Buffer 5.2 questions

My tap water is perfectly fine for most of the beers I brew: the only time I really *need* to do any modification is for base-malt-only light colored beers and for very dark beers.

Since I usually don't need to fiddle much with pH, I'm thinking it might be convenient to just use buffer 5.2 on those few batches where my pH needs adjusting and just RDWHAHB.

I know it's pretty expensive: what is the recommended amount to use? (In other words, how many batches worth come in that $9 container?) I'm notoriously cheap: the alternatives (Gypsum, Epsom Salts, Calcium Chloride, Calcium Carbonate) are all very cheap.

I use two teaspoons directly in my mash. I've done partial mashes, so you might need a tablespoon for a full mash. Tablespoon was the recommended amount I've seen.

I think it calls for 1 Tbs/5gal. It's a pretty big tub. My guess is it'll last several dozen batches.

Yeah, I use that, too. One tablespooon for every five gallons, and I do five gallon batches. I think it'd probably do about twenty batches for me. My results have been great, but I haven't actually done any measurements to quantify the difference.

Ive used it several times but stopped. You can get a lot of batches out of it. I think I'd use 1-2 tbs. (1 in the mash, 1 in the sparge)

I've also cut the recommended ammount in half and it seems to work just the same. You can stretch it out over a LOT of batches.

I've been working on one tub for five years, but I only make 8-10 batches a year. If your water is of good quality and a neutral pH to start, you can half the amount safely. I don't bother.

david_42 said:

I've been working on one tub for five years, but I only make 8-10 batches a year. If your water is of good quality and a neutral pH to start, you can half the amount safely. I don't bother.

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That sounds like what I have in mind.

My pH is a little on the high side (9.3 per my water report), but my general harness, infact, my levels of almost everything, are pretty low--so it's very easy for me to adjust my water. I think the only kind of beer where I really *need* to adjust the pH is light-colored, all-base-malt beers.

I don't lager, so about the only beers I ever do in that category are Belgians (I really like Siason and Tripel).

You could also just use acid malt or lactic acid for those lighter beers. The acid malt is probably easier...the lactic acid can change things in a hurry.

When I've used the buffer (at the recommended dosage), it's made a big difference in my efficiency. I forgot it last time, and when Kai checked my PH, I was a little on the high side (5.6 IIRC). Until I really start learning how to interpret a water report and can invest in a PH meter, I'll keep using the buffer (when I remember it) as a basically foolproof way of improving my efficiency.

the_bird said:

... I'll keep using the buffer (when I remember it) ....

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Just like Irish Moss, huh?

I used it for the first time a week or so ago, I noticed an enormous leap in efficiency. Target OG was 1.038, ended up with 1.047!

My water is fairly soft - I used half a tbsp in the mash and half in the sparge for a 10 gallon batch.

Question, when you guys use the 5.2, to you also notice a shift in the hop utilization?

lower boil pH will result in lower and milder hop bitterness since alpha acids are less soluble in lower pH wort. This is not a bad thing, but I wonder if anybody who forgets the 5.2 from time to time also notices this difference.

Kai

I couldn't brew a beer over 30 IBU's until I started using 5.2, the hops came out so harsh that it took a lot of aging to mellow them out and then they were still harsh. I love IPA's and thanks to 5.2 I can finally brew a beer in the 60-70 IBU range, and have that nice smooth bitterness, tons of hop flavor and aroma.

Baron von BeeGee said:

You could also just use acid malt or lactic acid for those lighter beers. The acid malt is probably easier...the lactic acid can change things in a hurry.

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I have latic acid just recently purchased and had planned on using it for my sparge water. You saying that I can use this instead of 5.2 and cal chloride etc. in my mash to get my ph right?
And explain, please, the change things in a hurry comment.

I ran across an interesting quote from Charlie Talley (head of 5 star chemicals) regarding the 5.2 buffer...

He says that the 5.2 is meant for alkaline water and pale beers, not soft water and dark beers.

Something to keep in mind!

Dude said:

I ran across an interesting quote from Charlie Talley (head of 5 star chemicals) regarding the 5.2 buffer...

He says that the 5.2 is meant for alkaline water and pale beers, not soft water and dark beers.

Something to keep in mind!

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I heard this in the interview on BBR. So in other words, if you're brewing a stout with a lot of roasted grains in soft water, the buffer will not bring your PH back up into the proper range, it's only useful for bringing it down?

Waldo said:

I couldn't brew a beer over 30 IBU's until I started using 5.2, the hops came out so harsh that it took a lot of aging to mellow them out and then they were still harsh. I love IPA's and thanks to 5.2 I can finally brew a beer in the 60-70 IBU range, and have that nice smooth bitterness, tons of hop flavor and aroma.

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That's what I thought. Now that I'm monitoring and adjusting my pH to be between 5.3 and 5.4, I feel that a lot of my beers are underhopped and I have to re-learn my system regarding hop utilization.

Kai

boo boo said:

I have latic acid just recently purchased and had planned on using it for my sparge water. You saying that I can use this instead of 5.2 and cal chloride etc. in my mash to get my ph right?
And explain, please, the change things in a hurry comment.

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You can definitely use it to lower pH, and it may be a good option if you don't want to add certain salts to your mash. By changing things in a hurry I just mean that a little bit goes a long ways in terms of lowering pH so add it a little at a time until you get the desired pH reading.

Thanks Barron. Seems like I now have enough chemicals now to keep me going until the cows come home regarding the salts like gypsum and cal chloride and now latic, LOl.

My water being really soft, didn't seem like the 5.2 stabalizer was doing anything to lower the mash down enough. Since giving up on it and going with cal chloride or gypsum, Ive been able to meet my target of 5.3 PH.

Interesting thread. I currently have a rye pale ale bottle conditioning. It's still not aged enough to judge it, still green, but I tried one last night and it was fairly astringent. It seemed with only upper 20s/near 30 IBUs there is no way it should have been that bitter, even if it is still green given my past brews.

My method was a partial mash. My water is quite hard, but I haven't had a problem before, but this mash was the lightest in terms of malts (3lb 6-row, 2lb flaked rye, 1/2 lb crystal 40, and 1/2 lb rice hulls, 1.25qt/lb). I'm thinking that grain bill may have been too light for my water and the mash pH was too high.

Before I jump to conclusions, I'm going to let this age for a while yet and see how it is in a few weeks/month. I might come back with a few questions about water and the Buffer 5.2.

FWIW, my water specs:

298 Hardness as CaCO3
281 Alkanity as CaCO3
60 Ca
36 Mg
3.9 Na
17.8 SO4
4.6 Chloride

About my above post. The Rye Pale Ale has mellowed a good amount over the past few weeks, but is still a bit harsh. Now maybe this will mellow away, but I think there are some tannis in there. And without measuring, my calculations point to a too high pH.

Anyway, I will be brewing another very pale grain bill this weekend and am thinking about treating my water pH5.2 buffer stuff.

My water is overly alkaline......lots of carbonate, so for a very pale mash, my pH is too high (my water is wonderful for porters and stouts). I figured out using Palmer's book how much brewing salts I would have to add. For the amount of calcium I need to add, I'd be adding way too much chloride or sulfate. So I think the pH5.2 buffer stuff will work well as it basically will acidify my mash and sparge water enough that the pH is lowered. I would only use this in the paler end of my brews.

Is my understanding of how this pH5.2 buffer works right? Does it seem like the way to go? I could blend water, but I'd rather just use tap water.

Thanks guys and gals!

I think you'll probably be fine just adding the 5.2 buffer if you don't want to mess with acids and salts. Give it a shot and post some feedback on it.

Cheers!

Lil' Sparky said:

I think you'll probably be fine just adding the 5.2 buffer if you don't want to mess with acids and salts. Give it a shot and post some feedback on it.

Cheers!

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I brewed up my lawnmower cream ale today using the pH5.2 buffer. Since I do partial mashes and the tub recommends 1 tablespoon per 5 gallon batch, I added about 1 1/2 tsp to the mash and 3/4-1 tsp to the sparge water. I hope this works well. I added the pH5.2 directly to the mash as I doughed in and to the sparge water shortly before I spraged. It made the water cloudy, I hope that is normal. I'll report back the results in a few weeks.

1 tablespoon in 4 gallons of mash water gets cloudy as well, I tasted the water and you can't detect any flavor. For a partial mash thats probably what I would have done.