5.2 instructions???

So I've never really understood what they mean when they say use 1 tbs for 5 gallons coming out of the kettle..

Do they mean coming from the kettle into the mash tun for the initial infusion but not latter ones?

Do they mean each time coming from the kettle?

Do they mean coming from the kettle post boil?

How is this stuff generally used? I think I haven't been using it right...

They mean for every 5 gallons of finished beer, add one tablespoon to the mash.

It doesn't work though. A bunch of people have tested it with a pH meter and I haven't seen any success noted.

Really? I think I need a PH meter now (slaps forehead)

Add that to the list along with a refractometer and sight glass

However, there is still a use for it - to check the calibration of your pH meter. I read somewhere on HBT that ajdelange said that in distilled water, the 5.2 powder buffers the pH to (IIRC) 5.82.

So, is 5.2 a waste of money?

mattldm said:

So, is 5.2 a waste of money?

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Yes. I gave a full container away to someone who wanted to try it, and have about 1/4 jar left from when I used to use it.

It really doesn't do what it says it will do. We kicked around discussions about using it to reduce the pH of the sparge water, but that wasn't really recommended either.

It works for me, but not at the recommended amount. I usually add, stir mash, check mash ph, and repeat if ph is too high after 10 minutes or so.

It is homebrewer's snake oil. Sort of like "priming sugar". Well, except priming sugar actually works.

Forget the Five Star 5.2. Get your water analyzed and then use something like this to ballpark your pH:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/ez-water-calculator-2-0-a-195940/

The Brew Science forum here will be a big help as well.

I detailed my process and feel these are the best instructions I could come up with for 5.2

• Purchase 5.2 from LHBS
  
• Open 5.2
  
• Use it in Mash
  
• Curse and throw objects.
  
• Try it again on next brew.
  
• Throw it away.

Wow, i'm really surprised you guys are having this issues. Other threads that talk nothing about this product say it is awesome. This is the first thread i have seen where someone said they didn't like it.

ive used it before. we have city water (+chlorine), which is filtered thru a charcoal filter before beer use. i measured the before and after filter pH at around 5.9 with pH strips.

i put the 5.2 in the HLT, stirred it and let it sit for a while, and the strips still say around 5.8 or 5.9.

the wort before boil usually reads about 5.2 to 5.4 though, so maybe it needs to be 'activated' or something in the wort. or it could have just been the wort decreasing on its own. i have not tried brewing the same exact beer with and without 5.2 to determine if its the 5.2 doing its job, or something else just bringing the pH down.

but from what ive seen- this stuff doesnt do much.

I used to use it as well... before I bought a pH meter. Once I did I realized that I didn't need it and now I just make acid adjustments.

I used it on both batches of beer I brewed yesterday. Both were 10 gallons, I took readings throughout the whole process and I got consistant readings of 5.4 - 5.6. Not 5.2. Thats way better than the 9.5 i am getting without adding anything. The only problem i now have with this chemical is that they sell it in a small container. For a 10 gallon batch i collect 12 gallon so I need to use 2 1/2 tbl. spoons. Since I did 2 brews I almost blew through the container.

9.5?! where do you get that reading from? tap water? mash? boil?

thats crazy high.

pola0502ds said:

Wow, i'm really surprised you guys are having this issues. Other threads that talk nothing about this product say it is awesome. This is the first thread i have seen where someone said they didn't like it.

Click to expand...

You need to look harder then! There is a thread that PROVES it doesn't work as advertised.

audger said:

9.5?! where do you get that reading from? tap water? mash? boil?

thats crazy high.

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I have a Hanna Prep 5 PH meter and the water coming right from the house water tap is 9.5