uneven flavors

[captaineriv]

Maybe someone can help me with this one. My latest sweet stout batch has two distinct flavors, depending on which bottle I grab. About half of the bottles have a milder, sweet taste (more characteristic of the style), and the other half has a highly roasted/burnt flavor that lacks sweetness (more like an overly roasted dry stout). I hadn't totally ruled out the possibility that it was my imagination until a friend and myself, each with our own bottle, were drinking the beer, and he pointed out that his had a stronger taste than the last one that he drank. We compared the two bottles back-to-back and the difference was indeed drastic. Both bottles were aged the same amount of time, from the same batch (essentially extract base malt plus 4 oz. black malt, 12 oz chocolate malt, 1 lb. crystal malt, and 12 oz. lactose sugar), refrigerated the same amount of time, and even POURED the same way. After primary, I 2ndary fermented for 2 weeks and bottle conditioning was about 3 weeks at the time. I could understand a slight difference in taste from one bottle to the next, but why such a big difference that seems to be equally split among the batch? Is this stronger flavor the sort of thing that will lessen with age, or is it most likely a permanent part of half of my batch?

captaineriv

 

[Darth Konvel]

Was the lactose sugar added at bottling time?

 

[Lounge Lizard]

"Maybe someone can help me with this one. My latest sweet stout batch has two distinct flavors, depending on which bottle I grab. About half of the bottles have a milder, sweet taste (more characteristic of the style), and the other half has a highly roasted/burnt flavor that lacks sweetness (more like an overly roasted dry stout)."




Do you have your bottles stored in two different places? Half in one place and half in another?

 

[Rhoobarb]

Can you tell any difference in carbonation levels b/w the two?

 

[captaineriv]

The lactose sugar was added halfway through a 60 minute boil. The bottles were stored in the same place at the same temperature, and carbonation is very good on all of the bottles.

captaineriv

 

[Blaine]

Well there is a good chance the difference has more to do with the bottles themselves than your brew, concidering all your usual variables are consistant. Are your Bottles the same make , colour and thickness ? This may be affecting the amount of light getting in and thus potentualy changing the charicteristics of the beer .
What was your last brew in the bottles? I have found once you have used plastic bottles for stout, no matter how well you sanitize, you can never use them for any other type of beer. It always manages to hange the taste.
Let me know how you get on!!!

 

[captaineriv]

Hi Blaine. The bottles I used were all 355 ml. brown glass bottles purchased at the same time and stored in a dark room. The last beer that was in them was the same recipe that turned out just fine. Since this has never happened before, I suppose I'll just write it off as a fluke, stop worrying, and hope it doesn't happen again.

captaineriv

 

[usmcruz]

Sounds like there is a seperation of ingredients going on there. After reading this is the only solution i could come up with

 

[captaineriv]

My thoughts too. I just can't figure out how it happened. Oh well. It still tastes fine, just not exactly what I was going for.

captaineriv

 

[The Happy Mug]

Perhaps gently stirring the bottling bucket occasionally while bottling might help keep everything together. I started doing this after I had an unevenly carbonated batch. I have never had it happen since. I pull out the inside of my auto-siphon and use it as a stir rod after transfer.

 

[captaineriv]

Sounds like a good suggestion. Only thing I can figure is that the flavor "particles" or whatever it is that causes certain flavors could possibly settle out of suspension during secondary or be unevenly dispersed throughout the beer. Maybe I'm totally wrong, but I don't suppose an ever-so-gentle stirring a time or two at bottling time could aerate the beer too much. Like you said, it would also minimize uneven carbonation.

captaineriv