"Aftertaste"

[Broken Bones]

In words (I know it can be hard) but how do you describe aftertaste? is some good but to much is bad? or do you prefer none at all? and finally what causes it and how do I get rid of it, or what do I do to avoid it in my future batches? I made a batch of EPA and I was told "it's pretty good, but it does have an aftertaste"

does squeezing the grainbag contribute to this taste?

[Joe D]

A lot of people who are not used to hops in there beer may describe the hop bite as an aftertaste. These are mostly BMC drinkers who wouldnt what hops tased like if it came up and bit them on the keister. Squeezing the grain bag was not one of your better ideas. By doing that you are releasing tannins into the wort. Thats probally what you are tasting. Kind of an astringent after taste.

[Broken Bones]

"Kind of an astringent after taste."

after some further reading i'm really thinking this was my problem. I'll have to see how the next batch turns out. one last question, when I remove the grain bag to I just take it out or do I let it "hang" over the wort untill it slows down draining?

[YamahaXS]

I like bitter beers (IPAs PAs ESBs) and have accordingly pushed the envelope on the squeezing rule. A little tannin isn't the end of the world. So, I have done batches where I didn't squeeze, some where I squeezed a little, and a few where I squeezed a lot.

IMO, You have to squeeze a LOT to get noticable tannins.


Whats interesting to me about your post is the fact that you are citing someone elses observations... Of course we all want our beer to be well received by others, but in the end, you're brewing for yourself. Do YOU think you had an aftertaste?

Many well crafted brews have complex flavor profiles that will be experienced well after the beer has been swallowed. aftertaste is good IMO. off flavors are bad.

Here is one description of astringency:
Astringent
Bitterness is a desirable flavor characteristic in beer, whereas astringency is not. Where bitterness is perceived in specific areas of the tongue, astringency is perceived throughout the entire mouth. It is a dry grain-like, mouth-puckering, tannic, vinegarish-to-intensely-tart sensation that is deduced entirely from taste & not from aroma, & akin to chewing on grape skins. Though astringency may arise from bacterial contamination & subsequent formation of acetic or lactic acid, it is more commonly associated with ill-considered formulation or processing. However it should be noted that excessively-hopped over-attenuated pale beers display astringency (from hops) more so than from sweeter richer styles.

For ingredients, sources include: alkaline or high sulfate water, & stems or skins from fruit contribute to astringency, just as too much six-row malt over two-row. In terms of process: over-sparging, high-temperature (above 175°F) sparge, or boiling grains produces excessive tannins, just as over-milling/grinding creates more surface area to exposure. A poor hot break can result in excessive trub; both are considered sources for astringency.

Cures: Aging reduces astringency. Attention to process specifically outlined above is the best prevention. Hint: It has been suggested that skimming off the brown scum material off a vigorous fermenting Kraeusen reduces the chance of astringency. from


here (http://www.carolinabrewmasters.com/examstudy/Offflavors.htm)

[Broken Bones]

thanks for the replies, let me try to clarify a bit

The brew was "Classic English Pale Ale" I brewed it following the instructions to the T (except squeezing the grainbag) when I tasted it, I did notice a taste that I did not like, but with my lack of experience I couldnt put the taste to words.

one night we were drinking in my garage/brewpub. and someone who was tasting it for the first time stated "it's good but it has an aftertaste" this got me thinking because I also noticed the taste but couldnt put it into words (again from my lack of experience).

So I bought a pack of Flying Dog pale ale and decided to see how I stacked up, the difference I found was that in the flying dog brew I could taste the hops without a doubt. the beer tasted like the hops smelled. My brew on the other hand does not have a hop taste to it (that I can taste).

Now dont get me wrong, yes I am brewing for my taste. but I am also brewing to have a beer that people want to drink. The pale ale I made people said it reminded them of a killians type taste. and after tasting the Flyind Dog pale ale I realized that I have messed up somewhere along the line. which lead me to the squeezing of the grainbag.

thanks for the replies. the knowledge and willingness to share on this forum is outstanding.

[HogieWan]

Flying Dog Pale Ale is an American pale ale with a quite hoppy, both in bitterness and flavor - completely different taste than an english style pale that has a more malty profile with hops more noticeable in aroma than bitterness or flavor.

[YamahaXS]

I'm probably going to sound like a beer snob with this comment, but I hope it helps.

People who regularily drink millers, buds, and coors, will often associate color with flavor. I have seen people drink homebrew that has no resemblance to Killians other than color, say it tastes like Killians. So, unless you have reason to suspect that these people have sophisticated palates then I wouldn't really put too much stock in thier opinion.

I'll stick to my ascertion that unless you squeezed the dogsnot out of that grain bag, you probably aren't tasting an astringency/tannin flavor.


cheers and welcome to the boards
jeff

[Broken Bones]

Originally posted by YamahaXS
I'm probably going to sound like a beer snob with this comment, but I hope it helps.

People who regularily drink millers, buds, and coors, will often associate color with flavor. I have seen people drink homebrew that has no resemblance to Killians other than color, say it tastes like Killians. So, unless you have reason to suspect that these people have sophisticated palates then I wouldn't really put too much stock in thier opinion.

I'll stick to my ascertion that unless you squeezed the dogsnot out of that grain bag, you probably aren't tasting an astringency/tannin flavor.


cheers and welcome to the boards
jeff

thanks for the info, and btw dont worry about sounding like a snob or offending me at least. I live every 3rd day in a firehouse and i'd rather have up front opinions rather than trimmed, bush beaten nice ways to say something sucks. but I am still pretty sure that the taste is not supposed to be there. I guess I should make the same batch and not squeeze the bag at all and see if that helps, who knows......thanks again

[wortchillergoal]

Did you use dry or liquid yeast? Some people can taste the difference between the two. It usally shows up as an after taste but, not a bad taste.

[Broken Bones]

Dry yeast

[HogieWan]

Of all the batches I made so far, my favorite (as well as anyone who has tasted them) was the first - it was made with dry yeast - i might go back to it in my next batch.

I've been having problems with odd flavors in my brews and I think it's the water - I'm just using it straight out the tap. I think I may buy water for the next round. The other issue is that my ferm. temp. gets too high when the yeasties get going - I need to fix that. Any of these could cause the problem - maybe you're dealing with similar issues.

[Joe D]

Looling back to one of my first brews it was an English Pale Ale. Besides rinsing the grain bag I squeezed the dog snot out of it. The finished beer was not undrinkable but had that ?????? aftertaste. Now when brewing extracts with adjunct grains I do this. Steep the grain bag in 1 gal of 150* water for 30 mins. Remove the bag and place it in a collonder over the pot. Sparg with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of 160* water, depending on the weight of your grains. When the bag slows down to a trickle dump it, add the remainder of your boiling voluum. When the water gets up to 170* add 1/3 of your extract and begin the brew process. In the last 15 min of the boil add the last 2/3rds of your extract and finish. You will notice the diffrence of what you had and what you have now is like night and day.

[HogieWan]

are there any other benefits to waiting till the last 15 min for the extract except for lighter color? Can you get a good hot break in that amount of ime?

[BluesHarp]

I've been adding my LME only for the last five minutes of boil in my last two batches; I can taste the difference, I don't notice that certain "extract twang" that most extract homebrews have. DME gets the full boil time...