5.2 pH stabilizer - post your results

Let's try to keep this somewhat simple as there are obviously tons of variables. There has been a lot of discussion about if "5.2" actually does anything. Please post your results.

Me:

city water (haven't run the profile) ph = 6.8

post mash pH = 5.18 (added 1 tbsp 5.2 during mash)
mid sparge pH = 5.29

seems to work for me. No additional salts/compounds added during the process.

How 'bout for you?

City Water (profile not with me) pH = 9.2 to 9.3

Average mash pH with 5.2 = ~7.5 to 8.0
Sparge pH = ?

Using a 2 point calibrated digital Hannah Checker 1 and sample cooled to room temp.

Shouldn't you compare the pH of a mash without 5.2 to an otherwise identical mash with it?

remilard said:

Shouldn't you compare the pH of a mash without 5.2 to an otherwise identical mash with it?

Click to expand...

Yes. In fact, you should always check the mash before you do anything to it rather than just assume it needs this or that. Grist changes a lot.

Is another reason I like just using the Phos.

I gave up on that product and use John Palmers advice to get my RA inline during the mash. Now my PH is spot on since doing so.

remilard said:

Shouldn't you compare the pH of a mash without 5.2 to an otherwise identical mash with it?

Click to expand...

Yes and the water pH really don't matter anyway. It's all those ions you didn't list that are important to mash pH as well as the makeup of the grist.

Im on well water that's quite hard, prob high ph but I have not had it tested. I use an under sink filter but still notice a slight mineral taste in the lighter beers, barely noticable, but there. I just got some 5.2 and used it in a stout the other day. I won't know if it helps my situation until I brew something light with it though.

boo boo said:

Yes and the water pH really don't matter anyway. It's all those ions you didn't list that are important to mash pH as well as the makeup of the grist.

Click to expand...

Tell the enzymes and tannins that water pH doesn't matter and see if they listen.

I think what he meant was that it's the mash pH and not so much the water pH that matters.

SpanishCastleAle said:

I think what he meant was that it's the mash pH and not so much the water pH that matters.

Click to expand...

Yes. Yes. Yes. However many who make thios statement do not work with waters having extreme pH. Thus, water pH means little to them. Use a water with a extreme pH and then make bold statements about how little it matters.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Yes. Yes. Yes. However many who make thios statement do not work with waters having extreme pH. Thus, water pH means little to them. Use a water with a extreme pH and then make bold statements about how little it matters.

Click to expand...

Yes of course. However, I think he meant that it is best to check the ph of the mash and not the water as testing the water didn't matter.

I actually emailed Five Star to complain about 5.2 before I started researching water chemistry and mash ph. It simply was not working for me. I was told by the company that it is only designed to bring DOWN high water ph, and not a magical powder that has the power to turn any and all grist/water combination's to a ph of exactly 5.2.(which is how they market it ) Furthermore, if you search water guru A.J. Delange's posts in that other forum, he did some experimenting with it and couldn't get it bring down ph in any of his mashes, even at double and triple the doses.

Now I don't want to diss Five Star too bad, because Star-San maybe the best brewing product ever made, but 5.2 is crap. Water and mash chemistry with relation to ph is far too complicated with too many factors to assume one single salt/buffer addition will take care of any arbitrary grist and water combo.I think they're being misleading, IMHO.

I think it works in a very limited set of circumstances, as the first poster can attest. It won't work for me though, I was never able to get below about 6.2 even with massive overdoses of the stuff, so I'm not going to spend that cash again and rather spend it elsewhere.

AZ_IPA said:

Let's try to keep this somewhat simple as there are obviously tons of variables. There has been a lot of discussion about if "5.2" actually does anything. Please post your results.

Me:

city water (haven't run the profile) ph = 6.8

post mash pH = 5.18 (added 1 tbsp 5.2 during mash)
mid sparge pH = 5.29

seems to work for me. No additional salts/compounds added during the process.

How 'bout for you?

Click to expand...

Here's what I got with DI water and base malt (Maris Otter)
0 mg/L (DI Water alone): 5.70
500 mg/L (Normal dose): 5.68
1000 mg/L 5.68
2000 mg/L 5.66

And with my nominal well water (Alk ~ 80, Total Hardness ~ 110)

0 mg/L (no 5.2) : 5.93
500 mg/L (Normal dose) : 5.79
1000 mg/L : 5.72
1500 mg/L : 5.74
3000 mg/L : 5.76 (i.e. same as 1500 ~ measurement noise)

All pH values at near room temp (18 - 20 °C)

So if you got 5.18 with it you must have a large amount of highly colored malt in your grist. It is unlikely that the 5.2 was responsible for the low pH.