First Partial Mash, Burnt?

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

PilotsPheer

Active Member
Joined
May 16, 2012
Messages
32
Reaction score
1
Location
Class Bravo airspace, Chicago
So I did my first Partial Mash today outside with some equipment from my deep fryer. Everything went well except for one (very big) thing. After I removed the grains and brought it up to a boil and added the LME I noticed burned black objects floating around...

I removed all of it with a strainer but the wort does have a burned flavor to it. So I don't make the same mistake again do you think was was likely caused by the LME hitting the bottom of the kettle or the grains touching the bottom?

Next time I'll remove it from the burner as I add both I guess.

Also, it's an IPA is there anything I can add to the secondary that'd mask the flavor of burn? I read in another thread that the off-taste does go away after 4-5 months in the bottle, I hope that's true. Oh well, won't mess that part up ever again...
 
Yes, the LME is MUCH heavier than water. You are well advised to heat your water to dissolve the LME.. but turn off the burner while adding until, after a ton of stirring, you feel it is all mixed in. If you are not adding specialty grains or hops, you don't need to bring it to a boil.. ie, if you are using hop flavored malt.

But, usually we add more hops.. so when the LME is added in.. bring it to a boil and follow the recipe for hop additions.

However, another thought. If you do hop additions, you might want to consider adding the LME just before you turn off the flame.. at the end of the boil. the LME is sterile and doesn't need boiling to sterilize it. So, you can start the boil.. when it's reached, start your hop schedule. Then at the end of teh 60 minutes, you can then add the LME AFTER you turn off the flame. The wort is well hot enough to dissolve the extract and kill any known bacteria that would harm beer. Be sure to stir the heck out of it..

You will not have a problem doing it this way. Also, not everyone agrees with the late LME addition.. but, as the pro's look more into it.. they seem to all agree that it's a good way to go.. You also come out with a more true color to style.

Regarding to adding somethng to the secondary, I guess you could dry hop the heck out of it. However, there are some grains that are added to some IPA's that have a burnt flavor. I recently made one and, while it seemed overpowering initially, it mellowed to a very good brew after a month. There was a hint of burnt in the background.. which many folks judged as a winner. YMMV
 
Yes, the LME is MUCH heavier than water. You are well advised to heat your water to dissolve the LME.. but turn off the burner while adding until, after a ton of stirring, you feel it is all mixed in. If you are not adding specialty grains or hops, you don't need to bring it to a boil.. ie, if you are using hop flavored malt.

But, usually we add more hops.. so when the LME is added in.. bring it to a boil and follow the recipe for hop additions.

However, another thought. If you do hop additions, you might want to consider adding the LME just before you turn off the flame.. at the end of the boil. the LME is sterile and doesn't need boiling to sterilize it. So, you can start the boil.. when it's reached, start your hop schedule. Then at the end of teh 60 minutes, you can then add the LME AFTER you turn off the flame. The wort is well hot enough to dissolve the extract and kill any known bacteria that would harm beer. Be sure to stir the heck out of it..

You will not have a problem doing it this way. Also, not everyone agrees with the late LME addition.. but, as the pro's look more into it.. they seem to all agree that it's a good way to go.. You also come out with a more true color to style

Thanks a lot for the info, that makes sense and I will use it next time. I saw the wort swirling and boiling and thought the LME would dissolve much faster than it did apparently...

Anyone encountered a similar problem? Worth waiting it out or should I just start a new batch?

Thanks again

Edit: Sorry I missed the last paragraph in your post, that makes me feel better! This is the Chinook IPA from Northern Brewer. I will add some additional dry hops (chinook) and hope for the best.
 
Back
Top