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arcadiaacres

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I hate that my first post here is going to be a "help, I may have screwed up" thread, but the reality is that I need help because I think I screwed up!

For my third batch of beer, I found a recipe for a Chocolate Raspberry Stout. The recipe called for "gypsum to create hard water" which I purchased and which came in a small ziploc baggie. I added the gypsum at the start of the boil but it wasn't until later that I noticed the instructions on the gypsum said to use 1-2 tsp per 5 gal. I had put the entire amount, 2 oz, into the boil.

After 6 days in the primary, I went to rack it this evening. I gave it a taste and it wasn't good...had a weird almost tangy taste. The SG was 1.020 (started at 1060).

I'm assuming the odd taste is from the extra gypsum and not some other mistake I may (or may not) have made! Any thoughts on this issue? Can it be saved? Will that much gypsum just ruin the entire batch?

Thanks in advance
Mark
 
I've never used gypsum before but i've made stouts. I can say that practically any beer you make won't taste quite right 6 days in. Stouts can often take months before they are in their prime. I'm sure someone else can chime in about gypsum.
 
Bottle it up and forget about it for a while. Aging beer that doesn't taste right can do wonders.
 
Wow, that's a lot of gypsum. I think you added about 14 tsps. In a water calculator that looks like about 1650 ppm SO4 - yikes.
From How to Brew:
Sulfate (SO4-2)
Brewing Range = 50-150 ppm for normally bitter beers, 150-350 ppm for very bitter beers
The sulfate ion also combines with Ca and Mg to contribute to permanent hardness. It accentuates hop bitterness, making the bitterness seem drier, more crisp. At concentrations over 400 ppm however, the resulting bitterness can become astringent and unpleasant, and at concentrations over 750 ppm, it can cause diarrhea. Sulfate is only weakly alkaline and does not contribute to the overall alkalinity of water.
 
I almost always say to let beers age and they work out but age isn't going to reduce hard water. Your water is harder than even the hardest naturally occurring brewing water. I would personally just write it off and get another batch going ASAP.
 
Me thinks it's a bad batch. The bit about concentrations over 750 ppm can cause diarrhea and I'm sitting at 1,650....that's a bit of a red flag!

I'm going to lick my wounds, swallow my pride and move on to starting an Orange Honey Hefeweizen TODAY.

thanks everyone!
 
I would advise sticking with simple recipes with no additions until you have all your processes down.

I agree that at six days in primary you will get nothing like the taste the beer will end up with. I have had some that were not very good on bottling day and exceptionable 3 weeks later.

Also 6 days seems way early to rack to secondary. You need to be sure that primary fermentation has totally finished. You should take a gravity reading each day for 3 days, if they are identical, then you can rack.

I also agree that it is probably going to be off with all that gypsum. Since you only have time and the cost of some bottling sugar and caps to continue I would let it ride and see if it end up drinkable.

Look into skipping secondary all together. You can leave the beer in primary for 3-4 weeks the go directly to bottling.
 
arcadiaacres said:
Me thinks it's a bad batch. The bit about concentrations over 750 ppm can cause diarrhea and I'm sitting at 1,650....that's a bit of a red flag!

I'm going to lick my wounds, swallow my pride and move on to starting an Orange Honey Hefeweizen TODAY.

thanks everyone!
Click to expand...

Yeah. I would say that knowing a beer is going to give you the runs is probably reason to toss regardless of how good it tastes. I would still hold a few bottles for 6-8 months and try them.. Or save them for a special "friend" that deserves it (really don't, but funny thought).
 
Don't ever add brewing salts to extract batches... No good will ever come of it. Messing with water profile is the final frontier for an experienced all grain brewer and most of them will even tell you it's unnecessary. As far as the tangy flavor, it would be the tannins from the dark malt, it could be acetaldehyde from a green beer, or it could be from the asston of gypsum ;) wait at least 6 months before you dump it though.
 
From the "what if" universe....

What if I brewed up a 2nd batch much like the first (but without the Gypsum overdose) and combined them before bottling? I'm thinking that's either going to be twice as much not-so-good beer OR the way to salvage a bad batch.
 
I vote cut your losses and don't risk another batch. Since you OD'd by about a factor of 14 on the gypsum, splitting it in half is still way too much.
Good idea to get that next batch going ASAP though!
:mug:
 
Okay & thanks again to everyone for the input.

I'm going to bottle some up just for grins. Plus, you never know when one will need a chocolate raspberry stout laxative. I'm sure I'll have plenty to give away so if anyone is need, let me know
 
bottlebomber said:
Don't ever add brewing salts to extract batches... No good will ever come of it. Messing with water profile is the final frontier for an experienced all grain brewer and most of them will even tell you it's unnecessary. As far as the tangy flavor, it would be the tannins from the dark malt, it could be acetaldehyde from a green beer, or it could be from the asston of gypsum ;) wait at least 6 months before you dump it though.
Click to expand...

+1...Heck I've been allgrain brewering for several years and I've only played around with it a little, and I've got one beer "extended aging" in the bottles with the hopes that it's salavageable....

But with extracts, here's what Palmer has to say...and I agree.

4.2 Water Chemistry Adjustment for Extract Brewing

Some brewing books advocate the addition of brewing salts to the brewpot to imitate the water of a famous brewing region, like the Burton region of Britain. While some salts can be added to extract-based brews to improve the flavor profile, salts are more properly used to adjust the pH of the mash for all-grain brewing. Water chemistry is fairly complex and adding salts is usually not necessary for extract brewing. Most municipal water is fine for brewing with extract and does not need adjustment. So, if you are brewing from an extract recipe that calls for the addition of gypsum or Burton salts, do not add it. The proper amount of a salt to add to your water depends on the mineral amounts already present and the brewer who published the recipe probably had entirely different water than you do. You may end up ruining the taste of the beer by adding too much. Just leave it out; you probably won't miss it.

However, if in the course of time after you have brewed several batches of the same recipe and have decided that the beer is somehow lacking, there are three ions that can be used to tweak the flavor. These ions are sodium, chloride, and sulfate. Briefly, sodium and chloride act to round out and accentuate the sweetness of the beer, while sulfate (from gypsum, for example) makes the hop bitterness more crisp. You need to know and understand the initial mineral profile of your brewing water before you start adding anything to it though. Too much sodium and sulfate can combine to produce a very harsh bitterness.

Water chemistry becomes even more important for all-grain brewing. The mineral profile of the water has a large affect on the conversion of sugars from the mash. Water reports, brewing salts and their affects are discussed more in Chapter 15 - Understanding the Mash pH. I suggest you read that chapter before you add any salts to your extract brewing.

Here are the main points to remember about water for extract brewing:

If your water tastes good, your beer should taste good.
Many odors will dissipate during the boil, but some bad tastes need to be removed via filtration or water treatment.
The addition of salts when brewing with extract is not necessary, and is not recommended until you have gained experience with the intended recipe.
Click to expand...
 

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