Will too hot of boil cause Caramel flavors

[Kozwald]

My last few batches, extract and partial mash all have an off flavor similar to caramel. Would a too hot boil cause off flavors with LME??

I've recently brewed a Summer Ale clone, lager and 2 Orange Wheat variations, all brewed before, and they all have an almost heavy caramel flavor.

What gives???

 

[Falcon3]

Yup- did you put all the extract in at the beginning of the boil? It's suggested to put maybe half at the beginning and wait until almost the end for the rest. What type of pot/heating system are you using? If you've got the heat cranked and the pot doesn't disperse the heat well, you can get some caramelization/burning on the bottom of the pot which will come out in the end result.

 

[Kozwald]

I put about half the extract in at 60 min and the rest around 15 minutes to go. I always turn the flame off while I'm adding the extract. I'm using an old stainless (i think) pot that I've had for years.
I'm brewing this weekend, maybe I'll try keeping the heat low enough to just start the boil.

 

[unionrdr]

It's not the boil temp so much as the time it's boiling. Besides some malts giving caramel or biscuit flavors anyway. I use half a 3lb bag of plain DME in the boil & add remaining DME & all LME at flame out to keep color lighter & flavor cleaner. With partial mash (not to be confused with steeping),I mash 5-6lbs of grains in 2 gallons of water & sparge with 1.5 gallons for 3.5 gallons boil volume in my 5 gallon kettle. I use the resulting wort for hop additions & ad all the extract at flame out.

 

[EoinMag]

Was the bottom of the pot scorched post boil?

 

[dadshomebrew]

Sounds like you are suffering from the undesirable effects of maillard reactions on your wort. From Wikipedia

The Maillard reaction (/maɪˈjɑr/ my-yar; French pronunciation: ​[majaʁ]) is a chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned foods their desirable flavor. Seared steaks, pan-fried dumplings, breads, and many other foods make use of the effect.

The solution. limit the amount of time and the minimise the concentration of your sugars that are exposed to heat. Just like steak on the grill and bread in the oven.

Late extract additions fit the bill perfectly. First, add just enough extract early to make up a standard gravity pre-boil wort. Something like 0.3 -0.5 but not higher. This wont be much extract if you are only boiling 2-3 gallons. do yourself a favor and calculate it ahead of time. This will minimise the maillard effect. Then at flameout, add the remainder of your extract to make up your final batch gravity.

dont worry, early on I made a cream ale that looked like a brown ale.

 

[unionrdr]

I had to go back to my post & add the weights,oops. I use half a 3lb bag of plain DME in the boil. The rest of the post is correct.

 

[fearwig]

Extract caramelization is a good suspect, but check that it's fresh LME, too. DME is a possible solution to either cause.

If I am cooking something delicate with a thin pot, I place a stainless or cast iron pan underneath to buffer the heat. Might help here, too. I boil my AG wort in a very thin pot, but I know LME is a different animal.

 

[Kozwald]

Thanks for all the information. I plan on a Partial Mash IPA this weekend and will put the LME in at flameout to see if that makes a difference.