PH stabilizer

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Yooper

Yooper

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I bought some of that 5.2 PH stabilizer on a whim. Now what? Do I add a tsp to my mash water and/or sparge water?

I don't have any water tests- our city water department was very helpful on the phone telling me that I don't need the results of any tests and they don't do many tests any way! He helpfully added that he knows our water is "very hard". Up to this point, I've made some great beer but I've had efficiencies from 60% (bad crush) to 80%, usually around 70-75%. I was hoping the ph stabilizer would be an easy way to see if the efficiency went up if the mash ph was correct.

Am I sort of on the right track?
 
I believe it is 1 tablespoon/5 gallons leaving the kettle in the mash. So I add 1 tablespoon in the mash. I know others say they add some to their sparge water too, but I don't and I justify that by thinking that it is the mash the pH is most important and since I batch sparge with 170F water there is little risk of extracting tannins. I have never taken the pH of my mash and have always used 5.2 and get 70% efficiency with (from what I have seen here) a very coarse crush.
 
I have only been using 1/2 the recommended amount and have been very happy. I have heard a few guys on the brewingnetwork.com saying the full amount gives them some off flavors. So far I have not tasted any at half the amount. I can tell you one thing my efficiency has gone up alot.
 
I usuaully use ~1/2 tbsp, but of course, my efficiency sucks...

Yoops, there's some company that will test your water for you are pretty minimal cost (IIRC, ~$25 or so) if you're interested. Can't remember the name, it's in a couple of threads from earlier in the summer - maybe someone else will recall.
 
When I began using it earlier this year, me efficiency boosted from around 75% to 80%, all other things being equal. I use 1 tablespoon in the mash.
 
Yeah...same here, just 1 tbsp in the mash, none in the sparge...and it helped my efficiency by 5 points or more.
 
I use it in the mash and the sparge water. One homebrewer told me he was getting off-flavors from pH 5.2, but this is the same guy who thought my blackberry cider was a merlot.
 
I think the directions say 1 Tbsp. per 5 gallons in the kettle. So if you are doing a 5 gallon batch, 1 Tbsp. would do it. I do 11.5 to 12 gallon batches and will use 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp. If I have a 90 minute boil, I'll use 3 Tbsp. as I'll have almost 15 gallons in the kettle before the boil. I got 92% on my last batch and usually average 87%. No need to add it to your sparge.

You may want to check the pH of your sparge water though. The higher the pH the harder it will be for the buffer to work near the end of the sparge. I usually add 1 tsp per 5 gallons of gypsum to my water as it is very soft and helps my hops utilization. Added benefit is that it drops my sparge waters pH down from 7.8 to 6.8.
 
the_bird said:
I usuaully use ~1/2 tbsp, but of course, my efficiency sucks...

Yoops, there's some company that will test your water for you are pretty minimal cost (IIRC, ~$25 or so) if you're interested. Can't remember the name, it's in a couple of threads from earlier in the summer - maybe someone else will recall.
Click to expand...


http://www.wardlab.com/

W-6 is $15 and sufficient.
W-5 is $24 and only adds fluoride. Overkill.
 
jdoiv said:
I think the directions say 1 Tbsp. per 5 gallons in the kettle. So if you are doing a 5 gallon batch, 1 Tbsp. would do it. I do 11.5 to 12 gallon batches and will use 2 Tbsp + 2 tsp. If I have a 90 minute boil, I'll use 3 Tbsp. as I'll have almost 15 gallons in the kettle before the boil. I got 92% on my last batch and usually average 87%. No need to add it to your sparge.

You may want to check the pH of your sparge water though. The higher the pH the harder it will be for the buffer to work near the end of the sparge. I usually add 1 tsp per 5 gallons of gypsum to my water as it is very soft and helps my hops utilization. Added benefit is that it drops my sparge waters pH down from 7.8 to 6.8.
Click to expand...

Do you use a Metro water source?
 
Yooper;

I've used the 5.2 as well thinking it was part of the problem with my efficiency but found it did not help much with the beers I was brewing. I second the Ward Lab test, I now can calculate the mash pH based on my water analysis and grain bill and except for extreme beers - ie pale lagers, pilsners etc my water is fine as is and you may find yours is as well.

If you fly sparge and are brewing very pale beers then adding to the sparge would make sense as it is the pH of the sparge that dictates tannin extraction. Batch spargers wouldn't need to use it.
 
This is the response I got from FiveStar when i asked how to use 5.2 for 5.5 Gallon batches.

From: Jon Herskovits [mailto:[email protected]]

Chris,

Just add one tablespoon to the mash. This will be enough to buffer the sparge water to 5.2.

Thanks,

Jon Herskovits
 
cpbergie said:
This is the response I got from FiveStar when i asked how to use 5.2 for 5.5 Gallon batches.

From: Jon Herskovits [mailto:[email protected]]

Chris,

Just add one tablespoon to the mash. This will be enough to buffer the sparge water to 5.2.

Thanks,

Jon Herskovits
Click to expand...

In reading this it suggests that as you drain off your first running, there is still enough 5.2 left behind to buffer your sparge water. I've seen people who say it must be added to the mash. To me, it sounds like if you are happy with your mash pH as is, then it is fine to just add it to your sparge water - which is what I do. Adding it to the mash is partly out of convenience (assuming you have OK water). I think a bunch of the benefit in using 5.2 occurs in the boil pot. I haven't tested it yet, but it seems as though I am getting better hop utilization.

From the Five Star Website:

v Optimize the enzymatic activity of your malt.
v Help clarify your wort.
v More consistent hop usage in the boil.
v Reduce scaling & mineral deposition in the lauter.
Click to expand...
 
PseudoChef said:
Do you use a Metro water source?
Click to expand...

I'm on Harpeth Valley Utility District. The processing plant is off River Road and Charlotte Pike. Like all water around Nashville, it comes from the Cumberland.
 
Here in Ann Arbor the water comes out of the tap with a ph of 8.7 - 8.9 (!!!). (Measured with a very accurate digital ph meter a biologist friend "borrowed" from her lab.) The 5.2 ph stabilizer was nothing short of magic for my efficiency - 67% average up to 81% average after I started using it. Like most others I just add a tablespoon to the mash.
 

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