Some of the knowledgeable members of home brew talk are highly skeptical of 5.2 mash stabilizer.
Why?
I just read some of a chemistry book, and given my limited knowledge of chemistry, the idea seems sound, at least to some degree. But I may not be fully understanding whats happening.
1 - I assume 5.2 mash stabilizer doesn't add off flavors , as that would clearly make it ill suited for brewing.
2 - It appears that if the pH is too low, the 5.2 mash stabilizer will buffer it to around 5.2. The excess Hydronium ions will be neutralized by the conjugate base of the 5.2 mash stabilizer. I assume this is rare in brewing, unless using lots of dark grains or acidic water.
Or am I misunderstanding?
3 - if the brew water has some hardness, and that buffers the pH and prevents it from dropping to the desired range, would the 5.2 mash stabilizer cause the pH to drop to 5.2?
Or is what happens is the Hydronium ions in the mash bond with the elements in water that are making it hard, and are neutralized. Then the 5.2 mash stabilizer doesn't unbond the Hydronium ions, and doesn't lower the pH.
If one mixed up some 5.2 mash stabilizer and added it to pure water (pH 7) would the pH drop to 5.2?
(I already searched a number of 5.2 stabilizer threads without finding a scientific explanation, as opposed to "it doesn't work").
I am not advocating 5.2 stabilizer.
I just want to understand the science involved.
Could an alternative 5.2 buffer be created?
Why?
I just read some of a chemistry book, and given my limited knowledge of chemistry, the idea seems sound, at least to some degree. But I may not be fully understanding whats happening.
1 - I assume 5.2 mash stabilizer doesn't add off flavors , as that would clearly make it ill suited for brewing.
2 - It appears that if the pH is too low, the 5.2 mash stabilizer will buffer it to around 5.2. The excess Hydronium ions will be neutralized by the conjugate base of the 5.2 mash stabilizer. I assume this is rare in brewing, unless using lots of dark grains or acidic water.
Or am I misunderstanding?
3 - if the brew water has some hardness, and that buffers the pH and prevents it from dropping to the desired range, would the 5.2 mash stabilizer cause the pH to drop to 5.2?
Or is what happens is the Hydronium ions in the mash bond with the elements in water that are making it hard, and are neutralized. Then the 5.2 mash stabilizer doesn't unbond the Hydronium ions, and doesn't lower the pH.
If one mixed up some 5.2 mash stabilizer and added it to pure water (pH 7) would the pH drop to 5.2?
(I already searched a number of 5.2 stabilizer threads without finding a scientific explanation, as opposed to "it doesn't work").
I am not advocating 5.2 stabilizer.
I just want to understand the science involved.
Could an alternative 5.2 buffer be created?