dekeduffy

Recipes 

So I'm on my 8th batch of extract beers. I'm pretty consistently getting floating black flakes in my finished beer. I'm fairly certain it is due to the Extract hitting the bottom of my kettle and burning when I'm making my wort. Then when I stir or boil it, the burn marks come off and float around in the beer.

How do you usually avoid burning? Any other ideas what this could be due to?

I use a 7 gallon pot and cook on my stovetop on top of two burners.

Nurmey

Recipes 

Welcome to HBT!
Your floaties could be scorch flakes or hop flakes. The trick to not scorching is a good pot with a thick bottom and removing the pot from the burners while adding extract. The second factor is to leave your beer in the fermenter until everything has settled to the bottom.

How long did you let your beer sit in the fermenter? Did you use a bottling bucket when you bottled?

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Batch 1 Brewing
The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

dekeduffy

Recipes 

The current batch was in the primary for 9 days. Then I moved to the secondary for 7 days. I don't bottle, I go straight to a 5 gallon keg.

I get a decent trub off the primary. The secondary doesn't usually have too much that settles out.

What pots would you recommend? I had a nice 7 gallon that was handed down from an older brother who brewed. I'd debate about picking up a new one if it would help. I'd like to get another large one though, so I can cook the whole 5 gallons of wort.

avshockey311

Recipes 

I picked up a nice 7 gallon stainless pot with a nice thick bottom at Wal-Mart for about 50 bucks. I don't have any problems with scorching.

Beezer94

Recipes 

You could turn off the heat when you add the extract until its very well mixed. Then if you wanted you could add only a part of the extract at the beginning and add the rest when 15min left in the boil (turning the heat off for both additions).

Nurmey

Recipes 

The beer was moved a couple weeks earlier than I would but that doesn't sound like the problem. I wonder if you have gunk built up in your keg tube.

I have a ridiculously priced SS pot (+$200) purchased from a restaurant supply house with a 1/2 inch bottom that I used for extracts. I don't know where someone could get on of those for a reasonable price. I also have a pretty nice stock pot (couple gallons) that I bought at Walmart that has a thick bottom but I don't know how big they have. I brew AG now and have a great 15 gallon SS that is pretty thin but that's another story all together.

__________________
Batch 1 Brewing
The American Revolution would never have happened with gun control.

ferrarimobile

Recipes 

I actually got black flakes for the first time in my ESB, but I do not extract brew - all grain only so I don't think it is the extract that causes the flakes (unles you got different flakes than me). It is more likely the hop particles. My beer has no off flavours, does yours?