Must PH 2.60 - should I adjust?

[crabjoe]

I'm going to try a Mojito SP and with 5 gallons of sugar water, then 2 32oz of Lime juice added the PH of the Must is coming in at 2.60.

My issue with this is that I'm thinking most any yeast is going to have a heck of a time getting started with this low a PH, so the plan is to use EC1118. I'm not sure if EC1118 can even get going with this so now I'm thinking I need to reduce the PH a bit, into the 2.9 -3.0 range.

What's everyone's thought on this? If I use a starter do you think the EC1118 will work without adjusting the PH up or should I add some calcium carbonate to bring up the PH to something more manageable for EC1118 to work?

Thanks!

 

[user 36973]

Yes, you should bring the pH up. Calcium carbonate is a good choice that will raise the pH quite a bit without adding a ton of potassium that can seem salty if too much is added. The yeast will be happy if you can get it over 3.1.

Note that the calcium can react with the citric acid and precipitate calcium citrate. It should settle out over the next couple months as a hard film on the bottom of your container.

 

[crabjoe]

Yes, you should bring the pH up. Calcium carbonate is a good choice that will raise the pH quite a bit without adding a ton of potassium that can seem salty if too much is added. The yeast will be happy if you can get it over 3.1.

Note that the calcium can react with the citric acid and precipitate calcium citrate. It should settle out over the next couple months as a hard film on the bottom of your container.

Thanks! I wasn't sure what I could use because I couldn't find anything online pointing to it working with citric acid.