Any way I can save my stout?

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BrookdaleBrew

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I brewed a big stout a while ago and it's been aging in secondary for a few months. The issue is that since my water is terrible for big stouts, (something I didn't realize at the time I brewed it) it has a nasty astringency in the finish that pretty much makes it undrinkable.

I was thinking about adding some chipotle peppers to it since those would add a smoky, spicy finish to the beer which would hopefully help mask the astringecy. I'm also open to other suggestions as well.

Thanks!
 
Peppers would be good. Smooth oak flavors would also do well to balance the astringency. If you go the oak route, make sure to use french oak and/or lightly toasted oak so it doesn't add more astringency.
 
Oak it for a few weeks then bottle it and leave it for a while.

I've had some really astringent stout before as I used too much black patent... it aged out though.
 
If you over oak it can add astringency (which fades with time), however adding a small amount will smooth it out nicely.
 

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