[tommymorris]

What I do plan to do and leave in the beer fridge for 6 months or so, to judge the impact on shelf life.

Seems like everyone is missing this point entirely...

I don' think so..at least, I'm not.  For one thing, my kegs will take 2-3 months to kick, so there's a medium term test.  For another, I simply haven't had time yet to brew something to set aside.  That's why I'm not making any grand pronouncements at this point.

FWIW, I was talking about filling a few bottles from the keg of each batch and putting them aside, as opposed to brewing a batch to set aside. Seems easy enough.

I think setting some bottles aside is a great test.

When doing a brewtan triangle test with a Helles or other light lager, how long should the beer lager before the tasting to ensure proper results? Should the wait time be varied? For the sample 3 separate triangles tests could be performed; (1) lager 5-10 days to see if brewtan accelerates maturation, (2) lager 4-6 weeks to see if brewtan makes noticeable difference with normal lagering times (4-6 may not be normal). (3) lager 6 months to see if brewtan makes noticeable difference on shelf life?

[HoosierBrew]

I think setting some bottles aside is a great test.

When doing a brewtan triangle test with a Helles or other light lager, how long should the beer lager before the tasting to ensure proper results? Should the wait time be varied? For the sample 3 separate triangles tests could be performed; (1) lager 5-10 days to see if brewtan accelerates maturation, (2) lager 4-6 weeks to see if brewtan makes noticeable difference with normal lagering times (4-6 may not be normal). (3) lager 6 months to see if brewtan makes noticeable difference on shelf life?

That's as good a plan as any !

[mabrungard]

Having used Brewtan B on 2 beers now, I don't find that it produces much difference in the young beer. It is reputed to help remove components that may promote oxidation, so I expect that the real difference will be in the longer term aging of beers.

I rarely brew big beers that I age for long duration, but I wonder how Brewtan would do in improving their aging?

[HoosierBrew]

Having used Brewtan B on 2 beers now, I don't find that it produces much difference in the young beer. It is reputed to help remove components that may promote oxidation, so I expect that the real difference will be in the longer term aging of beers.

I rarely brew big beers that I age for long duration, but I wonder how Brewtan would do in improving their aging?

Martin, I'm thinking I probably won't use it in big beers (like barleywine) that benefit from some subtle oxidation over time.

[denny]

Having used Brewtan B on 2 beers now, I don't find that it produces much difference in the young beer. It is reputed to help remove components that may promote oxidation, so I expect that the real difference will be in the longer term aging of beers.

I rarely brew big beers that I age for long duration, but I wonder how Brewtan would do in improving their aging?

Martin, I'm pretty sure I'm seeing short term improvement.  Maybe that just means that I had more room to improve  At this point, after lagering my German pils batches for about a month, the Brewtan batch is noticeably better.  But I won't be certain it's due to the Brewtan without more testing.

[Village Taphouse]

Having used Brewtan B on 2 beers now, I don't find that it produces much difference in the young beer. It is reputed to help remove components that may promote oxidation, so I expect that the real difference will be in the longer term aging of beers.

I rarely brew big beers that I age for long duration, but I wonder how Brewtan would do in improving their aging?

Martin, I'm pretty sure I'm seeing short term improvement.  Maybe that just means that I had more room to improve  At this point, after lagering my German pils batches for about a month, the Brewtan batch is noticeably better.  But I won't be certain it's due to the Brewtan without more testing.

I agree with this.  I haven't had much time to do a lot of long-term lagering... my production was down and my consumption was up for awhile so most of my brewtan beers are relatively young.  I am noticing a smoothness and softness in the brewtan beers that is very pronounced and noticeable.  If brewtan helps cut down on oxidative effects over time, that's great and I didn't miss that point... I was just focused on other points... plus, my beers don't sit around for long periods and I don't make big beers or beers that require a very long aging phase.  I have 4 taps in my bar area and there are three brewtan beers in there now... a pilsner, an APA and a "Dark Lager".  There is also a Festbier that I made with 2352 which is not a brewtan beer.  Last night I went with the Festbier and I could tell immediately that it was not as soft and smooth as the brewtan beers.  It's a very drinkable beer but there is a harshness or roughness to it and it has an almost chemical-like smell and finish to it.  Again, it's not undrinkable but the different between the brewtan beers and non-brewtan beers is quite noticeable.

[dilluh98]

Another Brewtan B usage data point to report:

I brewed a Mild yesterday and added 1/4 tsp brewtan B to my mash (5.5 gallon batch). The first runnings were the clearest I've ever seen. Forgot to add at the end of the boil. I did add my usual dosage of hydrated Irish moss, though.

Nice clear wort racked to a bucket and I noticed that the trub looked more coagulated/congealed than what I typically see. So much so that it was quite easy to get almost every drop of wort out without pulling any trub into the bucket.

I didn't notice any change to my mash pH or any of my efficiency numbers when using it. Pitched some top cropped 1318 this morning. We'll see how it goes.

[Philbrew]

Holy cow.  Do I really have to read all 15 pages of this thread to find out about Brewtan B?

[brewinhard]

all of these "preliminary" results sound fairly promising. Even with regards to short vs long terms maturation benefits, they both sound like potential winners.

[Village Taphouse]

Holy cow.  Do I really have to read all 15 pages of this thread to find out about Brewtan B?

Not necessarily.  If you're interested to know what other brewers have experienced with brewtan, read the 15 pages.  If you're just curious about what brewtan will do for your own beers, I highly recommend that you get some and use it in your beers.  ¼ tsp in the mash water and then another ½ tsp dissolved in water and added to the kettle with 10-15 minutes left in the boil.  Getting the brewtan will be the hardest part of the process.  I ordered mine from iBrew in Australia and it took 10-14 days to get to me.  Yesterday I made my 8th batch with brewtan.  I have sampled five of those and every one of them has been stellar.  This week I'll be making the 9th one... a helles.  I see no downside to trying it.

[beersk]

Having used Brewtan B on 2 beers now, I don't find that it produces much difference in the young beer. It is reputed to help remove components that may promote oxidation, so I expect that the real difference will be in the longer term aging of beers.

I rarely brew big beers that I age for long duration, but I wonder how Brewtan would do in improving their aging?

Martin, I'm pretty sure I'm seeing short term improvement.  Maybe that just means that I had more room to improve  At this point, after lagering my German pils batches for about a month, the Brewtan batch is noticeably better.  But I won't be certain it's due to the Brewtan without more testing.

Denny, when is this "more testing" going to happen? I'm curious, damn it!

[narvin]

I really need to order some of this.  I keep thinking about the 3 week delivery time.  Then a month goes by and I think, oh, it could have been here by now.

[hopfenundmalz]

Will it show up at the LHBS someday?

[HoosierBrew]

Way too early to declare anything so it's not remotely even a data point, but my O-fest (first beer brewed with Brewtan) is 3 days shy of a month old. It's pretty clear (not quite brilliant), has a rich, malty nose and flavor, more than I recall in any O-fest I've brewed at this age. The improved clarity at very least seems improved, as does overall malt character. I'll post pics soon and final impressions but I'm definitely encouraged, enough to order some more Brewtan and wait 3 weeks. Can't wait to keg the North German Pils (Brewtan #2) tomorrow and get it carbed up.


Edit -  Jeff, I sure hope so !

[Village Taphouse]

Way too early to declare anything so it's not remotely even a data point, but my O-fest (first beer brewed with Brewtan) is 3 days shy of a month old. It's pretty clear (not quite brilliant), has a rich, malty nose and flavor, more than I recall in any O-fest I've brewed at this age. The improved clarity at very least seems improved, as does overall malt character. I'll post pics soon and final impressions but I'm definitely encouraged, enough to order some more Brewtan and wait 3 weeks. Can't wait to keg the North German Pils (Brewtan #2) tomorrow and get it carbed up.


Edit -  Jeff, I sure hope so !

That sounds promising HoosierBrew!