Astringency Question

[MDixon]

daze - I gotta throw my $0.02 in there, what EXACTLY makes you believe your beers are astringent?

[daze1231]

That's actually an excellent question. From the description of many of the off-flavors in beer that i've read, the astringency one best fits my situation.. there's a perceived bitterness, and not the hop-like kind of bitterness, but more of a harsh mouth-puckering sensation.


 

[MDixon]

Sounds like you have realized you don't taste astringency, you FEEL/SENSE it. If you are finding the beers puckering then it does sound as if they have some astringency.

Have you measured your pH to ensure you are mashing and sparging at a proper pH level?

[daze1231]

MDixon-

Nope, no PH testing as of yet. There's a number of process additions i intend on adding to my brewing, and PH testing is at the top of the list.

Any recommendations on relatively inexpensive and effective ways to do this? I've read that those electronic PH meter devices are good, but expensive, and require alot of maintenance. how about ColorPhast strips?


Brew on!

-DAZE 

[lupy]

Any recommendations on relatively inexpensive and effective ways to do this? I've read that those electronic PH meter devices are good, but expensive, and require alot of maintenance. how about ColorPhast strips?


Brew on!

-DAZE 

The colorphast strips are reportedly adequate but read approximately 0.3 too low. I got mine from sanitationtools. The 4.0 - 7.0 range works well for our purposes.

To continue the thought; If one were to rely on the colorphast strips and the mash pH was right where it should be, what direction should one look to address the perceived astringency?

[MDixon]

It's really two things. Be sure the mash pH is in line, then, during the sparge be sure the pH of the runnings is not rising too high. The easiest test IMO is to do it on a pale malt grist (maybe with a little crystal), from there most any other mash should behave similarly unless the water changes for some reason or the grist has a fair amount of roasted grains.

[redbeerman]

Another thing to consider is the sulphate content of the water.  Higher levels tend to accentuate hop bitterness and from personal experience this can be a problem if not controlled or accounted for, but I would definitely check the pH first.

[tviemont]

To follow up on redbeerman's post, did the OP add gypsum to his beers?  I have a beer that is puckeringly astringent on tap right now.  From reading this thread, I think I may have gone overboard on the gypsum.  I will try dosing a glass with a solution of CaCO3 to try to salvage it. 

Following on the same lines, does this defect appear in the OP's dark beers as well as his light colored beers? 

[matt64]

Haven't brewed too many batches yet, but some of my English Pale Ale batches were astringent due to excess carbonates I used to increase the pH.  After a batch, I discovered my pH test strips were garbage and invested in a decent pH meter and standards.  When I cut the carbonates back to <50 ppm and maintained a 5.3 pH the astringency was gone.  Not sure, but I suspect the tannins were coming mostly out of the hops.

[bbump22]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality pH meter? 

Also, I am curious to see how many times during the brewing process folks generally measure the pH and make adjustments if necessary.  I read on BYO, that brewers should measure the mash, the final runnings, the wort, and finished beers...anyone routinely check those measurements in particular?

[denny]

I check mash pH about 10 min.. into the mash and that's pretty much it.  I may start checking kettle pH, just out of curiosity.

[Hokerer]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality pH meter?  

Kai's got a bunch of info on his site including a "pH Meter Buying Guide"

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/PH_Meter_Buying_Guide

[bbump22]

Does anyone have a recommendation for a quality pH meter?  

Kai's got a bunch of info on his site including a "pH Meter Buying Guide"

http://braukaiser.com/wiki/index.php/PH_Meter_Buying_Guide

Great site - this should keep me busy the rest of the week!

[ringwoodbrewer]

hey, if your having trouble preventing astringency, midwest carries a mash ph stabilizer, which has worked awesome to control this situatiuon for me, and its rather cheap

[denny]

hey, if your having trouble preventing astringency, midwest carries a mash ph stabilizer, which has worked awesome to control this situatiuon for me, and its rather cheap

Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  It depends on your water and your recipe.  For me, it didn't do anything.