Ive read a ****load of posts on here that brewers have posted with the same issue but never an answer. I was hoping that someone on here sees this and is able to say "yeah I had the same thing and I finally figured out it was ______ !" If you've had this problem you know exactly what I'm taking about. Its a very distinct flavor that comes right after the first sip and is a bitter aftertaste that lingers. Its there after primary fermentation before bottling.
I have Palmers book and have read it a bunch of times to pinpoint it but its hard to pin down. I guess its kinda teabagish bitter but ive never sucked on a teabag before. Maybe metallic? Maybe kinda hot? Its just a nasty bitter taste in the beer like bleh. Technically you can drink it and I've had friends that will but they don't know much about beer even when I advise them not to. I even tasted the same bitter taste in a local brewery, in a dark saison they had. But I assumed they messed up and were trying to limit their losses by serving it.
My best guess is something to do with tannins and too much water, or mash ph, or maybe im sparging at too high a temp, or my water but I used every kind water to narrow it down (tap, spring, distilled, purified, and tap with campden tablets) and got the same taste. It happened on extract and on all grain. I know that if you've had this you know the taste.
Since im sure I'll get all kinds of questions about what I do, heres my process:
Clean all equipment with PBW (4 scoops/2 gal)
Sanitize w saniclean (1 oz/3gal)
Cooler mashtun, start w boiled water to warm it up
Campden tablet in pot while heating up Strike water, (temp and volume based on recipe,169°?)
I use the mash/sparge calcs online
Pour strike water in mash tun
Add ph stabilizer 5.2 as directed
Stir in grains, mash 60 mins @152°?
Vorlauf
Check wort w iodine
Fly sparge, (sparge water in liquor tank is at about 169° avg)
Get wort to a full boil, start 60 mins and add hops
15 mins left add whirfloc tablet and stainless steel wortchiller
Icebath and wortchiller
Move to glass carboy @70°
Aerate by shaking
Pitch yeast (I've used every kind of yeast)
Move to chest freezer w temp controller at avg 68° for 2-4 weeks...
Anddd I get the bitter taste!
It DID NOT happen on a stout, 2 amber ales, and 2 duncelweizens which makes it more frustrating. Its driving me crazy! I'm very meticulous and conscious during brewing and barely walk away. I say that because I think that weeds out a lot of possible goofs that may happen in one-off situations. This is a consistent problem that I can't figure out.
Hope this doesn't come across as me being an ******* but im solely trying to sort out what's causing this flavor. Posts such as aeration techniques aren't going to be useful at this point.
Thank you to anyone that takes the time to read all this and can give me some direction. I take brewing very serious (maybe too much) and its extremely disheartening to keep making bitter beers. Thanks!
I have Palmers book and have read it a bunch of times to pinpoint it but its hard to pin down. I guess its kinda teabagish bitter but ive never sucked on a teabag before. Maybe metallic? Maybe kinda hot? Its just a nasty bitter taste in the beer like bleh. Technically you can drink it and I've had friends that will but they don't know much about beer even when I advise them not to. I even tasted the same bitter taste in a local brewery, in a dark saison they had. But I assumed they messed up and were trying to limit their losses by serving it.
My best guess is something to do with tannins and too much water, or mash ph, or maybe im sparging at too high a temp, or my water but I used every kind water to narrow it down (tap, spring, distilled, purified, and tap with campden tablets) and got the same taste. It happened on extract and on all grain. I know that if you've had this you know the taste.
Since im sure I'll get all kinds of questions about what I do, heres my process:
Clean all equipment with PBW (4 scoops/2 gal)
Sanitize w saniclean (1 oz/3gal)
Cooler mashtun, start w boiled water to warm it up
Campden tablet in pot while heating up Strike water, (temp and volume based on recipe,169°?)
I use the mash/sparge calcs online
Pour strike water in mash tun
Add ph stabilizer 5.2 as directed
Stir in grains, mash 60 mins @152°?
Vorlauf
Check wort w iodine
Fly sparge, (sparge water in liquor tank is at about 169° avg)
Get wort to a full boil, start 60 mins and add hops
15 mins left add whirfloc tablet and stainless steel wortchiller
Icebath and wortchiller
Move to glass carboy @70°
Aerate by shaking
Pitch yeast (I've used every kind of yeast)
Move to chest freezer w temp controller at avg 68° for 2-4 weeks...
Anddd I get the bitter taste!
It DID NOT happen on a stout, 2 amber ales, and 2 duncelweizens which makes it more frustrating. Its driving me crazy! I'm very meticulous and conscious during brewing and barely walk away. I say that because I think that weeds out a lot of possible goofs that may happen in one-off situations. This is a consistent problem that I can't figure out.
Hope this doesn't come across as me being an ******* but im solely trying to sort out what's causing this flavor. Posts such as aeration techniques aren't going to be useful at this point.
Thank you to anyone that takes the time to read all this and can give me some direction. I take brewing very serious (maybe too much) and its extremely disheartening to keep making bitter beers. Thanks!