LODO brewers, where to buy Brewtan-B?

[Bramling Cross]

Cripes, that stuff is expensive! And it's only sold by the ounce?! How many batches do you get out of an ounce?

I would appreciate any suggestions regarding the most cost effective way to dump Brewtan-B into the many vessels that need Brewtan-B to be dumped into. I think my current fascination with low Lovibond adjunct lagers makes me a perfect candidate for the Full Bore LODO regime and I'm not averse to dropping some money on Brewtan-B. I'm just scratching my head at the cost/ounce. There's got to be a better way, right?

Also, the LODO literature seems to prefer volume measurements. I prefer to measure small amounts on a gram scale. Is there an accepted weight equivalent for the more common volume measurements?

Thanks for your time and help. It's appreciated.

 

[cmac62]

You can get it from more beer I think, and you use just over a gram per 5 gal batch so It'll last for awhile. You can also look up gallotanic acid or something like that.

 

[SaltNeck]

https://shop.greatfermentations.com/product/brewtan-b-1-oz/beer-brewing-fining-water-chem
https://www.williamsbrewing.com/Hom...oda-Extract/Clarifying-Foam-Control/Brewtan-B
https://highaltitudehomebrew.com/collections/all-items/products/brewtan-b-1-oz
https://brewsrq.com/products/brewtan-b
https://www.hobbyhomebrew.com/produ...nin-for-improved-shelf-life-stability-flavor/
https://www.ritebrew.com/product-p/839534.htm
Some of those may be out of stock. William's and RiteBrew seem to have some of the best prices. Yes, it is an expensive additive though I'm not sure of the cost driver. If it's supply chain issues or something else.

Bulk gallotannins appear to be available on places like Alibaba, FWIW, though you'd have to research and use at your own risk.

Bulk would also be available from resellers or your local brewery may sell you some.

If it's all the same stuff then the weight calculations are:

https://shop.countrymalt.com/brewing-aids/10391P

During The Mash: 8 grams per barrel of mash (8 g/1.17 hL) / During the Boil: 5 grams per barrel of wort (5 g/1.17 hL)

1bbl = 31 gallons

.26g per gallon of mash
.16g per gallon in the boil

Not sure if more is better, probably not. In general I'll follow the volume additions recommended on the package.

https://www.inchcalculator.com/convert/beer-barrel-to-gallon-beer/

 

[Bramling Cross]

Thank you both, kindly!

Okay, a gram or less per 5gal doesn't make it seem quite so expensive.

Really appreciate your help!

 

[michaeltrego]

I use .25g per gallon of strike water in the mash. Last time I bought it online at Great Fermentations.

 

[Brooothru]

Thank you both, kindly!

Okay, a gram or less per 5gal doesn't make it seem quite so expensive.

Really appreciate your help!

I went around the bend on this topic a couple of years ago and got all manner of confusing and contradictory input on how to use BTB. After consulting numerous sources (Wyeast{the manufacturer}, Great Fermentations, the German LOB site, etc.) as well as my own experimentation, I settled on a "Trifecta" blend ratio of 0.50 grams NaMeta, 0.50 grams ascorbic acid, 0.80 grams BrewTanB (total 1.8 grams Trifecta) for ~6.5 gal/24.6L batch volume in the mash. That results in approximately 18ppm ascorbic acid, 18ppm NaMeta, 30ppm BTB.

I also dose with 1.4 grams Trifecta about :10 minutes before end of boil. The lesser amount accounts for boil-off but results in the same ppm ratios in the post boil wort. This second dosing replenishes the original dosing of mash Trifecta which was exhausted during the mash, lauter and boil, to mitigate oxygen pick-up during chill, whirlpool and transfer into the fermenter. It's a fine balancing act to not overdose the cold side since when the wort finally gets into the fermenter (but not before) it will need dissolved oxygen to boost the yeast when it gets pitched. At this stage, less is more when it comes to the antioxidants, and I'm considering reducing the amount of Trifecta I add in the late boil and/or oxygenating the wort both immediately before and immediately after pitching the yeast. The added oxygen will nearly all be consumed by the yeast in the first hour after pitching an active culture of 1L into a 5 gallon batch in a sealed fermenter.

 

[Bilsch]

At this stage, less is more when it comes to the antioxidants, and I'm considering reducing the amount of Trifecta.

Actually what would be better is just dropping the ascorbic all together and only using the meta and BTB.

 

[Brooothru]

Actually what would be better is just dropping the ascorbic all together and only using the meta and BTB.

So are you suggesting that I make both dosings (or just the pre-chill dosing) a "difecta" rather than a trifecta? Is the ascorbic acid an unnecessary antioxidant? I'm assuming your point is that too much D.O. is being scavenged prior to to yeast pitch.

 

[Bramling Cross]

I went around the bend on this topic a couple of years ago and got all manner of confusing and contradictory input on how to use BTB. After consulting numerous sources (Wyeast{the manufacturer}, Great Fermentations, the German LOB site, etc.) as well as my own experimentation, I settled on a "Trifecta" blend ratio of 0.50 grams NaMeta, 0.50 grams ascorbic acid, 0.80 grams BrewTanB (total 1.8 grams Trifecta) for ~6.5 gal/24.6L batch volume in the mash. That results in approximately 18ppm ascorbic acid, 18ppm NaMeta, 30ppm BTB.

I also dose with 1.4 grams Trifecta about :10 minutes before end of boil. The lesser amount accounts for boil-off but results in the same ppm ratios in the post boil wort. This second dosing replenishes the original dosing of mash Trifecta which was exhausted during the mash, lauter and boil, to mitigate oxygen pick-up during chill, whirlpool and transfer into the fermenter. It's a fine balancing act to not overdose the cold side since when the wort finally gets into the fermenter (but not before) it will need dissolved oxygen to boost the yeast when it gets pitched. At this stage, less is more when it comes to the antioxidants, and I'm considering reducing the amount of Trifecta I add in the late boil and/or oxygenating the wort both immediately before and immediately after pitching the yeast. The added oxygen will nearly all be consumed by the yeast in the first hour after pitching an active culture of 1L into a 5 gallon batch in a sealed fermenter.

Thanks very much for the detailed explanation, Brooo. We both work at the same volume and I know you're an excellent brewer, so the time that you put into your post will save me a ton of time hacking at crude revisions and allow me to start my antioxidant efforts within the ballpark of my system's requirements.

That's a huge help. Thank you.

Thanks, also, for spelling out the Trifecta recipe and usage at our scale. It's really a shame that nobody (I'm looking at you, MoreBeer) is willing to sell repackaged Antioxin SBT at the homebrew scale.

Thanks for an outstanding post. It's appreciated.