PhilM
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- Jan 31, 2014
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Since I switched from extract brewing to all grain BIAB, I've noticed some issues with my beer.
First is that the beer seems to have a very short shelf life, especially when it comes to malt flavors. I brewed a British-style bitter not too long ago, and after a week in the keg (three weeks after brewing) all of the Maris Otter flavor had disappeared from the beer. Same with a brown ale I did recently.
Next is head retention. Of the 10+ all BIAB batches I've brewed, only two have left lace on the glass. Beers poor with a good head, but it dissipates very quickly and is always "loose", never thick and creamy.
Lastly, all my beers are hazy. Definitely some chill haze, as things get better as the beer warms up, but even at 70 degrees there is a substantial amount of haze. I've tried cold crashing a beer for a week to see if that helped, but no joy. Pretty sure it's protein haze and not yeast.
FYI, I keg all my beer.
Since these issues started when I began switched from extract to all grain, I'm pretty confident it's not an oxidation issue. However, I was recently re-reading my copy of Charlie Papazian's Homebrewer's Companion, and it mentions that the enzymes that degrade proteins aren't as effective in a thin mash. (I may not have this 100% right, I don't have the book at hand at the moment.) Papazian also says that protein issues can lead to things like poor stability, head retention, and haze. Sound familiar?
He recommends a mash step between 130 and 135 degrees if it becomes necessary to deal with these proteins.
So, I tried an experiment. Last Saturday I brewed one of Northern Brewer's Dawson's Multigrain Red all grain kits. I performed a 20 minute protein rest at 132 degrees, then raised the temp to 152 degrees for 60 minutes and proceeded as normal.
The beer is currently finishing up primary, so a report on results will have to wait. However, there seemed to be a lot less trub at the bottom of the brew kettle at the end of the boil.
Has anyone else tried this? Or am I completely barking up the wrong tree? Thoughts?
First is that the beer seems to have a very short shelf life, especially when it comes to malt flavors. I brewed a British-style bitter not too long ago, and after a week in the keg (three weeks after brewing) all of the Maris Otter flavor had disappeared from the beer. Same with a brown ale I did recently.
Next is head retention. Of the 10+ all BIAB batches I've brewed, only two have left lace on the glass. Beers poor with a good head, but it dissipates very quickly and is always "loose", never thick and creamy.
Lastly, all my beers are hazy. Definitely some chill haze, as things get better as the beer warms up, but even at 70 degrees there is a substantial amount of haze. I've tried cold crashing a beer for a week to see if that helped, but no joy. Pretty sure it's protein haze and not yeast.
FYI, I keg all my beer.
Since these issues started when I began switched from extract to all grain, I'm pretty confident it's not an oxidation issue. However, I was recently re-reading my copy of Charlie Papazian's Homebrewer's Companion, and it mentions that the enzymes that degrade proteins aren't as effective in a thin mash. (I may not have this 100% right, I don't have the book at hand at the moment.) Papazian also says that protein issues can lead to things like poor stability, head retention, and haze. Sound familiar?
He recommends a mash step between 130 and 135 degrees if it becomes necessary to deal with these proteins.
So, I tried an experiment. Last Saturday I brewed one of Northern Brewer's Dawson's Multigrain Red all grain kits. I performed a 20 minute protein rest at 132 degrees, then raised the temp to 152 degrees for 60 minutes and proceeded as normal.
The beer is currently finishing up primary, so a report on results will have to wait. However, there seemed to be a lot less trub at the bottom of the brew kettle at the end of the boil.
Has anyone else tried this? Or am I completely barking up the wrong tree? Thoughts?