Astringency - Extract Twang?

I've read over homebrew off-flavors but just don't have the imagination to link what I taste and what I read.

Here's my problem:
I've got ~5 gallons of pumpkin ale in my keg that I like but not 5 gallons worth to drink weekend after weekend (gonna bottle some of this to give away). I have no issues with the craftsmanship (DME) but just need something more normal most of the time.

My other keg (only 2 to my keggerator) is a Brewers Best American Micro Style Pale Ale. This is my second one I made and while the 1st was perfect my second batch has issues. I tried to mimic the brew process (add 1/2 of the LME at 1 hr and the 2nd half at 15 min). There's an off taste that I cannot accurately describe but a certain bitterness (not hoppy, something else) that I do not care for. It reminds me of the first batch I brewed that was the pre-hopped extract. Astringency could be it but I'm not sure.

I'm wondering if my thermometer is not accurate and I'm steeping too hot or if it's just LME issues.

I think I'm just venting. I plan on brewing an IPA this week with DME and use two thermometers for comparison and make sure the temp does not exceed 165 while I steep. That is unless someone here can read minds and tell me what I'm doing wrong to correct it .

It could be your over steeped, or squeezed your grains. There are a few threads on it, but it boils down to about the same as doing it to coffee/tea. By over steeping, or squeezing the grains, you release te)@_ (? I forget the word..) Get a good calibration on your thermometer to see if that's a possibility.

Second, although doesn't seem likely, is how long did you age it? This doesn't sound like a normal character of green beer, but a possibility. Sorry I can't shed more light on the issue. Hope you figure it out (and it's fixable)!

Could be hops. I had one that was basically undrinkable -TWANG!!!!!!! Could also have been tannin as MoRoToRiUm mentioned.

I put it away for a month and checked back - the TWANG was way way smaller. Took it to my Home Brew Club for the experts to try - all agreed it was just young hops. (I think it was tannin still)

Taste GREAT now.

IPA = warning - unless you are doing a full boil IPA's are hard because of Hop utilization. That diluting problem.

Put in 100 IBU's of hops and even with late addition of extract you STILL dilute and BAM - you are down to 50 IBUs. If you do partial boils I suggest doing TWO half boils. Split the recipe in half and then do it twice - you can mix both together when finished.

It's definitely not a young beer, I think it sat in primary for 5 or so weeks until I got my keggerator ready. It's been at least 4 weeks since then so I probably brewed it over 2 months ago.

I never squeezed the grain bag but I know I steeped about 1lb in 2 gallons of water as the instructions indicated (and how I had done it before). I know now to do it in 3qts of water. I wonder about rinsing the grains afterward, I did it with about 3 or so cups of 150F water.

Thanks for the feedback!

From my exhaustive research "Twang" seems to be the hardest thing to put your finger on without some expert actually tasting it.

I have one brew that just tastes "young" yet it is 5+ weeks in the bottle - so - I wait.

Grinder12000 said:

Could also have been tannin as MoRoToRiUm mentioned.

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Thanks Grinder12000! I was thinking tennen and it didn't look right...