Stouts - grain to glass

[beersk]

Thanks, Martin. From what a few are saying, sounds like I need to quit using the acid malt addition. I'll do that and add some baking soda or chalk for alkalinity.

[cornershot]

I've been tweaking my dry stout for a couple years now. I recently mistakenly got the impression that the mash pH should be 5.1 rather than my usual 5.4(I add the hot steeped roast barley liquor at the end of boil). So I acidified the mash accordingly, all other factors remaining the same. The extra bit of acidity made it harsh and acrid.

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[beersk]

I wish it were that simple, I guess. I just don't think this issue I'm having is a mouthfeel, more of a flavor I can't quite place. I'm disassembling my co2 system to see if I didn't miss something before. I hope I don't have to take my regulator apart to clean it, I don't know how to do that. I need a sanity check as I've considered going back to bottling.

[cornershot]

Maybe get some of the carbonation drops and fill a few bottles at kegging time for comparison?

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[fmader]

Could it be the carbonation level? I'm assuming since you're using a distributor, you are carbing your stouts and american ales all the same.

[beersk]

Could it be the carbonation level? I'm assuming since you're using a distributor, you are carbing your stouts and american ales all the same.

Possibly, but seems unlikely. I'm carbonating at 10 PSI at about 38F. So what's that, around 2.4 volumes?

[reverseapachemaster]

If your problems only occur with dark beer then it is unlikely to be an infection or mess somewhere in your kegging system. It should be showing up in all of your beers. Seems more likely to be a ph issue.

[beersk]

If your problems only occur with dark beer then it is unlikely to be an infection or mess somewhere in your kegging system. It should be showing up in all of your beers. Seems more likely to be a ph issue.

I sure hope so. I've got some things to work on. Seems like it all used to be so much simpler. The more you learn, the harder it gets, it seems.

[HoosierBrew]

I agree it sounds like more of a pH issue. Even if the off flavor isn't all out acrid, if pH was a bit too low there could be an unpleasant astringent flavor.  It was frustration with the dark beers especially that made me jump in to learning water chemistry.

[Wort-H.O.G.]

I agree it sounds like more of a pH issue. Even if the off flavor isn't all out acrid, if pH was a bit too low there could be an unpleasant astringent flavor.  It was frustration with the dark beers especially that made me jump in to learning water chemistry.

i hot steep 3oz of black malt in my mash water to get my PH to settle in around 5.45-5.5. the rest of my chocolate malt and roasted barley for my oatmeal stout get hot steep for 20-30 minutes at 145-150F in sparge water before i batch sparge.  here's my water profile i typically target:

Calcium (Ca) = 105.0
Magnesium (Mg) = 17.0
Sodium (Na) = 23.0
Sulfate (SO4) = 66.0
Chloride (Cl) = 30.0
BiCarbonate (HCO3) = 153.0 

[tomsawyer]

I think you need more roast barley, 10%.  Then use hard water, I use tap water for stout.  I don't think you want a soft water for this style.

[beersk]

Thanks for all your input, guys. I appreciate it.

[beersk]

Anyone think haze in a carboy could cause off flavors? I think my answer is no, but I don't know 100%. I've tried soaking them in starsan solution, soaking one now with 5 gallons of water and 2 cups of white vinegar. 18 hours later and I'm still seeing the cloud line. It's weird.

[morticaixavier]

Anyone think haze in a carboy could cause off flavors? I think my answer is no, but I don't know 100%. I've tried soaking them in starsan solution, soaking one now with 5 gallons of water and 2 cups of white vinegar. 18 hours later and I'm still seeing the cloud line. It's weird.

I suppose it could harbor bacteria against cleaning sanitizing efforts but it seems unlikely that it would only cause a problem with dark beers.

[denny]

Anyone think haze in a carboy could cause off flavors? I think my answer is no, but I don't know 100%. I've tried soaking them in starsan solution, soaking one now with 5 gallons of water and 2 cups of white vinegar. 18 hours later and I'm still seeing the cloud line. It's weird.

It obviously depends on the source of the haze (is it bacteria growing on the carboy?), but in general I'd say no.