Five Star PH Stabilizer

[ArmChair]

Had anyone ever used it?

I picked up a 450g tun from Morley Homebrew today.

It says you don't need any other acids or salts and it finishs at 5.2 everytime.
Just use 8g per 10 liters of water.

What's your thoughts?

[LeeH]

I used it on my AG 3. It didn't work and my PH meter was calibrated that same day.

I was sure i got the dose correct but I'll give it another go while I'm waiting for my Murphy water report.

[AnthonyUK]

I can't see how it could possibly work for all waters.

[WallyBrew]

So they are still marketing this stuff with their outlandish claims

Note that they only claim, or did only claim, that it would lock your mash or kettle water to pH 5.2. 4+ years ago it was incapable of getting distilled water to pH 5.2 but they may have improved it

I would suggest you put it on the shelf or in the dustbin and search this forum for previous responses to this "amazing product"

[mabrungard]

I love 5 Star and almost all of their products. Unfortunately, you have been taken in by an apparent fraud when you purchased that 5.2 Stabilizer. It has repeatedly been proven to NOT do what it states that it does. What has typically been found is that it 'locks your mash pH at about 5.8'. Anyone that has been studying mashing chemistry will recognize that 5.8 is a bit too high for any mash. Even if you were to account for the difference in pH between a room temperature and mash temperature pH measurements, it still doesn't produce a 5.2 pH.

Sorry for the news, but 5.2 Stabilizer doesn't work. For that product, I like to say: It works great for brewers that don't check their mash pH and doesn't work at all for those that do check.

[Kev888]

Quite some time ago I heard a podcast interview with a representative from five-star, sadly I forget which one; IIRC he said this product stabilised the mash and sparge 'water' PH - it could perhaps have been a matter of terminology but it sounded to me that he was (perhaps purposely) not saying it stabilised the mash PH.

I think their starsan, saniclean and PBW are all really excellent products and use them extensively, but I haven't tried the stabiliser so I can't comment from personal experience. It 'sounds' attractive, especially as I lack the chemistry insight or need/inclination to really get into detailed water treatment, but testing the liquor's total alkalinity and taking the CRS/AMS approach to adjusting things is also within even my abilities - I know that works and can be tweaked to suit the style so haven't seen fit to change it.

Cheers
kev

[domiz1991]

I think that it very good when you fix the Ph of sparge water, but in the mash it can't work very well for the influence of malt.

[Aleman]

I think that it very good when you fix the Ph of sparge water

I know it doesn't even do that particularly well

[boingy]

Like Martin I struggle to reconcile the quality of their other products with a pot of what would almost amount to magic dust if it worked. I used it for a while, because I wanted to believe and because I couldn't be bothered with the complexities of water treatment. I just chucked it in according to the instructions and made beer. No idea what the mash ph was. The beer was fine, but it may well have been just as fine without it. People with more knowledge than me say it doesn't work and I don't recall anyone with any authority arguing. So how come they are still selling it? Surely they must know?