In a diiferent thread that I OP'd re 5.2 stabilizer Ross said that it should not be used for sparge water only the mash. In the below comments which I pulled from another brewing site it says;
"With the single minded goal of getting the most out of the grain, continuous sparging is just going to get more (with the right system). The negatives are that there is a risk of over-sparging (tannin extraction), but this is really water dependent. If your sparge water has a relatively low pH, there isn't much risk of this. Another negative is time, it's generally recommended to fly-sparge for an hour or more. Many brewers don't like this extra time and are willing to sacrifice a few points of efficiency for the time saved."
So in Adelaide the pH of our water is around 8.0 on average so do you agree that with fly sparging, given the above quote,that the sparge water should be modified in that instance. I would use 80% lactic acid to achieve that. Of course I would be modifying the pH, if necessary, in both the mash & kettle.l.
"With the single minded goal of getting the most out of the grain, continuous sparging is just going to get more (with the right system). The negatives are that there is a risk of over-sparging (tannin extraction), but this is really water dependent. If your sparge water has a relatively low pH, there isn't much risk of this. Another negative is time, it's generally recommended to fly-sparge for an hour or more. Many brewers don't like this extra time and are willing to sacrifice a few points of efficiency for the time saved."
So in Adelaide the pH of our water is around 8.0 on average so do you agree that with fly sparging, given the above quote,that the sparge water should be modified in that instance. I would use 80% lactic acid to achieve that. Of course I would be modifying the pH, if necessary, in both the mash & kettle.l.