Wisconsin FS: Brewtan-B

I've followed the LODO threads a lot, and part of my research into this uncovered Brewtan-B, a compound impossible to buy at the homebrew level here in the US. I wanted to try some and experiment a bit with it, but not available except through Wyeast and only if you're a professional brewer.

BUT--there's an outfit in Australia, IBrew, (https://www.ibrew.com.au/products/brewtan-b) that sells 50-gram packets of Brewtan-B. Originally I thought it would be prohibitive to ship it here to the US.....but it turns out that's not the case.

Cutting to chase: I bought 8 such packets. They cost me $9.60 each including shipping to the US. I figured there would be a few of you here who would like to diddle around with this, so if you'd like one, it'll cost you $14, which will cover the cost of the BrewtanB and the cost of mailing it to you first-class in a padded envelope.

I make no guarantees, offer no advice on how to use it, in fact, you get nothing but a packet of tan powder with which you may do what you wish.

I have 3 left; if you're interested in getting one, indicate such in this thread and then PM me.

I'll take one off your hands

I've got 2 left.

Right now I'm sold out; might have some left depending on others who have laid claims, if so I'll note it here.

Its kind of weird that you can buy it from Australia but not from any supplier here.
Any ideas why they aren't making it available to US homebrewers?

madscientist451 said:

Its kind of weird that you can buy it from Australia but not from any supplier here.
Any ideas why they aren't making it available to US homebrewers?

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I don't know. Wyeast told me in response to an inquiry "Wyeast currently only offers Brewtan B to commercial clients, and unfortunately we cannot make an exception to sell the product to you via your local homebrew shop. Thank you for inquiring about the product - we may consider packaging Brewtan B for home enthusiasts in the future if the demand is sufficient."

I'm unsure how they would judge demand if they don't actually offer it for sale.

I am fairly sure that Ibrew is repackaging the brewtan-b. I was surprised that it was as cheap to ship as it was. Took about 10 days to get here.

what's the dealio with brewtan b? supposed to be some sort of oxgyen scavenger or something along those lines?

SanPancho said:

what's the dealio with brewtan b? supposed to be some sort of oxgyen scavenger or something along those lines?

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It is NOT an oxygen scavenger. It is a metal chelator to help with fenton reactions from metals (aluminum, copper, brass, etc) and fats/lipids/oxygen.

Hopefully those using the packets sold here will post up any results after they've used it.
Denny Conn and Drew have had a podcast or two on Brewtan. I found them interesting.

https://www.experimentalbrew.com/podcast/episode-25-brewtan-your-questions-away

thunderwagn said:

Hopefully those using the packets sold here will post up any results after they've used it.
Denny Conn and Drew have had a podcast or two on Brewtan. I found them interesting.

https://www.experimentalbrew.com/podcast/episode-25-brewtan-your-questions-away

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Oh, I will....

What I have to figure out is what recipe I want to brew to work with this. I don't want a particularly complicated recipe...in fact, I'm considering using Brewtan-B in conjunction with a SMASH I brew. That should make whatever effects occur more discernable, I'd think.

thunderwagn said:

Hopefully those using the packets sold here will post up any results after they've used it.
Denny Conn and Drew have had a podcast or two on Brewtan. I found them interesting.

https://www.experimentalbrew.com/podcast/episode-25-brewtan-your-questions-away

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Personally, I wouldn't pay much heed to what the experimental brewing folks say about Brewtan B. For some reason they have classified it as an oxygen scavenger (which it isn't), as indicated by the title of their experiment.

https://www.experimentalbrew.com/ex...nging-chemicals-change-beer-character-updated

TexasWine said:

Personally, I wouldn't pay much heed to what the experimental brewing folks say about Brewtan B. For some reason they have classified it as an oxygen scavenger (which it isn't), as indicated by the title of their experiment.

https://www.experimentalbrew.com/ex...nging-chemicals-change-beer-character-updated

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Can't say. I have listened to the podcasts that included guest Joe Formanek who now works for the company that produces Brewtan. I'm not promoting the product or Denny's site. Just posting it for reference in case others were interested in the product.

So I assume it's one pack per 5 gallon batch?

TheLostBeer said:

So I assume it's one pack per 5 gallon batch?

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Bad assumption

It's like 0.06-0.15 g/Gal.

Many people, myself included, have reported permanent haze from adding it to the boil. The recommendation now is to only use it in the mash.

The typical commercial usage of this ingredient is when making adjunct lagers that are naturally low in polyphenols because this product is essentially 100% PPs.

TheLostBeer said:

So I assume it's one pack per 5 gallon batch?

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What Schematix said, but if you look at the pic in the first post, you'll see a "rate" of 5 grams per hectoliter.

A hectoliter is 26.4 gallons so it's about 1 gram per 5 gallons or so, based on the package. I haven't finished researching this to decide how much I want in my mash, but that's a place to start.

One question I have is what a gram of this will do to mash pH, or whether it's largely superfluous. I have a Chemistry Professor friend I'm going to ask about that.

mongoose33 said:

A hectoliter is 26.4 gallons so it's about 1 gram per 5 gallons or so, based on the package. I haven't finished researching this to decide how much I want in my mash, but that's a place to start.

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I have seen some discrepancy in the dosing though... one referenced "finished beer", while another was just actual volume. Depending on system losses this could be a fairly big difference.

schematix said:

I have seen some discrepancy in the dosing though... one referenced "finished beer", while another was just actual volume. Depending on system losses this could be a fairly big difference.

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This source used 1/4 tsp per 5 gallons strike/sparge water:

https://www.experimentalbrew.com/ex...nging-chemicals-change-beer-character-updated

This source also includes Denny, has 1/4 tsp in the mash, 1/2 tsp mixed into a slurry and added to the boil:

http://www.brews-bros.com/topic/113270-the-official-brewtan-b-thread/

But later in the thread one person indicates that 8g is more for 31 gallons, not 5 gallons. Things are clearing up.

Dosing is most always for actual current volume.

schematix said:

Bad assumption



It's like 0.06-0.15 g/Gal.



Many people, myself included, have reported permanent haze from adding it to the boil. The recommendation now is to only use it in the mash.



The typical commercial usage of this ingredient is when making adjunct lagers that are naturally low in polyphenols because this product is essentially 100% PPs.

Click to expand...

Ah yea, Which is why I try not to assume much also didn't see that at the bottom! My bad.

So I can see why they would only want to sell commercially cause they would be buying large quantities of this were your typical homebrewer would maybe use a pack of this maybe 6 months? But that largely is based on how much and often they brew.

I would be interested in trying this out and see how it turns out... probably do 2 of the same type but one with and without and see how it turns out.