Tannin extraction with direct fired rims

[dalex2004]

I just tasted my first beer from my new brutus 10 style brew stand. The beer has a grainy almost grassy taste. The only thing i can think is that the taste is from tannins. I don't know if it is from a constant recirculation during the entire mash. The only other thing i could think of was over sparging. My pre boil volume was a little over 2 gal more than expected. Wasn't sure if anyone else has had this problem with a similar setup. Thanks

 

[helibrewer]

astringency feels like a drying of the mouth, particularly the outer sides of the tongue towards your throat. Think cotton ball in the mouth. Are you tasting this post fermentation? Did you dry hop?

 

[dalex2004]

Yes it is post fermentation and no dry hop. I just tasted it today and it seems to be subsiding. Maybe it was just too green. However it was a very light beer and very mild hops.


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[acidrain]

Tannis are from too high of a temperature along with too high of a PH. Unless you are doing something way outside of the normal range (way thin mash along with way high temps), that is probably not it.
I absolutely could not get a good tasting beer from my direct fired RIMS. The taste was like you described... grassy, grainy, sometimes a sickening sweet burnt taste.
I went to an electric RIMS, and it was much better until I scorched a couple of batches when the grain bed compacted and slowed the flow. That familiar taste came back, and that's how I knew what it was.
Now I'm using HERMS and no problems.

 

[ferm.adventures]

Tannis are from too high of a temperature along with too high of a PH. Unless you are doing something way outside of the normal range (way thin mash along with way high temps), that is probably not it.
I absolutely could not get a good tasting beer from my direct fired RIMS. The taste was like you described... grassy, grainy, sometimes a sickening sweet burnt taste.
I went to an electric RIMS, and it was much better until I scorched a couple of batches when the grain bed compacted and slowed the flow. That familiar taste came back, and that's how I knew what it was.
Now I'm using HERMS and no problems.

Wow, I wish I found this before. I've been experimenting with some K-RIMS like process with a boil kettle and a cooler, sort of like a BrewEasy, and was getting some great results.

My last batch I tried to do a direct fired recirculation for an amber ale, and after primary fermentation, the results are pretty bad. grainy and burnt sweet taste as you mention. No more direct fire for me. Next time will move on to a RIMS tube.

 

[JonW]

No more direct fire for me. Next time will move on to a RIMS tube.

The key with direct fired RIMS is to apply gentle heat. You can heat your strike water with a full blast burner, but as soon as you mash in, you need to turn the burner down low (turn it off while mashing in). Additionally, you MUST do a continuous recirculation or you are just heating the wort below the false bottom.

Lots of people do direct fire and usually have no issues - myself included.

 

[ferm.adventures]

I think part of my problem was the pot - very thin aluminum pot, and false bottom with next to no dead space, and recirculating at a flow rate that was pretty low. Wort would be coming out of the tun in the 180's in no time after being fired on the lowest heat.