Scorching Wort

Im trying to figure out what I'm doing that causes my wort to scorch. It smells slightly scorched as I transfer it to the fermenter.

It happens with extract and all-grain recipes (wheat and ales). I'm careful to bring it to a boil slowly and I don't boil aggressively. I boil for the typical 60 minutes. My usual batch is 4 gallons of pre-boil and 3 gallons final volume.

I brew on an electric glass-top stove. After transferring to the fermenter on the last batch I noticed a slightly yellowish film on the bottom of my boil kettle. The wort itself darkens during the boil quite a bit.

I don't really taste it in the final product, that I know of, but I can't help to think it's affecting the flavor somehow.

Is the slightly scorched wort normal or should I employ a technique to prevent it? Is the scorch beneficial to the overall flavor profile?

Is this a partial mash or extract? Are you thoroughly mixing the extract into the water before adding heat?
A little more info on the your system/recipe/technique.

Plus one for this out of curiosity. I have experienced that "yellowish film" on the bottom of my BK sometimes, but just though it was proteins from a hot or cold break. I of course only notice it after I've put the wort in the primary.

Also, perhaps you could elaborate on what a scorched wort smells like exactly?

I scorched some barley-banana wine wort a while doing a recirtulated mash a few months ago and it smelled strongly of burnt toast. I'm stubborn, so I kept to my plan of boiling for 2.5 hours and the burnt odor boiled off. Very surprising as my electric element was coated in burnt wort. There wasn't much in my recipe to mask any burnt flavor, so I'm fairly the long boil was the solution.

ten80 said:

I scorched some barley-banana wine wort a while doing a recirtulated mash a few months ago and it smelled strongly of burnt toast. I'm stubborn, so I kept to my plan of boiling for 2.5 hours and the burnt odor boiled off. Very surprising as my electric element was coated in burnt wort. There wasn't much in my recipe to mask any burnt flavor, so I'm fairly the long boil was the solution.

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how did you know it was scorched? that's the part I can't seem to understand...

Is it maybe because the kettle is directly on an electric burner as opposed to being heated by a flame?


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DSorenson said:

how did you know it was scorched? that's the part I can't seem to understand...

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I should clarify that I have an electric kettle (water tank heating element inside kettle) with recirculating mash. I know it was scorching because all the water was on top of the mash and the element was dry and sizzling, plus the smell of burnt toast!

Did you have the grist in direct contact with the element?

brettg20 said:

Is it maybe because the kettle is directly on an electric burner as opposed to being heated by a flame?


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Click to expand...

I wonder this sometimes too as I brew 4 gallon batches on a glass top stove. I don't get burnt flavors in my beers, but I definitely get the build up of whatever on the bottom of the kettle that I have to clean off with Barkeeper's Friend on occasion.

Indian_villager said:

Did you have the grist in direct contact with the element?

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Nope, just the wort. I wonder if a super long boil is a way to recover scorched wort.