Sparging question
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ifishsum
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I shoot for 170* after the grains are in, otherwise it's not going to be much different than your mash temp.
Ditto. How much do you usually sparge? Over-sparging can cause that aftertaste. But so could a bunch of other things.
I had a similar problem for two batches. After that I started testing my thermometers. Turns out the two that I was using to measure mash temp were off between ten and fifteen degrees at 170. Got a better thermometer and have not had a problem since.
From what I understand, temperature isn't all that important in batch sparging. I start with 190 +/- degree water and it drops down to 165-170. YMMV.
My astringent batches were beers that I mashed at a higher temp (155-156) to get a more dextrinous flavor profile. Best I figure, I was extracting tannins during the mash, not the sparge. My efficiency was terrible, too. Since I replaced my thermometer, I have been getting 75%+ efficiency and no astringent flavors.
Astringency is much more a function of pH than temperature. If you have astringency issues, pH is the first thing to look at.
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