pH 5.2 Stabilizer

[vipergreen]

I used this in my most recent brew which is currently fermenting.

The instructions said add to the Mash tun at the rate of 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons in the kettle, well for a start I got that wrong and added 2 heaped tablespoons to my total water quantity of around 60 litres (as I did a 10 gallon batch and the instructions referred to US gallons).

All the water went "through" the mash so I suppose it would have done its job but it did make the water very cloudy.

Who else uses this stuff and is it a worthwhile addition also is this and a campden enough water treatment or should I be doing more.

Cheers

[Gurgeh]

I use it, chuck it in with the grist. I also use a campden in the HLT. works fine.

Aleman told me that PH5.2 knocks out all the calcium in the liquor (I hope i got that right Aleman). He suggested that I chuck some gypsum in the boil - i don't have any but DLS is probably close enough

Well my beers tend to be pale and haze-free, as for how they taste... I'm waiting to see what Jilly Goolden thinks

[Scooby]

I've used it and it worked well, same as Gurgeh level Tbs in the tun with the grist.

My water is filtered and treated with 5ml 10% sodium met, same as campden tab.

[Aleman]

As it is a phosphate buffer it will do the job and keep the mash pH at 5.2 . . . assuming you have sufficient calcium in your liquor . . . As I said to Gurgeh there is the possibility that it can strip a considerable amount of calcium from the liquor though . . . which can lead to problems later on in the process. If you live in a hard water area you will probably get away with it, but where the calcium levels are lower, then you are probably better off not using it and correcting you alkalinity and mineral levels in another way.

[mysterio]

Rightly or wrongly I throw in a couple of teaspoons of CaCl into the grist per 10 gallon batch, along with my 5.2 buffer, to compensate for the calcium that the buffer 'uses up' (my water is extremely soft). As I understand it Calcium is needed at every stage of brewing, (mashing, boiling, fermentation, clarification).

Then I add extra salts into the boil depending on the style, say for an English bitter I shoot for a 400:200 ppm sulphate to chloride ratio.

[Gurgeh]

I've hesitated from adding any calcium in the mash (alongwith the ph5.2) assuming that the two additions would compete/react and not give me my desired pH.

Is that wrong then? can i add DLS in the mash?

[Scooby]

I would think that as long as the mash Ph is correct then any additions of
gypsum or whatever should be added to the boil.

I have to say that I now use DaaB's test kit and adjust with CRS and no other
additions (for Bitter). My water is moderately hard so haven't added anything
to the boil, but a friend recommended 5mls of gypsum to the boil which I will
try next brew.

I detected a slightly rounder/smoother mouth feel when I changed, not a massive
difference, it's more than likely that my water (as with a lot of brewers supply) is better
than I thought. It's fine tuning, the icing on the cake so to speak