Help!

I just added LME and as the wort heats up all these clumps keep showing up. Does anyone know what's wrong with it?

Before I added the LME I steeped 1 pound of 2-row and .5 pound of crystal 40

Hot break?

Lol its hot break bro (coagulated protein). Now chill out! After the boil that is

Yeah, looks like your hot break. What temp did you steep your 2-row at and for how long? 2 row should be mashed to get any benefit from it. A mash is basically steeping grains at 146-156°F for an hour.

I steeped it at 155 for 30 minutes

Typically part of the extract is added after the liquor has reached a boil. Protein clumps would have been dispersed and adsorbed.

11thFloorBrewery said:

I steeped it at 155 for 30 minutes

Click to expand...

That's fine.

You've got some break material, that's all. That is exactly what is supposed to happen. It's made up of coagulated proteins that you don't want in your finished beer, so it's great that it's globbed up like that so gravity can pull them out with the trub in the end. Don't worry!

And, when you chill the wort you should have 'cold break'- same type of thing but bigger goobers.

Nice! I think you converted most of the sugars in that 2-row!

Should I strain them out before I put it in the fermenter?

11thFloorBrewery said:

Should I strain them out before I put it in the fermenter?

Click to expand...

I don't, as I don't have a good enough filter or a way to do it, but some folks do. Either way is fine- even though it looks like a lot of big goobers right now, it'll compact down with the trub and you won't even notice it later on.

And, the good news is that in general, the better the hot and cold break, the clearer and more stable the beer in the end. You're getting great protein coagulation. Without that, your beer would probably have chill haze and other protein haze issues.

Some people do, some people don't.