Burned, bitter taste

[norwegianBrewer]

Hi!

I've done Coopers Brewmaster Pilsner a couple of times now.
It has turned out great, though it needed some time maturing. After about 3-4 months it was very good.

My last brew of this pilsner however, is a bit strange.
Some of the bottles have a burned, bitter, roasted kind of taste to it.
It's doesn't taste spoiled, and it is still drinkable.
It just doesn't have the taste it's supposed to have.

After Googling this problem, I came over something called Autolysis.
This however, seems much more extreme than what I'm experiencing.

I'm also only experiencing it in some of the bottles.
Could it be that some bottles are contaminated in some way?
They have been washed and have also been star san'ed before bottling.

I only used a primary fermenter, and left it in for 3 weeks. Maybe that was too long. The earlier batches, I've only left in for 2 weeks in primary.

Any suggestions?
Anyone else had similar experiences, and can identify what I'm talking about?

 

[Unibrow]

It can't be autolysis with those fermentaiton times. I have left beers in the primary for 2 months with no problems - others say you can let it sit in there longer.

If you say "some of the bottles" it is probably a contamination in those specific bottles, or an issue with uneven priming sugar. If some of the beers are good, and others have an off taste, it's most likely an issue with your bottling procedure.

 

[norwegianBrewer]

Ok. Cause i had the same experience with a Muntons Continental Pilsner, except the whole batch was like that. Not only some of the bottles.
Initially, I thought it was supposed to taste like that, and thus decided i wasn't going to brew that Muntons pilsner again.

However, when I felt the same kind of taste in my Coopers brew now, I'm guessing something else is up.

I'm very careful with sanitizing, and the beer smells like beer as well. No weird smelling things and nothing that looks out of the ordinary either.

 

[Whattawort]

Is this the no-boil kit? If you did boil it, did you take the pot off the heat as you added the extract? Sound like you scorched it.

 

[JordanThomas]

Is this the no-boil kit? If you did boil it, did you take the pot off the heat as you added the extract? Sound like you scorched it.

This. When you heated, you probably scorched the extract. That would be my best guess. Did you stir continuously when heating?

Unfortunately I don't think you'll be able to fix it if that is what happened.

 

[Unibrow]

By the way, I know somebody from Bergen! She went to Emerson College with me in Boston. I really want to visit Norway sometime

Anyway - here are a few possible questions you should ask yourself

1. Was the boil vigorous? If not, you may have DMS in the beer cause it wasn't boiled away properly
2. What kind of yeast was in the kit? Did you pitch enough yeast?
3. Did your fermentation start above 70 degrees? That can contribute to off flavors, the first 5 days of fermentation should be under 70 for most ale yeasts
4. Did the kit have liquid extract? If so, it can burn on the bottom of the kettle if not mixed in properly when you pour it in.

 

[norwegianBrewer]

No-boil kit, yes. I didn't boil it.
I boiled some water and then dissovled Cooper's Brew Enhancer 1 in it (with the pot off the heat).
I heated the Coopers can in hot water for 10 minutes before adding to the fermenter together with the boiled water. Then after shaking it around in the fermentation bucket , I topped up with cold water.

 

[norwegianBrewer]

By the way, I know somebody from Bergen! She went to Emerson College with me in Boston. I really want to visit Norway sometime

Anyway - here are a few possible questions you should ask yourself

1. Was the boil vigorous? If not, you may have DMS in the beer cause it wasn't boiled away properly
2. What kind of yeast was in the kit? Did you pitch enough yeast?
3. Did your fermentation start above 70 degrees? That can contribute to off flavors, the first 5 days of fermentation should be under 70 for most ale yeasts
4. Did the kit have liquid extract? If so, it can burn on the bottom of the kettle if not mixed in properly when you pour it in.

You should. Norway is awesome (except this time of year ).

1. Didn't boild the kit itself. Just some of the water added.
2. I believe the yeast provided is an ale yeast, even though it's a pilsner set.
3. Fermentation started at 77 degrees. Maybe that's an issue.
4. No liquid extract. Only Copoers Brew Enhancer 1 (dissovled, not boiled).