color and rain.
Instructions:
Step 1, Determining RA Target: Decide on the color of the beer you would like to brew. Look at
the BJCP Style Guidelines at www.bjcp.org or at a brewery website that lists the color of the
beer you would like to brew. Enter the color value in the Target Color box, and the spreadsheet
will calculate a range of RA that should generate a mash pH that falls in the correct range.
Remember, roastier grain bills will have a higher acidity than grain bills composed of caramel
and toasted malts. Look at the range of RA present and choose a number that you feel is
appropriate to the style of beer you want to brew. For example, if the target beer color is 10
SRM (20 EBC), the RA range is 0-60. Water with an RA close to zero will create a lower, more
acidic mash pH, probably around 5.4 @ 20C. Water with an RA closer to 60 will create a
higher, less acidic mash pH, probably around 5.8 @ 20C. The mash pH will drive the final beer
pH. Lower beer pH translates to a sharper or brighter expression of beer flavors, while a higher
beer pH softens and mellows out the flavors. A softer character is usually desired for roastier
beers to prevent them from tasting acrid.
Alternatively, many brewers find water profiles for famous brewing cities on the Internet for
beers that they would like to emulate. The brewer can input the profile into the second row of
inputs in Step One on the spreadsheet. Often the listed water profile will not have a residual
alkalinity that is appropriate for the desired beer color, and this step will reveal that to the
brewer so adjustments to the profile can be made.

SRM (20 EBC), the RA range is 0-60. Water with an RA close to zero will create a lower, more
acidic mash pH, probably around 5.4 @ 20C. Water with an RA closer to 60 will create a
higher, less acidic mash pH, probably around 5.8 @ 20C. The mash pH will drive the final beer
pH. Lower beer pH translates to a sharper or brighter expression of beer flavors, while a higher
beer pH softens and mellows out the flavors. A softer character is usually desired for roastier
beers to prevent them from tasting acrid.
Alternatively, many brewers find water profiles for famous brewing cities on the Internet for
beers that they would like to emulate. The brewer can input the profile into the second row of
inputs in Step One on the spreadsheet. Often the listed water profile will not have a residual
alkalinity that is appropriate for the desired beer color, and this step will reveal that to the
brewer so adjustments to the profile can be made.
The chloride to sulfate ratio is known to be a strong factor for the taste of the beer. A beer with
a ratio of chloride to sulfate of 1-2 will have a maltier balance, while a beer with a chloride to
sulfate ratio of 0,5-1 will have a drier, more bitter balance.
Step 2, Source Water Profile: Enter the water profile for the source (i.e., tap) water you will be
using. Get the profile from your local water department. Water profiles can change seasonally,
so you may want to call them and get the latest report, rather than depending on the annual
report, which is an average.
Step 3, Dilution of Source Water: You may want to dilute your tap water with distilled water if
your water is very high in alkalinity (>200 ppm as CaCO3). Increase the dilution percent until
the alkalinity or RA is acceptable. Dilution will also reduce your calcium and magnesium levels,
and you will probably want to add salts in Step 5 to bring the at least the calcium up to
minimum levels for good fermentation and clarity (50 ppm).
Step 4, Residual Alkalinity Target: Here is where you choose the target RA for the beer you
want to brew, and the total volume of mash water that you intend to use during sacchrification.
Choose an RA that is within the range calculated in Step 1. This spreadsheet will help you
achieve a final water profile and RA that is very close to the value you enter here. It does not
have to be exact the relationship between beer color, residual alkalinity, and mash pH is a
general one, so close enough is good enough.
Calculate the water volume by the weight of malt in the grain bill and the water-to-grist ratio you
intend to use during sacchrification.
Step 5, Salt Additions: Add salts (in grams) to build the RA and flavor profile that you want for
the beer. You may want to trade off between different calcium salts to balance the anion
content. For example, if the sulfate level gets too high from adding gypsum, use some calcium
chloride instead. If the alkalinity is not high enough for a dark beer, try adding a combination of
sodium bicarbonate and calcium carbonate.
Here is where the chloride to sulfate ratio is useful to help choose which salts to use in
adjusting the RA. If you are intending to brew a hoppy beer, use sulfate salts to move the
balance Bitter or Very Bitter. If you are intending to brew a malt dominated beer, then use
chloride salts to move the balance to Malty or Very Malty. Alternatively, you can use a
combination of chloride and sulfate salts to keep the character Balanced.
Step 6, Acid Additions: If the mineral profile is where you want it, but the RA is still too high, you
might want to add acid to help bring it down. Hydrochloric acid will add chloride ion to the
water, so watch the chloride levels. Chloride above 300 ppm is not recommended due to salty
flavors. Lactic acid will not change the ion levels, but will add a touch of sourness to the beer if
large amounts are used. I do not recommend the use of Phosphoric Acid because it removes
calcium from the water as well, and changes the water profile that you are trying to adjust. The
amount of calcium removed is complex and I dont have a feedback loop in the spreadsheet to
accommodate the effect. Sulfuric acid is very useful from a brewers point of view, but it is so
hazardous to skin that I do not recommend it.
Step 7, Results: This section shows the final water chemistry for the mash, and the estimated
range of beer color for that water. You can adjust previous steps in the spreadsheet to home in
on your target color here.
Step 8, Sparge Water pH Adjustment:
Note: This calculation works from the Alkalinity number of the Diluted Source Water step. If you
are using undiluted source water for sparging, make sure that a value of "0%" is entered in the
dilution rate cell for this calculation, even if you had used dilution for the mash water.
Sparge water acidification is usually not necessary, but brewers in high alkalinity regions may
want to adjust the pH of their sparge water to prevent a rise in mash pH towards the end of the
sparge and the tannin extraction that can occur at that time. Salt additions typically do not
dissolve into sparge water, so dilution or acid additions are a more effective way to lower the
alkalinity and reduce the risk of pH rise. If you add acid to the sparge water, do NOT acidify it to
the mash pH range. Remember that the mash pH is an equilibrium of the chemistry and the
malts, and that by adding enough acid to bring alkaline water down to a pH of 5, you are
overloading the chemistry side of the equation. You should only add enough acid to neutralize

Step 8, Sparge Water pH Adjustment:

Note: This calculation works from the Alkalinity number of the Diluted Source Water step. If you
are using undiluted source water for sparging, make sure that a value of "0%" is entered in the
dilution rate cell for this calculation, even if you had used dilution for the mash water.
Sparge water acidification is usually not necessary, but brewers in high alkalinity regions may
want to adjust the pH of their sparge water to prevent a rise in mash pH towards the end of the
sparge and the tannin extraction that can occur at that time. Salt additions typically do not
dissolve into sparge water, so dilution or acid additions are a more effective way to lower the
alkalinity and reduce the risk of pH rise. If you add acid to the sparge water, do NOT acidify it to
the mash pH range. Remember that the mash pH is an equilibrium of the chemistry and the
malts, and that by adding enough acid to bring alkaline water down to a pH of 5, you are
overloading the chemistry side of the equation. You should only add enough acid to neutralize
the alkalinity of the sparge water (i.e., to a pH of 7) or a little more to (pH 6), in order to prevent
a rise in mash pH as the buffering power of the wort is rinsed away from the grainbed.

Mash Residual Alkalinity Adjustment Worksheet Version 2.5 (US Units)

User Input
Calc. Output

by John Palmer All Rights Reserved 2008

Units are grams, gallons, and milliliters.

Step 1: Enter Target Beer Color to see range of suggested Residual Alkalinity, Or Enter a Target Water
Profile to see its calculated Residual Alkalinity value and a range of suggested Beer Color. (Choose
either "Bicarbonate" or "Total Alkalinity" in E10 and enter the appropriate value in E11.)
Target Color
(SRM)

Est. RA
(Low)

Est. RA
(High)

-122

-63

Target Water

Calcium
(ppm)

(ppm)

OR

Magnesium Alkalinity as
(ppm)
CaCO3
0

Sodium
(ppm)

Chloride
(ppm)

Sulfate
(ppm)

Step 2: Enter Source Water Profile. (Choose "Bicarbonate" or "Alkalinity" in E14.)

Source Water

Calcium
(ppm)

(ppm)

Magnesium Alkalinity as
(ppm)
CaCO3
0

Sodium
(ppm)

Chloride
(ppm)

Sulfate
(ppm)

Step 3: Optional: Dilute Source Water with Distilled Water (Enter Zero if not diluting.)

Dilution Rate

Calcium
(ppm)

0%

Magnesium Alkalinity as
(ppm)
CaCO3
0

Sodium
(ppm)

Chloride
(ppm)

Sulfate
(ppm)

Step 4: Enter a Target Residual Alkalinity Value, based on Step 1, and the total volume of
mash water.
Target
Residual
Alkalinity

Mash Water
Volume (gal)

Volume of
Source
Water (gal.)

Volume of
Distilled
Water (gal.)

Additional
Eff.
Hardness
Needed

Additional
Alkalinity
Needed

Target RA
Est. SRM
(Low)

4.00

4.00

0.00

Step 5: Optional: Add salts to Mash Water. (Enter Zeros if not adding salt.)

Salt Additions

Chalk
CaCO3

Gypsum
CaSO4
*2H2O

(grams)

Calcium
Epsom Salt
Chloride
MgSO4
CaCl2*2H2O
*7H2O
0

Baking
Soda
NaHCO3

Canning
Salt NaCl

Salt
Contributions

Calcium
(ppm)

Magnesium
(ppm)

HCO3
(ppm)

Sodium
(ppm)

Chloride
(ppm)

Sulfate
(ppm)

(ppm)

Step 6: Optional: Add Acid to Mash Water. (Enter Zero if not adding acid.)

Acid
Adjustment

Bottle Conc.

Est. AcidOnly Mash

Addition
(ml)

Mash Water
Addition
(ml)

Hydrochloric

37%

0.0

0.0

Lactic

88%

0.0

0.0

Step 7: Result: Adjusted Mash Chemistry and Final Residual Alkalinity and Beer Color Range

Adjusted Mash

Calcium
(ppm)

(ppm)

Magnesium Alkalinity as
(ppm)
CaCO3
0

Step 8: Optional: Sparge Water pH Adjustment

Measure
Sparge Water
pH @ 20C
8.0

Acid
Adjustment

Target
Sparge
Sparge
Water
Water pH @
Volume (gal)
20C
6.0

5.00

Est. Sparge
Water
Bottle Conc.
Addition
(ml)

Hydrochloric

37%

0.0

Lactic

88%

0.0

Sodium
(ppm)

Chloride
(ppm)

Sulfate
(ppm)

S Units)

r Enter a Target Water

eer Color. (Choose
in E11.)

(Effective
Hardness)

Residual
Alkalinity as
CaCO3

Est. SRM
(Low)

Est. SRM
(High)

Chloride to
Sulfate
Balance

10

#DIV/0!

Water pH

(Effective
Hardness)

Residual
Alkalinity as
CaCO3

Est. SRM
(Low)

Est. SRM
(High)

Chloride to
Sulfate
Ratio

10

#DIV/0!

(Effective
Hardness)

Residual
Alkalinity as
CaCO3

Est. SRM
(Low)

Est. SRM
(High)

Chloride to
Sulfate
Ratio

10

#DIV/0!

Target RA
Est. SRM
(High)
10

Contributed
Hardness

Contributed
Alkalinity

(Effective
Hardness)

Residual
Alkalinity as
CaCO3

Est. SRM
(Low)

Est. SRM
(High)

Chloride to
Sulfate
Ratio

10

#DIV/0!

Color Range

Ratio

Balance

Very Bitter

0.501
0.768

Bitter
Balanced

1.3

Malty

2.01

Very Malty