Is my beer ruined?

[Beer_Guy]

I know most of you came in here to reassure me with RDWHAHB. Well, this brew may not be savable.

I did an extract brew and wanted to add a little steeping grain to improve mouth feel and body. It was my first attempt at steeping and I REALLY messed up, twice, I think. Being cheap, I wanted to get ALL I could out of the grains. I brought a small amount of water to a boil. I then added about half as much room temp water to the blender with the grains and pulsed it a few times. Then killed the heat and poured in the blender contents. The water temp was then right at 160*. The temp was good, right? After 30 minutes of stirring, I strained to remove the spent grains and continued as normal. This was on May 29th.

I bottled on June 20th and on July 9th it still had a “green” taste but was drinkable. After another week it is now so astringent that it is undrinkable.

I will of course follow normal steeping procedures in the future. Heat water to 155-160*, add pre-crushed grains, stir occasionally for 30 minutes and pour through filter to remove grains. (Or just use a grain bag.)

Is there anything I can do to recover this brew and remove the astringency? This was a 3 gallon batch so not much loss if I have to dump it.

 

[stubbornman]

what were your fermentation steps like? Aeration, temps, secondary (if any)??

 

[Beer_Guy]

what were your fermentation steps like? Aeration, temps, secondary (if any)??

All were normal. Added yeast nutrient, aeration stone for 1 hour, pitched washed Thames Valley yeast at 72*, fermented at 68-70* and no secondary. (The washed Thames Valley yeast was from the same recipe brewed one month prior without steeping grains.)

 

[stubbornman]

Hmm, well my guess is you're right and you extracted a ton of tannins by blending the grains like that...
I was going to say if you kegged it, you could try adding gelatin, but you bottled so I guess only time will tell. Others may have better answers.

 

[Beer_Guy]

Hmm, well my guess is you're right and you extracted a ton of tannins by blending the grains like that...
I was going to say if you kegged it, you could try adding gelatin, but you bottled so I guess only time will tell. Others may have better answers.

OH MAN, THANKS.
I read a little on using gelatin and it will work to remove the astringent caused by tannins.
Gelatin / Enolophin pH / Gelsol (proteins & higher polyphenols)

At this point my plan is to add a gelatin & priming sugar mix directly to each bottle.

Rounding off the web sites figures, I could use 0.5 gram dry gelatin in 15ml water for the 2.25 gallons remaining. Then add 0.8oz of priming sugar in two ounces of sterile water to this gelatin mix to replace any lost pressure from removing the caps. This would give me 2.5oz of solution to divide among the bottles using a syringe. Recap and let it work for a few weeks.

There will be a slightly thicker trub layer in the bottles, but it still beats dumping them.

It should work.

Thanks again.

 

[SteveM]

One more thought (and there is a lot of differing opinions on this). One full hour of aeration might be too much unless you are making a high-gravity beer.

I take no specific steps to aerate beyond just pouring the wort and water (I do partial boils) into the fermenter. I do not believe any more than that is really necessary for beers up to 5 - 6% alcohol. I've heard that excessive aeration can contribute to off-flavors.

Similar situation for yeast nutrient - helpful for high gravity beers, not necessary for lower ranges. Even for high gravity beers, I've never used them and never found an issue, but I do NOT think they do any harm if used when not needed.

 

[Beer_Guy]

I did shorten the aeration period for my latest brew. I did just 30 minutes and added only about a 1/8 teaspoon nutrient. This one was a 1.059 OG - 1554 Clone.

I was think about the astringent brew, it was only 1.036 OG and had a 1.004 FG. After clearing with gelatin, it may wind up a good Lawnmower beer. I never intended to brew any Lawnmower beer, but it beats dumping it.

 

[stubbornman]

OH MAN, THANKS.
I read a little on using gelatin and it will work to remove the astringent caused by tannins.
Gelatin / Enolophin pH / Gelsol (proteins & higher polyphenols)

At this point my plan is to add a gelatin & priming sugar mix directly to each bottle.

Rounding off the web sites figures, I could use 0.5 gram dry gelatin in 15ml water for the 2.25 gallons remaining. Then add 0.8oz of priming sugar in two ounces of sterile water to this gelatin mix to replace any lost pressure from removing the caps. This would give me 2.5oz of solution to divide among the bottles using a syringe. Recap and let it work for a few weeks.

There will be a slightly thicker trub layer in the bottles, but it still beats dumping them.

It should work.

Thanks again.

:rockin:

 

[Beer_Guy]

Update: I am currently enjoying one of the bad tannin brews. The beers are a lot milder (less malty) but very drinkable.

It seems the gelatin worked.

Note: The trub in the bottom of the bottles is usually tan colored, but it is very dark in these.

Thanks again Stubbornman.