Acidulated malt tang in a kolsch

[Norselord]

is there anything i can add to get the sour/tang out of it?

It is not an infection - it is obviously an overuse of acidulated malt.

Ended up with about 5% of my grist as acidulated - i can drink this, as long as i tell myself its a different beer than it is.

Can i add a tsp of baking soda?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Are you 100% confident that you are tasting lactic acid?

Quoting Weyermann: "Importantly, Acidulated Malt NEVER imparts “sour,” acidic notes to the finished beer, as long as its portion of the grain remains below 10%!"

At 5% you are adding half of what Weyermann says will not impart lactic acid flavor notes.

 

[Big Monk]

Are you 100% confident that you are tasting lactic acid?

Quoting Weyermann: "Importantly, Acidulated Malt NEVER imparts “sour,” acidic notes to the finished beer, as long as its portion of the grain remains below 10%!"

At 5% you are adding half of what Weyermann says will not impart lactic acid flavor notes.

I have to agree here. I’ve gone up to almost 9% Acid Malt in times when Weyermann base malts had high DI pH.

No tang brother.

 

[RPh_Guy]

??? I thought acidulated malt did add tangy flavor (I've never used it).
We all have different tastes and tasting thresholds.

If that is what you taste, there's no way to remove it -- assuredly not with baking soda.

FWIW I use RO water and lactic acid to hit mash pH in light styles. I tried using tap water, but the alkalinity, even though not excessive (about 100ppm), was too much to neutralize and I could taste the lactic acid.

 

[Yooper]

I can't taste it at up to 3%, but after that I can usually pick up a sour/tangy note. I guess people have different taste thresholds for lactic acid, but I imagine it also depends on the mash pH and other factors.

Not much you can do if it's sour at this point. You could try adding a bit of baking soda to the glass, but I don't think it will fix it now.

 

[Vale71]

Can i add a tsp of baking soda?

To fully carbonated beer? Well, as long as you're willing to have to wipe most of it off the floor...

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

The nasty taste may be from something as simple as using S-O4 yeast, and fermenting it at above 63-64 degrees. Or using RO water and not adding any zinc to it to assist the yeast and avoid yeast stress. Or stressing the yeast by under pitching. Or oxidizing the beer downstream of early fermentation somehow. There are a myriad of details that are unknown here.

 

[Norselord]

The tang is from the use of acidulated malt. Not the use of yeast. Not the use of RO water and lack of zinc. Not under pitched yeast. Not oxidized beer downstream.

The problem I am presenting to the experts is how to raise pH or reduce lactic taste (tang) in a beer post fermentation.

I appreciate the academic exercise of troubleshooting other ways that a sour note can appear in beer, but that problem is solved. This is about correcting the problem.

For clarity the note isn’t very strong, but since the beer is delicate it is obvious to me. Casual beer drinkers are not able to identify it. A few good tasters are able to notice it.

 

[Die_Beerery]

The funny thing is that you think it's an off flavor. That tang comes from the sauergut the acid malt is dosed with. That tang is also present in every German beer (including true Kolsch). Although the tang and flavor will vary from brewery to brewery, as everyone sour culture has its own nuance. In fresh samples "sauergut" flavor is quite present, it is also a pillar of signature German beer flavor.

Moreover, to answer your question, you can't fix it as its a flavor component and not something like low pH.

 

[Big Monk]

The tang is from the use of acidulated malt. Not the use of yeast. Not the use of RO water and lack of zinc. Not under pitched yeast. Not oxidized beer downstream.

The problem I am presenting to the experts is how to raise pH or reduce lactic taste (tang) in a beer post fermentation.

I appreciate the academic exercise of troubleshooting other ways that a sour note can appear in beer, but that problem is solved. This is about correcting the problem.

For clarity the note isn’t very strong, but since the beer is delicate it is obvious to me. Casual beer drinkers are not able to identify it. A few good tasters are able to notice it.

What drove the 5% addition? Did you use a calculator?

 

[cactusgarrett]

If you don't like that flavor profile, i think the only thing you could do is blend with another (similar?) beer.

 

[Vale71]

If it's lactic acid the only thing that will safely remove it is activated carbon treatment and then blending, just like commercial breweries do when a batch goes lactic. But again, if beer is packaged and carbonated you will do a lot more damage trying than by just leaving it alone and drinking it as it is.

 

[Norselord]

I think I’ll just add fruit syrup and pretend it’s a strong Berliner weisse

 

[Vale71]

I think I’ll just add fruit syrup and pretend it’s a strong Berliner weisse

In that case I would also add lactic acid and make it really sour. If you can't fix it then you might as well go the whole nine yards...

 

[thehaze]

As Die_Beerery said, it is a flavour present in many German beers and I also love that. I don't think you can " save " it. It will however grow on you, if you insist long enough.

 

[Die_Beerery]

As Die_Beerery said, it is a flavour present in many German beers and I also love that. I don't think you can " save " it. It will however grow on you, if you insist long enough.

As do I, the nuance of the breweries different sauergut cultures are amazing.

 

[RealRayDizzle]

Kolsch is generally a very delicate beer, aside from the troubleshooting in earlier posts, there may not be many options in fixing it after the fact. Is it in a Keg? could try raising the carbonation and making Beer-mosas out of it or turning the batch into a Raddler. Other option, maybe just mix it with a blond ale.

 

[MaxStout]

Mix with lemonade and make a Radler.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

If it's bottled, squirrel it away and taste it again in 3-4 months.

 

[dmtaylor]

My club has ruined a beer by having too much acidulated malt. We only used 3%, but dark roasted grains in the same recipe had already brought mash pH down below 5.1 or 5.2 so I'm not sure why acidulated was in the recipe anyway.

I think judicious use of baking soda might be worth a shot in some cases.

EDIT: We used S-04, so it could also be the effect described here?:

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=32475.0

 

[btcost]

Did you take an accurate mash pH reading?

I have accidently over acid my sparge water. Hitting 4.7 pH. And that added a twang that I did not like. Beer wasn’t ruined. But it wasn’t right.

I pH my raw water. Mash and sparge water to keep track of things.