Astringency

[DKS]

Can anyone please explain. " Astringency", Whats it mean to you? What is it actually? Where does it come from? More importantly, how do you stop it?

It seems one of those decriptive terms that covers a range of faults in beer, in aroma and flavour.

Daz

 

[Nick JD]

Put four teaspoons of tea leaves in a cup. Pour in boiling water. Leave it for two hours.

Strain it and drink it.

Astringency.

 

[felten]

Astringency is a mouthfeel thing, the polyphenols bind with proteins in your saliva and drying your mouth out.

Adding milk to tea, for example, forms the compounds in the tea so there aren't as many tannins(polyphenols) left to do it in your mouth.


[edited for clarification]

 

[warra48]

There's lots of other things to concentrate on before concerning yourself with astringency in your beer.
Is it a problem you feel you have, or is this just a theoretical issue you raise?
For what it's worth, Ive never experienced it in my beers, as far as I can tell.
If you feel you detect it in your beers, there are a number of possible causes:
1. Steeping grains too long (like brewing tea too long)
2. When your mash pH exceeds 6 due to alkaline water (probably unlikely where you reside)
3. Brewing a hoppy pale beer brewed with alkaline (carbonate) water
4. Oversparging your mash or using too hot water
5. Overhopping with low-alpha hops
6. Bacterial infection

 

[felten]

I ran out of editing time on my other post but Warra's causes are spot on.

Polyphenols in beer predominantly come from grain husks and hops. Boiling your steeping grains is another possible cause as well.

 

[Nick JD]

I've had subtle astringent notes from a heavily dry-hopped keg - especially when some of the fine hop powder escapes the swag and goes up the pipe.

 

[Liam_snorkel]

fkn magnets

 

[DKS]

There's lots of other things to concentrate on before concerning yourself with astringency in your beer.
Is it a problem you feel you have, or is this just a theoretical issue you raise?
For what it's worth, Ive never experienced it in my beers, as far as I can tell.
If you feel you detect it in your beers, there are a number of possible causes:
1. Steeping grains too long (like brewing tea too long)
2. When your mash pH exceeds 6 due to alkaline water (probably unlikely where you reside)
3. Brewing a hoppy pale beer brewed with alkaline (carbonate) water
4. Oversparging your mash or using too hot water
5. Overhopping with low-alpha hops
6. Bacterial infection

Oh its a problem alright. Only in some beers not all but quite often.

Probably "All of the above" warra
Question asked because of comp notes which seem to be re occurring frequently.
Most likely looking at your list it could be over sparge or infection.
Thanks warra.
Daz

 

[mje1980]

Is it in your dark beers only?

 

[DKS]

Is it in your dark beers only?

Not only but Ide say mostly.
Daz

 

[mje1980]

Try adding dark grains ( from amber on ) in the last 15 mins of the mash. The reduced time in the mash will really reduce any chance of astringency. I could never brew dark beers, they were always astringent. I tried this method a few years ago, and now brew lots of dark beers, which im very happy with.