A Couple Hiccups During The Brew Process

[m1batt1]

Ok so I'm fairly new to the home brew scene. I've made about a half dozen batches in all but am currently carbonating my second batch from my own set up.

I use extract kits and I started my brew by steeping my specialty grains. No problem in the beginning until I finished steeping and started heating up for the boil. When I got to about 200F I realized my propane tank was about dry so I had to run to the store and swap out tanks. Then as I thought brewing on a "warm" day in December was a good idea I ended up having quite a bit of evaporation due to the cool temps and rather annoying wind. So towards the end of the boil I ended up adding close to a gallon of water. It temporarily killed the boil of course but only for a couple minutes.

The brew was a honey wheat which I have made in the past and it seems to me that this batch is substantially darker than the last and in my tastings appears to have good flavor but I think it has a caramel taste that I don't recall in the first try.

My question is would the issues I had during the brew process cause this color and flavor I'm experiencing? I don't think any of this is a bad thing as far as the final product is concerned. Just mostly curious if it's a difference in extract kits or my process.

 

[soursessons]

This could 1 of 3 things more than likely. It could be old extract as it can gain color over time from oxidation. It could also be the sugars from the extract fell against the bottom of the kettle during rest and caramelized on the bottle during reheat. It could also be the honey caramelizing against the bottom if you didn't stir.

Also you have to remember that you had more boil off so it could be the color is condensed the a smaller volume causing the color to be darker.

I hope this helps. One of the most overlooked aspects of consistency is a consistent boil from batch to batch. I is hard to gauge how you are boiling, and how environmental aspects play on each subsequent batch.

 

[m1batt1]

Of the three you listed I'm inclined to say older extract. When I completely killed the flame I had only steeped specialty grains and I really doubt there was enough sugar pulled out to settle and caramelize upon reheat and I stirred the honey quite a lot when I added so it shouldn't have settled to the bottom. And as I added water back in to get to 5 gallons I don't think the color was condensed. I ended 4 bottles shy of 5 gallons and it was darker than expected during bottle.

But since a lot of variables changed with the environment and my slipups during the brew process who really knows. I'll just have to be sure I don't repeat my mistakes on my next batch of honey wheat and see how it comes out.

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[soursessons]

Just out of curiosity, what specialty grains are you using? In my experience, specialty grains should be kept at an almost min in a honey wheat, not that there really a standard for honey wheat. Viva la difference! Almost anything added will take away from the delicate flavors of the wheat and honey. It has been a long time since I had done extract.

 

[m1batt1]

Just out of curiosity, what specialty grains are you using? In my experience, specialty grains should be kept at an almost min in a honey wheat, not that there really a standard for honey wheat. Viva la difference! Almost anything added will take away from the delicate flavors of the wheat and honey. It has been a long time since I had done extract.

Honestly I don't know what exactly the grains were. They come in the kits I get and it imparts very little color compared to some of the other styles I've made. So they add a little flavor I imagine but not a lot.

BTW I'm drinking my first one tonight. So I'm attaching a pic. The caramel flavor is all but gone but its still darker than my last batch like it. Regardless its very clear and very tasty even without any conditioning time.




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