pH Meter vs 5.2 pH Stabilizer

[Hermit]

My interest in 5.2 is very mixed. It may be the only brewing thing I investigated which I think has no relevance to practical brewing. It’s purely the interest that brewers have in this product and it’s apparent inability to live up to the claims made by the manufacturer that caused me to slide it into the mash pH experimental effort. Especially after A.J. has repeatedly said that it shouldn’t be able to work.

Like Martin I stand behind StarSan, another FSC product, which I think makes brewing much easier by providing a stable reusable sanitizer. 5.2 however seems like a desperate attempt to use (buffer) chemistry to solve the problem of incorrect mash pH. Oddly enough, it is primarily marketed to professional brewers who I think should all have at least a basic enough understanding of mash pH so they can adjust it with more conventional methods. They even have the benefit of brewing the same few beers over and over and with a small investment into a pH meter and GH&KH water test they should be able to dial in their water treatment w/o having to know the chemistry behind it. Those tools are likely cheaper than a Bucket full of 5.2 mash buffer.

I meant to contact FSC about this, but in all honesty I don’t even know how to start the conversation so I get a genuine answer.

Kai

Well, I would do it in writing only. Simply point them to your experiments and ask them if they can suggest why they don't line up with their claims. The ONLY thing I could think of is that their claim is to lock in the "water". They just neglect to point out that it is useless once you add the grain.