Slight off taste....

I've only brewed two batches of beer. The first was a pale ale. It turned out okay for a first attempt. However, there was a slight funky taste to it and I could never put my finger on it. It was more of a funky after taste....

My second batch was just bottled about two weeks ago...It's an amber ale. It too has this slightly funky after taste, but not as bad as my first batch.

I've been thinking and thinking about what it could be and last night it hit me that it kinda finishes with a burnt taste.

I do remember seeing a slight burn in the bottom of the pot after racking my wort. The rings where in the shape of the stove burner.

Is this taste probably coming from burning my malt?

Were you using liquid malt extract? If so, then it could be a burnt taste from scorching the extract. That stuff is VERY viscous and heavy, and if you don't constantly stir it, it sinks to the bottom of the pot and burns. The trick is to add it and gently but thoroughly stir hard to get it all into solution evenly.

Sounds like it is, if it tastes scorched. The next time you brew, take the pot off of the heat (put it on a cool burner), when you add the malt extract and then stir, stir, stir, until it's completely dissolved into the liquid and then put it back on the heat. The extract tends to sink right to the bottom when you add it and it is mostly sugar so it will burn easily. Using dry malt extract is usually easier to use than the liquid and this is one of the reasons why.

Yes, I was using liquid malt extract. And I think when I got home from the brew supply shop I just tossed in the fridge with my other ingredients.

I probably should have let the packets sit in hot water to warm them up so they wouldn't be as thick.

I'm not 100% sure that it's a scorched taste, but it's the closest way I can think to describe it right now....

rflem550 said:

Yes, I was using liquid malt extract. And I think when I got home from the brew supply shop I just tossed in the fridge with my other ingredients.

I probably should have let the packets sit in hot water to warm them up so they wouldn't be as thick.

I'm not 100% sure that it's a scorched taste, but it's the closest way I can think to describe it right now....

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Another tip when using LME is to simmer some water, turn it off and place the LME (still in the container) in it and let it sit there. Then when you add it to your boiling water to make your wort, it'll come out so much easier. It'll be thinner and pour easier. Still, keep the pot off the heat until it's thoroughly mixed up and then put it back on to boil, stirring often until it's at a boil.

Lots of people prefer the dry extract and you might want to give that a try sometime.