Stabilizer 5.2 Experience

[Holytoledo]

Wanted to provide feedback on the use of mash stabilizer 5.2. It ruined 2 HBB batches for me. I used municipal water with 1 tbs/ 5 gallons per directions. Not only did it not work (in no way did it keep the pH in the 5.2 range), it left an off flavor. Best way to describe it is similar to others, minerally. My fault for using it the second time. If you want to dig into the details of the mash pH please take the time to use Bru'n water spreadsheet.

[Pesty]

My experience is opppsite and have been using it since my first AG mash.

[Holytoledo]

I would'nt doubt it.  I'm sure if we polled enough folks we would find some who sware by it and even those who put it in their coffee.  What I am saying is that the company does not give the ingredients so there is no way to know what it does to the water profile.  This was my double mistake.....

[Pesty]

My label says contains a blend of food safe buffering phosphates.

Here is the SDS sheet.. https://www.grainandgrape.com.au/sites/ ... %20SDS.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow

[bilgriss]

This discussion goes on frequently on the homebrew forums too. Works for some, others find a strange, salty or hard to describe off flavor.

I think it's water related. The idea of adding pH buffers is sound, but if you already have stuff in your water that impacts the same, you'll end up with things floating in your ferment that don't get used, and end up in the end product.

Since it behaves this way for you, I wouldn't use it. But it could be interesting to get a water profile and see what you have a lot of that might be interracting with the 5.2, or not enough of.....

I use it in about half the amount prescribed prophylactically, with no flavor impact on beer. I also add extra calcium sulfate and calcium chrloride if I make a lighter beer or an all barley mash - I have a softener.

[Holytoledo]

I'm working on getting the water profile, although without the actual ingredients of the stabilizer its not possible to to do a chemical balance or to know how much can be added without negative side effects.