How concerned should I be?

[Sam Cann]

This is the third beer I have brewed and the first time I have had some burning on the bottom. I think it may have been due to using some powdered malt in addition to liquid. This is an irish red.

 

[BrewingAroundtheRrealm]

From my experience, LME sinks, DME floats. Did you taste the wort? That would tell you if you were going to have issues. I wouldn't be too concerned but you are definitely going to have off flavors.

Always turn off the burner when you add LME or DME. It will prevent scorching. Turn the burner back on after you are sure the extract has been completely dissolved.

 

[Sam Cann]

From my experience, LME sinks, DME floats. Did you taste the wort? That would tell you if you were going to have issues. I wouldn't be too concerned but you are definitely going to have off flavors.

Always turn off the burner when you add LME or DME. It will prevent scorching. Turn the burner back on after you are sure the extract has been completely dissolved.

Thanks for the reply! We took it off the burner when adding in the malt, but then put it back on right away. In the future we will wait a bit before putting it back on the burner.

 

[Dgallo]

Thanks for the reply! We took it off the burner when adding in the malt, but then put it back on right away. In the future we will wait a bit before putting it back on the burner.

You should be stirring pretty regularly when you add dme or lme until it homogenizes with your wort. Even during the boil it won’t hurt to stir to the bottom if using Lme. Anyway, just take it as learning and be more careful next brew

 

[CascadesBrewer]

This is the third beer I have brewed and the first time I have had some burning on the bottom. I think it may have been due to using some powdered malt in addition to liquid. This is an irish red.

What type of pot and heating system do you have? A thin pot on a coil electric stove will have a lot more hot spots than a pot with a thick clad bottom on gas stove. Propane burners can crank out a lot of heat as well. I think your plan of "turn off the heat and stir well" should help.

 

[ncbrewer]

I use a coil electric stove, and the kettle is pretty thin. With LME my method is to get the water to boiling - take it off the stove - let it stand one minute (to let the bottom cool some) - add the LME while stirring (stirring stops while getting the last bit of LME) - stir until dissolved (by spooning up from the bottom until no syrup is visible) - stir for one additional minute - put back on the heat - continue stirring until it boils again. I don't stir any more while it's boiling because I feel the boiling action agitates it very well. When I add yeast nutrient dissolved in a cup of water, I first turn the heat to high, then add the solution, and stir until boiling again, then turn the heat back to normal. I feel that with the heat on, it would scorch unless I stir it. When I add the late LME at flameout, I use a similar sequence up to the point of getting it dissolved. This method has always worked well for me.

 

[BrewingAroundtheRrealm]

I use a coil electric stove, and the kettle is pretty thin. With LME my method is to get the water to boiling - take it off the stove - let it stand one minute (to let the bottom cool some) - add the LME while stirring (stirring stops while getting the last bit of LME) - stir until dissolved (by spooning up from the bottom until no syrup is visible) - stir for one additional minute - put back on the heat - continue stirring until it boils again. I don't stir any more while it's boiling because I feel the boiling action agitates it very well. When I add yeast nutrient dissolved in a cup of water, I first turn the heat to high, then add the solution, and stir until boiling again, then turn the heat back to normal. I feel that with the heat on, it would scorch unless I stir it. When I add the late LME at flameout, I use a similar sequence up to the point of getting it dissolved. This method has always worked well for me.

Electric burners are a slightly different situation. I would continue to occasionally stir even when it's boiling. Your method sounds correct though. Turning the burner down to normal after the wort comes back to a boil. Turn it down as low as you can to just keep it boiling.

 

[powerpunk5000]

I would add some fruit or some kinda spice to secondary, this should help mask the off flavors of it being burnt

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

This is the third beer I have brewed and the first time I have had some burning on the bottom. I think it may have been due to using some powdered malt in addition to liquid. This is an irish red.

No reason to be "concerned". Of all sorts of recipes, an Irish red will mask that flavor decently, and a little extra caramelization won't be a problem. Your beer is not ruined. It's maybe a little less good than it could be, but it's nothing to worry about. RDWHAHB.

Agree with others that you should try to avoid this in the future. When you add the extract, turn off the heat, and make sure all the extract is fully dissolved before you turn the heat back on. This is a common problem with extract if you're trying to add the extract while a burner is cranked up.