way too astringent: try to save or use it for something else?

[doverox]

me again! batch number two was a disaster. i couldn't keep a consistent mash temp and the tannins are out of control. fortunately, it's only a 1.25 gallon batch, probably down to 1 gallon minus trub.
i'm thinking there's no saving it. i tried by dry hopping and adding some whiskey soaked apricots hoping to add a little depth. but it is very astringent. just not tasty.
it was in the fermenter for 5 weeks and dryhopped for one and cold crashed. i had tried it after 3 weeks, noticed the problem and added the apricots then. still tastes bad.

so if you guys think it's still worth bottling, i will give it a shot.

otherwise, what are some things i can do to make it not a total loss? would it be ok to use for a yeast starter? could i harvest yeast from it? or will the astringency ruin anything i use it for?

thanks so much in advance.

 

[doverox]

anyone?

 

[jnacey]

What was the mash temperature that you used? What kind of beer? Can you provide the recipe?

Try describing the flavor a little more. Is it ashy or more medicinal?

 

[cobrem]

Do you have sense of what your mash Ph was? Tannins can come from a few sources - high mash ph (over 5.5 ish), too much hop material in fermenter, and maybe one or two other things (that escape me at the moment).

If it's a ph issue, I recommend checking out John Palmer's How to Brew for a discussion of salt additions (or his water book).

Also, you may have a chlorine/chloramine issue with your water. If it is bitter and medicinal, that could be your culprit. Carbon filtration or treatment with campden tablets can help.

 

[giant]

Dump it and start over. You might be able to pitch the slurry into a new batch.

 

[doverox]

thanks guys. i dumped it. it was only a gallon or so. didn't want to risk it ruining another batch.
i kind of saw it coming, the batch was too small for my kettle. the temp shot way up and kept wavering between like 145 and 170. basically the worst possible temps haha
i do treat my water but i might invest in some ph stabilizer too. couldn't hurt.
oh well brew and learn