Tannins!!! (another "is my beer ruined")

[DrJerryrigger]

Okay, I'm sure this comes up a lot, but I find the search next to useless (I did try).
So here is what happened; I brewed a batch of a brown ale on Sun using new equipment. My mash pH was too low, so I added stuff, still to low, added stuff, still too low, added stuff, oh crap too high, and by that time I had been mashing for too long, so I let it ride for 5 min and mashed out.
Anyway I did a fly sparg for the first time, and the gravity of the run off stayed up for a long time. I collected about twice what I wanted to by the time it dropped to about 1015 when I stopped. So to keep up my stupidity I mixed it all and boiled for 5 hours.
Anyway today I drank a hydrometer sample and it has no body and has a lot of tannins in it. Is there anything I can do to reduce the tannins in this batch (which took 13 hours to make)? Should I just shut up and see how it is after a month or two?

 

[makomachine]

A 5 hour boil???

 

[DrJerryrigger]

A 5 hour boil???

yeah... in three pots at the same time (until it fit into one). I ended up hitting my target OG for 6 gal rather than the 4 I planned for.

 

[carrotmalt]

Are you talking Sunday... as in 2 days ago? Little early to be concerned about body or flavor for that matter. I never feel like hydro samples have much body and I'm guessing any flavor issues this early are likely to be resolve with time.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

Are you talking Sunday... as in 2 days ago? Little early to be concerned about body or flavor for that matter. I never feel like hydro samples have much body and I'm guessing any flavor issues this early are likely to be resolve with time.

Thanks, and yes two days, should have started by stating that. OG was 1.050, now 1.020.

The body issue is not a major concern to me yet, but I was expecting it to be a little better even at this point due to the gain bill (oats and dextrin). The tannins are unmistakable though. I still have a dry feeling tongue from an hour ago. Though I'm sure it's too soon to tell anything as you said.

I'm overly worried about this beer due to the haphazard brew day. I was stuck inside doing nothing because of the hurricane. Then that passed and I still had power, so I slapped together a recipe and a new MLT and started making mistakes. I didn't finish until 3AM.

 

[carrotmalt]

If the tannin issue continues to be a problem, I've read that fining with gelatin helps, and tannins generally do mellow with time. Hope it turns out well.

 

[Revvy]

I honestly doubt it's really tannins. Just about ALL my hydromter samples on brewday taste like ICED TEA, especially on AG brews. That's why I don't recommend folks freak out about what they're tasting until it's been 3-6 weeks in the bottles. Until then beers can taste like crap, and there's nothing wrong with them.

 

[eastoak]

yeah... in three pots at the same time (until it fit into one). I ended up hitting my target OG for 6 gal rather than the 4 I planned for.

wow. sounds like you need a bigger kettle.

 

[arg]

I just dumped a batch (first to date...) because I over sparged. I somehow overshot my volume by about 1.5 gallons on a pale ale. I left it in the primary 5 weeks. It never cleared. I kegged and let it sit for another 5 weeks. It was still as cloudy and disgusting as the day I kegged it. The only flavor that came through was a tongue-biting astringency that kept anyone I had taste the beer from having a second sip, even "for science."

Now one of the stumps on the hill next to the house smells like a frat-party, though it's dissipating daily...and I have a keg that is begging for more brew!

Live and learn, I suppose.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

I honestly doubt it's really tannins. Just about ALL my hydromter samples on brewday taste like ICED TEA, especially on AG brews. That's why I don't recommend folks freak out about what they're tasting until it's been 3-6 weeks in the bottles. Until then beers can taste like crap, and there's nothing wrong with them.

Thanks, I guess I'll just see how crappy it is in a month or two.

wow. sounds like you need a bigger kettle.

Yeah, I thought 7.5 gal would be big enough, but it just wasn't.

I just dumped a batch (first to date...) because I over sparged. I somehow overshot my volume by about 1.5 gallons on a pale ale. I left it in the primary 5 weeks. It never cleared. I kegged and let it sit for another 5 weeks. It was still as cloudy and disgusting as the day I kegged it. The only flavor that came through was a tongue-biting astringency that kept anyone I had taste the beer from having a second sip, even "for science."

Now one of the stumps on the hill next to the house smells like a frat-party, though it's dissipating daily...and I have a keg that is begging for more brew!

Live and learn, I suppose.

Sorry to hear about that brew, and your stump. What was the SG of the sparg when you stopped?
This beer seems to be starting to clear already, though it's hard to tell (~30SRM). I'm using WLP002 yeast which is really getting the job done fast.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

Thanks you all for humoring my paranoia.
Today it tastes much better. There is still a astringent bite to it, but it has mellowed some. Also a delicious nutty flavor is starting to come out, which is balancing the astringency a bit. Even the body is starting to seem a little better. It's still crap, but it now have faith that I will be a good beer some day soon.

 

[carrotmalt]

Thanks you all for humoring my paranoia.
Today it tastes much better. There is still a astringent bite to it, but it has mellowed some. Also a delicious nutty flavor is starting to come out, which is balancing the astringency a bit. Even the body is starting to seem a little better. It's still crap, but it now have faith that I will be a good beer some day soon.

You know some conservative brewers out there that still insist it takes more than 2 days to make a good beer

Hope it continues to improve.

 

[DrJerryrigger]

You know some conservative brewers out there that still insist it takes more than 2 days to make a good beer

Hope it continues to improve.

Yeah... it just seemed like it might be one of those flaws that will stick around no matter what.
Also I'm amazed with this yeast; White Lab's English Ale (WLP002). It had dropped nearly clear after 36 hours (I used a big starter). Today (about 60 hr after pitching) I moved it to a secondary. It's at ~56% attenuation, and should finish at 63-70% according to the label, though I mashed hot(ish) so the lower end is likely.

 

[BLACKHAWK007]

I think you need one of these.

 

[BLACKHAWK007]

If you need info on the pot toss me a line. They are less than $100.

 

[shelly_belly]

From "The Home Winemakers Manual" by Lum Eisenman...

"Gelatin removes a quantity of tannin roughly equal to its own weight."