Crystal 120 (Briess)
Crystal / caramel malt, typically 120 °L (317 EBC). Malt color varies by lot, treat listed values as typical and adjust to your malt analysis.
| Type | Crystal / caramel malt |
|---|---|
| Typical color | 120 °L · 317 EBC |
| Distilled-water mash pH | 4.71 (measured, titrated) |
| Buffering (a1) | -48.4 mEq/kg per pH |
In the mash
Crystal malts are kilned wet, which caramelizes sugars and generates acidity roughly in proportion to color. In the mash they pull pH downward, a 10% addition of a mid-color crystal typically drops the mash 0.05–0.1 pH, which is why caramel-forward grists often need little or no added acid.
Build a water profile around it →The calculator opens a new batch with Crystal 120 (Briess) already in the grain bill; the mash pH prediction updates live, with a per-lot DI pH override if you've measured your own sack.
More malts
pH data: measured values compiled and cross-normalized in D.M. Riffe & M. Spencer, "A Homebrewing Perspective on Mash pH III" (2018), from measurements by Troester, deLange, Bies, Geurts, Walts, and Riffe-Spencer; multi-study means where several labs measured the same malt. Lot-to-lot variation of ±0.1 pH is normal. Malt DI pH, explained: what it is and how to measure your own →