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I batch sparge and do not add acid to the sparge water. I've always been in the camp that over-sparging chances are negligible with my simplistic homebrew sparging method. I could be wrong, and that's the source of the mild tannin taste.

Thanks for the negative reinforcement! :D Actually, now that it’s kegged and carbonated, I’m getting some bitterness on the backend. It’s pretty subtle l, but tannic. It shouldn’t be a recipe, mash temp or pH issue.

Yes, I have alkaline brewing water here, so on lighter beers like this I use 2%-3% acid malt.

So it’s kegged and carbed. The taste is fine, but there is a subtle harshness present on the backend of the taste. It’s not a plastic flavor like phenols are described - it tastes almost tannic like tea leaves. Not a flavor from any of my grains, and my mash temp was never high...

Interesting. I happened to slightly under pitch (no starter for a 1.046 SG with a 6 week old Wyeast 1968 smack pack) and kept the temp in the 67-69 range for the first 4 days. It was a pretty typical ferment - I was down to 1.022 after 4 days, on my way to 1.011. I haven't checked it for several...

I have alkaline municipal water with a neutral taste, so I need some additions and acid in my light beers. I've considered filtering or doing RO in the past. I've always used a Camden tablet to be safe. It costs a few cents a batch and figure better safe than sorry. How big of a Brita system...

Both happened on the same batch? Sounds like a magical brew session. 48 hours in, and the fermentation is rolling. Only good smells coming from my carboy.

You left out the "make a checklist, moron" part. :) Sounds like how I've heard a typical "phenol" taste described. I might have lucked out as I didn't detect that in the wort. I pitched my yeast about 7 hours ago, and will let this run its course. This was intended to be a "drinking beer" so I...

After 8 years and nearly 100 successful brews under my belt, I might have made my first fatal brew error ever. I mashed with tap water for 10 minutes before I remembered my Camden tablet. I remembered my mineral and pH adjustments, just forgot the freaking Camden tablet. I quickly got a couple...

When you're doing your calcs for the sparge, remember that you'll lose about 1 gallon of your mash per 8 lbs of grain. That's approximately 3 gallons of water you'll lose in this particular mash. So, if you start with 7 gallons of mash water, you'll only get about 4 gallons out of the mash...

I've only done a few lagers, but from my reading on the subject, if you've hit your FG (or are even within a few points of it - which you are), then there's no reason not to do a d-rest now. Might as well finish fermentation and let the lagering begin. Looks like a good recipe.

In the podcast, Jamil claims that pale chocolate lends a slight roasty flavor that's unique and can't be subbed. That said, this will still make a good beer. Go for it.

75% efficiency then. Good luck getting rid of the astringency!

This is what I got. Make sure I didn't screw up any inputs. FWIW, sounds like a great malt profile. Type: All Grain Date: 6/29/2014 Batch Size: 7.80 gal Boil Size: 8.93 gal Boil Time: 60 min Brewhouse Efficiency: 65.00 Ingredients Amount Item Type % or IBU 13.50...

In summary: Everything you're doing seems reasonable. The calcs are fracked. ;)

I just plugged your recipe into BeerSmith. It thinks that your recipe with 8.9 preboil volume, 7.8 gallons postboil is only 65% efficiency if it comes out 1.050.

And my 90-95% question assumes that the lower end of the software estimates is correct for potential yield.

How long do you mash and sparge for? Whats your typical mash temp? 90-95% efficiency compared to potential yield is crazy high for batch sparging. Perhaps you're at too fine a grind?

Yes, in terms of the astringency taste, that's often due to mashing at too high of a temp or over sparging.

So you're interested in the potential yields of the individual malts? That varies by malt and maltster. I'm guessing each program has different default inputs by malt type.