What Do Tannins in Beer Taste Like? Your Complete Guide

From yeast to grain to hops, there are many different contributors to flavor and aroma in beer. And it is not just an issue of the ingredient but how that ingredient is roasted, boiled, steeped, when it is added, and even how those ingredients function together.

And when it comes to the micronutrients and byproducts of those ingredients, we get yet another level of flavor and aroma. To that end, many wonder what tannins are and what tannins in beer taste like.

What Are Tannins?

Tannins are naturally occurring compounds of fruit, grain, hops, and even the bark of trees and bushes. They are complex polyhydroxy phenols, which is really just a complicated way of saying they are compounds that form linkages with proteins and peptides in other food and drink products.

Tannins have been used for centuries as organic preservatives.

Why?

Well, tannins naturally preserve the food and plant life they occur on. During winter, tannins protect the outer shell of fruits like grapes as well as seeds so they can remain healthy and are prepared to sprout new shoots come spring.

At the same time, those tannins will produce a bitter, astringent sensation that wards off plant-eating creatures and protects against mold and mildew.

They are clearly a wonder protector at an innate level, so it makes sense they would also be useful when put to work by brewers, food preparers, and even leather makers. Yes, tannins have been used to “tan” hides and preserve leather for hundreds of years.

Tannins in Beer

Tannins in beer are typically relatively low. Some will come from the barley husk, about two thirds, and the other third will come from the husks of the hops.

You will get much fewer tannins in wheat beer as wheat is typically free of husk, so the bitter and astringency will be almost undetectable.

In measurement, you can expect to get anywhere from 150 to 330 mg/l. Any more than that and you will have a mouth puckering astringency that can feel highly offensive to the palate, depending on your sensitivity.

It is interesting that the same effect is not so off-putting in wine, where we expect tannins to balance out the flavor and aroma profile.

The stark contrast in beer may be due to the fact that beer is already pretty bitter as a result of the hops and other herbs that may be included. Too many tannins puts that bitterness into overdrive.

What Do Tannins Taste Like in Beer?

Tannins don’t really have a taste, per se. They cause a tactile sensation we refer to as astringent, which relates to the way tannins feel in your mouth. Tannins react with proteins in human saliva, which causes those proteins to coagulate, which then reduces the ability of saliva to lubricate the mouth.

So, it can be said that too many tannins will create a cotton mouth feeling, even leathery. Humans perceive it as extreme dryness. We definitely do not want that feeling with beer, which we often reach for to quench thirst and lubricate our mouths.

In the end, you won’t taste tannins; you will sense them; you will perceive them.

And if your mouth feels dry after drinking your beer, you won’t like them.

Tannins and Haze

Tannins can also result in chill haze.

Because tannins react with proteins and peptides in wort and finished beer, that reaction can cause colloidal hazes.

Haze is the visual effect you get when you look at beer. It is what makes beer cloudy and opaque as opposed to crystal clear.

Typically, tannins cause haze when the proteins in the grain were not properly modified in the malt house or were not properly degraded in the mash tun.

Because haze is a composition of a combination of condensed polyphenols and proteins, which is typically more stable at lower temperatures, we often refer to the haze caused by tannins as chill haze.

Alternatively, some brewers will add tannins in order to stabilize a finished beer. Adding as much as 3g tannin/hl to boiling wort can precipitate unwanted proteins and create more clarity and physical stability.

So it really is all about striking the right balance.

Tannins: Preservatives and Astringents

In the end, tannins, much expected and even beloved by some in tea and wine, are considered an off-flavor in beer. They can be caused by too much of any one thing in the brewing process, and even a bit of an off-kilter approach to the brewing in the first place.

The upside of tannins is their preservative effect and when balanced well with hops and grain, they are not easy to detect at low levels. They are not even entirely off-putting at those lower levels.

But once detected, they make you want to put your perfect pilsner glass down.

The astringency is just not an effect you hope for in beer, and thus brewers fight tooth and nail to avoid too many tannins in the first place and to remove it when it shows up in great quantities in the second.

Like with any part of the brewing process, tannins are a matter of experimentation and exploration for the small craft brewer. You will have to start slow and have patience with the process as you find the right balance of flavors, aromas, and even proteins and polyphenols in your brew.

Remember, it is after all a craft, an art, and a creative process that can only be perfected after much practice and much patience.

Cheers!

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Also, you can now get access to a fully functional demo account to test our Web App. Completely free of charge and with no commitment to purchase.

Sources:

  1. https://beerandbrewing.com/dictionary/LEzKJeJoIF
  2. http://beersmith.com/blog/2012/06/19/phenolics-and-tannins-in-home-brewed-beer/
  3. https://redrockbrewing.com/craftybeergirls/2019/01/08/an-introduction-to-tannins/
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