Jordon Geurts (1); (1) Briess Malt & Ingredients, Chilton, WI, U.S.A.

Malt and Grains
Poster

Mash pH is a factor that influences enzyme activity, yeast health, solubility of compounds, clarity, head retention, and the flavor of finished beer. Both historically and in modern brewing, the mash pH can be manipulated by adjusting the grain bill with specialty malts of varying colors and acidities to achieve a desired target pH. Our study investigated various malt production methods and the resulting relationship between wort color, pH, and titratable acidity for a variety of samples, with the aim of giving brewers a better quantitative feel for the effect specific malt types can have on mash pH. A strong relationship between mash pH and measured malt color was found, while the relationship between malt color and titratable acidity was more variable. All of these relationships showed various levels of precision depending on the production method.

Jordon earned a B.S. degree in biology with an emphasis in ecology and organismal biology from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Prior to Briess, Jordon worked with the USDA in the Cereal Crops Research Unit as a lab technician in the Barley and Malt Quality Lab in Madison, WI. In his role at the USDA he specialized in small-batch and pilot malting. In his current role at Briess, he provides technical support services for quality assurance, quality control, and R&D projects and has presented his work at the MBAA Annual Conference.