scottland
Well-Known Member
Ok, after a number of batches on my 8gal 5500w kettle, I'm switching back to propane.
My high gravity beers have slightly more kettle caramelization flavor than they should.
-Under 1.060, and it's unnoticeable.
-From 1.060 to 1.070, it's barely there, and I genuinely mean barely.
-1.070 up, and especially 1.080+ there's a noticeable sweet caramelized flavor to the beer. More than you'd expect.
It's something that would easily go unnoticed in a barley wine, or even an IIPA with a lot of caramel, but when I've made big double IPAs with very little crystal malt, it's there.
I'm posting this thread not for help troubleshooting, but rather to let other people who are considering electric boil kettles know that everything isn't rainbows and unicorns in the world of electric boils. It's a very slight issue, and one that rarely pops up (how many people brew lots of 1.080+ beers with very little caramel character), but still an issue nonetheless.
So, no real regrets. My boil kettle will become my new EHLT, and I'll just be moving back to propane for the boil, no biggie. But if you're like me and you've been beating your head against the wall trying to figure out where a slight off flavor is coming from, despite the majority of electric brewers that seem 100% happy, know you're not the only one.
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My high gravity beers have slightly more kettle caramelization flavor than they should.
-Under 1.060, and it's unnoticeable.
-From 1.060 to 1.070, it's barely there, and I genuinely mean barely.
-1.070 up, and especially 1.080+ there's a noticeable sweet caramelized flavor to the beer. More than you'd expect.
It's something that would easily go unnoticed in a barley wine, or even an IIPA with a lot of caramel, but when I've made big double IPAs with very little crystal malt, it's there.
I'm posting this thread not for help troubleshooting, but rather to let other people who are considering electric boil kettles know that everything isn't rainbows and unicorns in the world of electric boils. It's a very slight issue, and one that rarely pops up (how many people brew lots of 1.080+ beers with very little caramel character), but still an issue nonetheless.
So, no real regrets. My boil kettle will become my new EHLT, and I'll just be moving back to propane for the boil, no biggie. But if you're like me and you've been beating your head against the wall trying to figure out where a slight off flavor is coming from, despite the majority of electric brewers that seem 100% happy, know you're not the only one.
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