People using municipal source water and copper components are going to immediately see and taste a difference for sure. The impact of Brewtan B alone is going to decrease the farther away from those variables you get.
So if i use a S.S. chiller and R.O water there is no benefit of BTB?
I wouldn’t say zero benefit but it will certainly lessen as you remove variables that would necessitate its main function.
You’d need to try it and determine that for yourself.
An interesting read:
Definitely! Thanks for posting.
I can’t say that I know anything about the reactions that are occurring, but I definitely get a pinkish hue in the spent mash and in the foam in the break as it approaches a boil. Some have said that it is BTB reacting to metals (iron is the suspect) in the wort (I use RO water that comes from a well at my house). I may have to try some distilled water to see if it is just my water system. I can say that I see a difference in clarity with BTB and I use it in the strike water and late boil, prior to and with Whirlfloc in close succession, hydrating it each time.
I can attest to Joe’s beers. I had a recent taste of a RIS of his that took Best in Show at this year’s Drunk Monk Challenge last month (out of about 700 entries, IIRC).
I am sure that was horrid… ;D
So where can I get some of this magic powder? Wasn’t there some place overseas that would ship to the USA?
Also probably a silly question but the comment about spent grain turning pink made me wonder: will it still be safe to feed the spent grain to my chickens? 
Down under at https://www.ibrew.com.au/products/brewtan-b. As for chicken feed, research food grade hydrolysable tannic acid.
Thank you! Order placed and concerns alleviated.
Any idea whether BTB is beneficial for iron and manganese as well? I would assume if it chelates copper, then it should handle most heavy metal ions, but chelating agents can be wierd about that sometimes.
I feed it to my chickens no problem.
The pink hue has been reported by a few people out of the dozens I know who have tried it. I’ve used it for maybe 15 batches now and it happened once.
I would recommend an email to Joe Formanek. He probably knows better than anyone here.
Why not just use tannin powder? What additional chemicals does this contain?
http://bsghandcraft.com/index.php/chemicals-parent/additives/tannin-powder-1lb.html
Don’t believe it’s the same thing is it?
Both are gallotannins, I guess the question is are both (HMW) high molecular weight gallotannins (as opposed to LMW, low molecular weight)? And of course what else, if anything, is in the Brewtan-B.
Haven’t tested this myself but I’d think they’d both be derived from similar food-grade tannic materials.
Personally, I’d rather be certain. Remember, Ajinomoto makes 3 different Brewtan products, so not all gallotanins are created equal. If I was to guess, I’d say that stuff is for winemaking.
Agreed, but what’s the difference? Has anyone ever tested “wine tannins” in a beer mash?
What’s the difference is exactly the question. I don’t want to assume they’re the same. If someone else wants to, that’s their decision.