Grainy tasting beer

scottyg354 said:

Hey guys, can I use distilled water instead of RO?

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Sure.

RO water is usually the water in those big "water machines". I've seen them in grocery stores, and places like Wal-mart.

I ended up buying my own RO water system, though, because I got tired of hauling gallons of water home from the store once I started doing 10 gallon batches!

My bet is the Honey malt. When you get up to the half pound range it starts to taste like concentrated honey/musty grain. It overpowers other grains and hops. The beer I did with that much honey is drinkable, but its flat out a bit weird. Cut that honey malt down to 4oz next time and you will enjoy it a lot more.

Local pet store sells RO for 0.49 gallon. If I get this do I need to add anything or just brew with it as is?

scottyg354 said:

Local pet store sells RO for 0.49 gallon. If I get this do I need to add anything or just brew with it as is?

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First off, that is rather pricey for RO.

To your question. Here is some light reading.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f128/brewing-water-chemistry-primer-198460/


Cheers

Sorry about all these questions. I am paying close to 4 dollards for 5 gallons of the water I am currently using so 2.50 for 5 gallons of something that may work isn't a problem.

Have you tried cold-conditioning your beer? I ask because my last beer (a saison) initially had a very grainy flavor to it (i didn't use any honey or xtal malt). However, after about two weeks at 30 F (in the bottle), much of that flavor seemed to have faded.

I am going to attempt it with the pale ale. My brown ale I have going now doesn't taste grainy. I am assuming it is water chem as only my very light beers have this problem. I like the idea of RO because I can create my own chemistry.

Basically what I have setup for this weekend is a golden strong. Can I used straight RO for this as a test to see ph and what not or should I adjust according to style? Any sights that can give me adjustments to RO according to style?

Well guys, the water in using has a ph of 7.2 verified by strips and digital meter. So I assuming this explains my problem.

Or does the mash lower the ph and I'm talking like a fool?

The mash lowers the pH; you need to measure the mash/sparge pH levels.

Let me ask you guys this. What are the chances of a beer being to young and cloudy causing this? I just tried my cream ale that I kegged in December after only two weeks in the fermenter. Tasted grainy and was cloudy. Now 3 months later it cleared and doesn't taste grainy at all. Any thoughts?

Perhaps I should secondary my beers and cold condition before bottling or cold condition in my kegs? Or maybe im drinking my beer way to young?

All I can say is that in my experience, a couple weeks of cold conditioning can do a lot for a beer.

Good deal. I really appreciate all the help guys.

scottyg354 said:

Let me ask you guys this. What are the chances of a beer being to young and cloudy causing this? I just tried my cream ale that I kegged in December after only two weeks in the fermenter. Tasted grainy and was cloudy. Now 3 months later it cleared and doesn't taste grainy at all. Any thoughts?

Perhaps I should secondary my beers and cold condition before bottling or cold condition in my kegs? Or maybe im drinking my beer way to young?

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I suspect it is the yeast. I use about 6 different yeast on my various brews and they all have a different taste - the yeast themselves that is, not just the beer. I also keg and of course the first couple of pints when I tap a new keg are a little cloudy with yeast. This has a big impact on the flavor. I never judge a beer until it is pouring clear. Try a different yeast and see if the flavor changes (while still cloudy). If it does, then you know it is the yeast

Also sitting on the lees (a wine making term) can definitely result in some bready notes in a beer, particularly if the temperature is a bit on the warmer side. This will persist longer than after the beer clears

For those of you wondering this was the original grainy culprit. I kegged it after a week and a half since it was a low OG beer. Started drinking at two weeks and it was cloudy and grainy tasting. Sampled it probably every two weeks. After two and a half months at 40 degrees the graininess is gone. I am now thinking if I conditioned in keg at room temp and cold crashes for a week or two then carbed the grainy flavors would have never been there. I am starting too think I'm drinking my beer way too young.

I think that grainy taste probably shows up in lighter beers with low hop profiles, which you seem to be brewing. You wouldn't taste in much in a young ipa. But I know exactly what you're talking about. It's not the yeast/bready taste you get in some beers-it tastes more like grain husks. A brewery opened up in my hometown last year, and their first beer was a wit. They clearly rushed it, and I swear it had this grainy taste to it that I can only compare to the taste of an old straw broom. Maybe it's something that the yeast carries, or I guess it could be tannins from the grain, but it does go away.

Yes, this is not a bitter tannic taste. I can pick the tannins out in a nice big Cabernet and the taste I am talking about doesn't fit that profile. Imagine a slight cheerio'ish flavor at the end of your beer. This beer finished out nicely now though. From now on its at least month conditions before I do anything with a beer. Then another 3 weeks carbonating. I drank half of a keg of my cream ale, thinking it was bad.