Bad Burnt Batch - Odd Issue

A couple of weeks ago, I brewed a 10 gallon batch of AG Dunkelweiss.

10lb White Wheat
9lb Munich Dark

The sparge stuck, I had to stir it pretty good to get it to drain.

In the BK, I kept getting a burnt smell (this is an electric BK, with dual 2kw 120w elements). After the boil, the elements had a brittle coat of burnt material. Never seen that before.

It came right off, almost like a shell. I figured this was starch, and the stuck sparge indicated a bad conversion.

Now, the beer has a burnt aftertaste...but it fermented right down.

This is...weird. I have not had this issue in this BK before.

I wonder what happened?

I use a RIMS tube and I have to be very careful when the grain bill has a large percentage of wheat. The flour from the wheat has a tendency to stick and burn to the elements. Even the slightest of recirculation speed will cause what you describe. Sounds like your issue was in the pot, but the elements are still there.

List of my sins:

I got in a hurry.

The mash was too cool.

I did not stir properly.

The conversion simply did not go well.

The starch that did not convert burnt on the elements. The beer looked fine, smelled GREAT, but tasted like really burnt toast and ashes. I poured all 10 gallons down the toilet...

THEN, I made up for it by brewing 10 gallons of Light Hefe PROPERLY. No burnt smell from the BK and the wort tasted fine.

Moral: Do not brew if you have to hurry.

worst sin: pouring ten gallons of wort. Ferment it...if its terrible. dump it in a couple five gallon buckets and give it to a homeless guy; he will be the hero of his pack.

HoppyDaze said:

worst sin: pouring ten gallons of wort. Ferment it...if its terrible. dump it in a couple five gallon buckets and give it to a homeless guy; he will be the hero of his pack.

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I did ferment it. I poured 10 gallons of BEER.

Frankly, I don't even think a homeless guy or even a teenager could drink that mess.

Cpt_Kirks said:

I did ferment it. I poured 10 gallons of BEER.

Frankly, I don't even think a homeless guy or even a teenager could drink that mess.

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Ah, I missed that you fermented it...Homeless people drink night train and mad dog. They'll drink burnt beer I bet. Anyway, the reason I suggest this is because I had a batch of gushers that I poured out and that same day I given all my beer cans/bottles to the homeless folks at the bottle return. I bet they would have loved a bucket full of over carbonated beer...

Yeah, but just like cats....if you feed em once....

Hammy71 said:

Yeah, but just like cats....if you feed em once....

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I would be arrested and on the national news, accused of trying to clear out the homeless population.

Hammy71 said:

Yeah, but just like cats....if you feed em once....

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Just like cats you put them in a grain bag with a brick and toss it in the river.