Burnt Flavor?

BelgianKing · Feb 19, 2011

I just racked my Bock into secondary and is currently lagering comfortably at 40*F. It fermented (46*F) for 25 days in the primary. I took gravity readings for the last few days in the primary using a sanitized stainless steel ladle. Everytime I took the readings I tasted it and it was great, until the last reading. The beer had a burnt flavor that came across the tongue. Im very sanitary but I think I may have an infection. Here are some things I did when brewing.

1. I missed my range when steeping the chocolate malt. 175*F instead of 150-160. So I only steeped it for 20min instead of 30.

2. I use tap water for all my beers so far and nothing bad at this point. I dont know if i have hard water or soft.

3. I didnt sanitize the lid after opening it to take the readings. (This could be my problem).

4. OG: 1.084
FG: 1.020

5. I squeezed the grain bag after sparging with 5qts 170*F water.

This was only my 2nd beer at the time. Ive made since a IPA and Stout that seem to have no problems at this point. Ive never lagered before so maybe Im jumping the gun on taste. I plan on lagering for at least a month if not longer. I appreciate any advise that you professional homebrewers may have with this. I did read a couple threads before posting and Revvy stated about the stainless steel posing a threat but its not metalic its burnt. Thats why i stated about the ladle. I have read here that people have problems with dark beers using there tap water. Although I did do this bock before I read about it. Will time mellow it out or should I take other actions?

Thanks,
Chris

ArcaneXor · Feb 19, 2011

Burnt flavors don't usually evolve in the fermentor. You probably had some near-threshold astringency in there from your process that started to be more perceptible as the beer aged. It's almost certainly not an infection.

usmclar1 · Feb 19, 2011

I would say without a doubt the burnt flavor would be coming from the 175F steeping temp. Anything over 170F will really start to bring out astringency from the grain. I made the same mistake once when boiling two batches of the same beer. Only using .5LB of steeping grain for both, I hit 172F in the first batch and only 155F in the second. I know the flavor you speak of, it was VERY apparent in that first batch despite only using a small amount of grain. Mine was so bad I deemed it undrinkable even after extended aging. Hopefully this won't be the case for you.

usmclar1 · Feb 19, 2011

Oh yeah, squeezing the grain bag isn't the best idea in the world either...

BelgianKing · Feb 19, 2011

Missing my temp range was a big mistake. Not making sure my thermometer was calibrated before doing it was the issue. I felt the pot and it seemed way hotter than it should have. I did a test run to see what it actually was and realized its 62* off from calibration.

usmclar1-how long did you let it age?

usmclar1 · Feb 19, 2011

It happens to us all man.

I let both beers age for around 6 months. To be honest, the astringent "burnt" flavor only got worse with time. I think with a style such as a bock it would be even worse.

HOWEVER, every case is different and I would strongly suggest that you not throw yours out until months after bottling just to be sure. I've had some weird and acrid flavors after primary in lagers too, only to have them turn out fine later. I'd just sit on it and carry on with bottling as planned after your lager period is over.