JeffoC6
Well-Known Member
Hey gang,
So I started brewing in January with a Brooklyn Brew Shop 1-gallon AG kit.
I loved it and didn't want to wait approx 6 weeks to brew again, so I got myself set up with 5 additional 1 gallon carboys and started out building my pipeline by doing 1 gallon, full volume BIAB with no sparge.
I have since brewed 28 AG, 1-gallon batches. However, recently I discovered that the underlying "taste" that I was experiencing in ALL of my brews was due to tannins.
I brew full volume, no sparge, BIAB using ONLY Poland Spring water. From day 1, folks on here have advised that "if the water tastes good, it's good enough to brew with." Well, the tannin/astringency issue I've had throughout all of my brews may have been from a few things, full volume BIAB being one of them. I was advised that I could be messing up my mash pH with a "thin" mash and all of that water. I was also advised that purchasing some RO or distilled water and simply adding some calcium chloride could also benefit me.
So, after delving into this issue and (hopefully) correcting my problems, I'm not sure how to proceed. My "new" process is that I calculate my full volume of water, just like before, and add the measured/calculated amount of calcium chloride to my water. Then, I split the water in half, keeping half in my primary brew kettle, and putting the rest in my secondary brew kettle. I mash into the water as normal, but after my mash, I now pull the bag and dunk sparge into the secondary kettle that has been heated to 160-165. I then dump all of that water/wort into my primary brew kettle and start my boil.
I did this "new" process last night for the first time and hit 73% efficiency. I normally hit anywhere from 66%-70%, so I'm happy with the numbers I hit last night. I also feel that the addition of the calcium chloride and the use of the distilled water will help in eliminating my tannin/astringency issues.
However, I'm at a crossroads. Do I keep brewing using this new process? Or do I wait to see if this new process worked? I have a pumpkin ale that I want to brew the weekend of the 15th, but if this new process doesn't work out, I'm going to be in the same boat I was in these last few months- Several batches of tannin/astringent tasting beers.
What should I do?
PS- As an aside, the astringency/tannin issue is not from a sanitizing issue that I'm having. Nor infection. And yes, I do squeeze the bag when I do BIAB, but from countless folks on here and throughout the world, this shouldn't cause tannin issues.
So I started brewing in January with a Brooklyn Brew Shop 1-gallon AG kit.
I loved it and didn't want to wait approx 6 weeks to brew again, so I got myself set up with 5 additional 1 gallon carboys and started out building my pipeline by doing 1 gallon, full volume BIAB with no sparge.
I have since brewed 28 AG, 1-gallon batches. However, recently I discovered that the underlying "taste" that I was experiencing in ALL of my brews was due to tannins.
I brew full volume, no sparge, BIAB using ONLY Poland Spring water. From day 1, folks on here have advised that "if the water tastes good, it's good enough to brew with." Well, the tannin/astringency issue I've had throughout all of my brews may have been from a few things, full volume BIAB being one of them. I was advised that I could be messing up my mash pH with a "thin" mash and all of that water. I was also advised that purchasing some RO or distilled water and simply adding some calcium chloride could also benefit me.
So, after delving into this issue and (hopefully) correcting my problems, I'm not sure how to proceed. My "new" process is that I calculate my full volume of water, just like before, and add the measured/calculated amount of calcium chloride to my water. Then, I split the water in half, keeping half in my primary brew kettle, and putting the rest in my secondary brew kettle. I mash into the water as normal, but after my mash, I now pull the bag and dunk sparge into the secondary kettle that has been heated to 160-165. I then dump all of that water/wort into my primary brew kettle and start my boil.
I did this "new" process last night for the first time and hit 73% efficiency. I normally hit anywhere from 66%-70%, so I'm happy with the numbers I hit last night. I also feel that the addition of the calcium chloride and the use of the distilled water will help in eliminating my tannin/astringency issues.
However, I'm at a crossroads. Do I keep brewing using this new process? Or do I wait to see if this new process worked? I have a pumpkin ale that I want to brew the weekend of the 15th, but if this new process doesn't work out, I'm going to be in the same boat I was in these last few months- Several batches of tannin/astringent tasting beers.
What should I do?
PS- As an aside, the astringency/tannin issue is not from a sanitizing issue that I'm having. Nor infection. And yes, I do squeeze the bag when I do BIAB, but from countless folks on here and throughout the world, this shouldn't cause tannin issues.