5.2 water problem

[HillbillyDeluxe]

I've started tinkering with water quality. PH hardnes etc.. I've uses this 5.2 stuff i picked up at the LHBS. Now i have two batches that taste like they have a star san chaser. Anyone ever have this issue? I think its the 5.2 stuff, all my other beers have come our perfect, till now. These two batches suck. Will it age out?

 

[irunxcjm]

I've used this product without any after taste. Have your fermentation temperatures changed at all?

 

[sonetlumiere85]

Pretty sure any potential flavor from 5.2 would be boiled off when you were boiling your wort. Are you using grain with your 5.2? Because it's usually not necessary to tinker with water when it comes to extract brewing. I also use 5.2 every time in my mash and I've never tasted anything bad except when I get some unrelated factor wrong.

 

[Got Trub?]

First of all if you were making good tasting beer before why did you add 5.2? For most NA brewers our water is moderately hard and is fine for mashing most recipes. You may run into problems if your water is unusually hard or soft or you are brewing very pale lagers. I only use it when brewing very pale lagers and only at 1/2 the recommended amount. I have heard some complain of a chemical or metallic off flavour with it. The components will not "boil off" but some components do appear to precipitate out.

GT

 

[slomo]

I had a star stany after taste to a dark ale. It never totally aged out but it was considerably less with age. I was self conscious of it and never let any body else taste it.

 

[Grinder12000]

I use 5.2 for my last 15 batches and have had zero problems - maybe it's a coincidence? I have to think if it was a problem it would have turned up on the boards before now.

How did you use it? how much. Seems odd.

 

[the_bird]

I've never heard of issues when using the proper dosage (I usually use half of what is recommended, and my pH has been fine).

 

[HillbillyDeluxe]

i used 1 tsp per 5 gal(final). My ferm temps are usually about 1 or 2 degrees warmer but these two batches were the same. Nothing changed but the 5.2. I know it has a decent rep, and i'm not ignorant to water chemistry. Those of you who know that a green sand filter is the best(and usually only) solution to a manganese chloride problemknow what i mean. I'm makin 2 batches this weekend without it. Same recipe as the othr two that suck. i guess we will see.

 

[HillbillyDeluxe]

Oh, and thanks guys, that was good feed back. this place rocks.

 

[ArcaneXor]

5.2 tends to taste somewhat minerally when used in excess. I usually use half the recommended concentration and have not had any problems that way.

 

[HillbillyDeluxe]

I guess minerally is a good way to put it. Will it age out, or do i just choke it down?