Using Crystal as steeping grain ages into weird taste?

[ShawnNelson]

Relatively new homebrewer here, I'm on batch 18 since November of 2010. Finally getting a sense of how my beers age (I bottle condition everything, no room yet for kegerator).

I'm still an extract brewer, but I started to notice that some of my beers age into this weird flavor I dont like, sorta an old-caramel flavor that really bugs me. Then I started to notice that it seems that only my lighter beers that I steeped Crystal in exhibit this eventual taste. They don't taste like this for like the first 4months or so in the bottle, but eventually it rears it's head and eventually becomes all I can taste in the damn brew. Some of my brew friends don't mind it and insist it's not a defect, I just cant stand the taste.

Can anyone confirm/deny my theory that using Crystal (10L, 15L, 80L, etc, all of them do this to my beers, most often the 10L and 15L) as a steeping grain eventually dominates as a sort of dominating and overpowering old caramel flavor? So far, none of my beers that DON'T have Crystal as a steeping grain have turned up with this flavor.

I guess I should state how I steep: throw in crushed grains in grain mesh bag into cold wort, wherein they stay in until 180deg (takes anywhere from 40min to an hour) then I remove them.

Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!

 

[Devils_Chariot]

You steeped you grains just right, and no the crystal shouldn't increase in flavor over time.

there are a couple of things that could be giving you that flavor. Small amounts of oxidation can do this. You might be picking up too much oxegen when racking/bottling. Diacetyl can give you this flavor as well. You might not be fermenting your beer long enough for the yeast to reabsorb the diacetyl, so give it a week longer on the yeast. Diacetyl can also be produced by infections in beer. So if you really do notice this taste gets more intense over time you might want to re-evaluate your sanitization process.

 

[BigEd]

I doubt that whatever flavor you are encountering is the fault of the crystal malt. Crystal malt is an extremely common ingredient in many homebrew recipes. If you were using too much the problem would show itself right away, not months down the road. Steeping at 180F is too hot BTW, toning it down to 150-155F would be appropriate. Also a more detailed description of the flavor will help greatly in allowing the HBT community to better diagnose the problem. Look at descriptions of beer off-flavors to help zero in on it: http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html Devils Chariot's suggestions of possible oxidation, fermentation problems or infection are good ones.

 

[ShawnNelson]

Thanks guys.

It's weird, this doesn't taste like any of those descriptions. Hmm, maybe I take it into my HB store and ask for opinions.

 

[Theis]

The crystal malt flavor seems to come through in my light brews after a few months of aging as the flavor and aroma hops fade. I really notice it with my dry hopped beers- as the dry hop aroma fades the crystal comes through more.

 

[MisterTipsy]

Steeping at 180 is a recipe for Ye Olde Tannins Ale. They stopped making that beer for a reason.

Steep lower. 150ish.

 

[ShawnNelson]

Im not really steeping at a specific temp, putting them in at cold tap (i.e. 50deg or whatever) then letting them remain in the pot until it hits 180 then yanking. All in all the grains are in there for 30-45min for the ride up in temp. I'm not trying to get fermentables out of them, just the flavors of the grains.

 

[MisterTipsy]

Your steeping methods are unusual.

Try getting the water up to 155, kill the flame and then put the grains in for 45-60 minutes.