Dreaded Tanins!!

[SkaBoneBenny]

I've read in so many places the dangers of over sparging/incorrectly sparging your grains when partial mashing. The main fewar seesm to lie with washing tanins into your brewpot. This January I brewed with a much older gentleman, a friend of a friend's father, and a very experienced brewer and partial masher. He turned me onto the idea of using a restraunt grade double meshed strainer to put my grains in over the brew pot once they are done mashing in my portable cooler and gently sparging the sugars into my brewpot. At first I was a little wary, but the quality of his beer can't be argued with.

Anyways, when I was brewing ym Chocolate Cream stout the other night I noticed tiny black specs floating in my brewpot just priot to the boil. I removed the extremely fine strainer from my funnel-strainer and pulled it through the wort. When I removed it, it had quie a lot of these tiny black specs. I can only suspect these are tiny pieces of the husks. Are these the dreaded Tanins I've read so much about? Or are tanins microscopic molocules I can't even see?

-Ben

 

[ScoutMan]

Tannins are astringent, bitter-tasting plant polyphenols that bind and precipitate proteins. They can only be seen by ordering those special X-Ray glasses from the back of MAD magazine. They can be tasted by normal folks though

 

[ajf]

Ben,

You're worrying too much.

Grain husks do contain tannins, but for the small amount that you found, they won't make any noticeable difference, especially in a stout.

-a.

 

[david_42]

Tannins are molecules, so you wouldn't see them. If the grain was crushed properly, you are probably seeing bits of kernel not husk. Probably black patent. Husks are fairly strong and break into large pieces during the crushing process. If you grind grain, the husks get ground as well and you're more likely to have some in the wort.

 

[SkaBoneBenny]

Damnit, it's just so easy to worry with this hobby! I guess only tasting will tell.
-Ben

 

[Orfy]

I should imagine some Tannins always get into the finished product a makes up some of the flavour profile that we all love.