So I've been using the 5.2 Mash pH stabilizer but I've also been told that it's BS and doesn't really work. I want to get in to more water chemistry anyway and I know that Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate) does the trick when trying to lower mash pH. Are there any other tips and knowledge that I should know on how to get my mash pH to be consistantly 5.2 based on my water profile? Obviously I have to find the stock pH of my water but what else do I have to know in order to achieve efficient water?
Download and use Bru'n Water. I use phosphoric acid on my light beers to bring the pH down to the 5.3ish range... Could also use acid malt in small amounts and a few other methods... But Bru'n water is your friend here.
What you need to start is a water report that includes the concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, Cl, SO4, and HCO3. With this information you can use one of several programs (spreadsheets) out there to estimate mash pH. While Bru'n Water is a fine program, I personally recommend MpH Water Calculator, which can be found here. (The model in MpH is also used in BrewCipher, if you prefer an all-in-one brewing calculator.) Other popular programs include EZ Water and the online calculator at Brewer's Friend. Cheers!
It definitely depends on your water profile. Gypsum can lower pH, but typically not a lot. It's not the pH of your water that matters so much as it is your Carbonate level and residual alkalinity. That is what is telling you how hard or soft your water is that you're using. The easiest way to lower mash pH is to use acid malt or pure lactic acid. You can use calculators to help you get an estimate of where your final pH will end up after acid additions, but my best recommendation would be to get either pH strips as a minimum or a pH meter. Without checking you'll never know how close you are to your target. Also keep in mind you water will vary with the seasons and city water reports are yearly averages.
My local tap water will result in an alkaline mash pH when I brew pale colored beers. I have to do nothing to the water when I brew dark beers (e.g., Porters, Stouts). When I brew pale beers I use lactic acid (88%) to acidify the mash. I have used a number of tools like Bru'n Water, MpH, EZ Water and the tool that best predicted my achieved mash pH is MpH. Cheers!
I mash in the 5.4-5.5 range, then adjust down with acid for light colored beers. That puts the mash more into the range the Alpha and Beta work at. 5.2 in the mash is not terrible.
As said, 5.2 doesn't work. You should probably give this a read https://sites.google.com/site/brunwater/water-knowledge and this as well http://howtobrew.com/book/section-3/understanding-the-mash-ph/what-kind-of-water-do-i-need The pH of your water supply is not that useful, you care about the pH of you mash liquor, that depends on the underlying minerals in your water as well as the grains in your mash. An easy start to adjusting your water for brewing is to use either "reverse osmosis" or "distilled" water, these have had all of the minerals removed. Don't use "mineral" water because you don't know what minerals are in the water. If you start with RO water, it is very easy to figure out how much minerals to add to get to a desired mash pH.
The MpH author also recommends Bru'n Water. Another thing Bru'n Water has going for it; the layman's water tutorial ... something sorely missing from the other commonly recommended water treatment products.
