I've been doing all-grain batches for a couple years and haven't had any huge problems with off-flavors until my last two batches.
I recently upgraded to a bigger system and started doing advanced techniques. The first two batches turned out good but the last two have a noticeable off flavor. I'm having a hard time pinpointing it, but I'm pretty sure it's an astringent taste.
The one difference between the batches was that I started milling my own grain. The first batch I had a terrible crush...really didn't get the grain cracked at all. The latest batch I got the mill working better and i had what appeared to be a 'good crush'. Both batches had the same off-flavor.
In researching the issue, I found that over crushing can cause astringency due to the tannins. That could be the answer for the second bad batch but the first batch there was no way that I over crushed it.
The next area I've looked at was the mash pH. Could that change from milling your own grain? I haven't done anything differently with my sparging or remember anything going wrong the last two times.
Has anyone else gone through this issue and fixed it? Could it be something else like the yeast or my fermenters? The two beers completely different styles - wit vs IPA. Please help! I want to get back to making drinkable beer!
I recently upgraded to a bigger system and started doing advanced techniques. The first two batches turned out good but the last two have a noticeable off flavor. I'm having a hard time pinpointing it, but I'm pretty sure it's an astringent taste.
The one difference between the batches was that I started milling my own grain. The first batch I had a terrible crush...really didn't get the grain cracked at all. The latest batch I got the mill working better and i had what appeared to be a 'good crush'. Both batches had the same off-flavor.
In researching the issue, I found that over crushing can cause astringency due to the tannins. That could be the answer for the second bad batch but the first batch there was no way that I over crushed it.
The next area I've looked at was the mash pH. Could that change from milling your own grain? I haven't done anything differently with my sparging or remember anything going wrong the last two times.
Has anyone else gone through this issue and fixed it? Could it be something else like the yeast or my fermenters? The two beers completely different styles - wit vs IPA. Please help! I want to get back to making drinkable beer!