Extract after the cold break...beer ruiner???

So you steepd grains, added hops, and boiled without adding LME/DME?

Did you sanitize it by boiling/pasteurizing before adding? If not, there's a slightly higher risk of infection. Also, your hop utilization was probably affected.

 

Edit: just reread the 'frantic' part. I'll assume you didn't pasteurize.

 

That's like the time I made meatloaf and forgot the meat. Everyone kept on wondering why it tasted like scrambled eggs on toast.

 

I did something like this once. I did a partial mash with about 6 lbs of grain (4.5 lbs base malt, 1.5 lb of specialty malts). Well when I was done, it looked, smelled and tasted good, so I started the boil. When I got to the "check original gravity" stage, my OG was 1.030 (I was expecting 1.060). That's when I noticed the big bag of DME sitting on the counter.

Cue slight panic. That's when I decided to do a small, separate boil for the DME. I boiled it in about 1.5 gallons of water, then added it to the partial mash wort. My volume was affected a bit (slightly on the high side), and the OG was slightly low (presumably from the extra volume). But other than that, the beer came out fine. This incident had an unexpected positive event: it showed me that my partial mashes were efficient and I was doing them right.

You should have done a separate small boil for the extract, cooled it, then added it. But alas, your beer is likely to be just fine anyway. I wouldn't panic too much, and since there's nothing you can do now anyway, RDWHAHB.

And hey, everybody's had a failed batch at one time or another. It happens. Brew another. Continue life.

 

You said a couple of months ago... That means you could just taste it at this point and tell for yourself and let us know instead of having everyone guess... I'm sure it won't taste as good as it could have tasted and it's a lesson learned to be organized on your brew day.

 

This a thousand times.

 

I still occasionally brew a pot of coffee without coffee. It's actually a good thing because the color of the resulting pot of hot water is a disturbing reminder to clean the coffee maker.

 

One day it'll be coffee-brown and you won't realize you forgot the coffee till...

 

I think if you used Liquid Malt Extract you might still have something drinkable. Let it go in primary for a month or so and taste it. If it tastes mostly like beer, bottle it up. If it tastes horrible feel free to dump it. I've seen a few people post that they've added malt extract near the end of the boil. From my understanding it's not ideal, but you still have something drinkable. Maybe you'll fall into the same vein.

If it' Dry Malt Extract I'd think it's still pretty sanitary. I'm not sure if they would pasteurize it the same way that they would package liquid malt extract, but it's safe enough not to spoil in its package for a year or longer without spoiling. If you used DME, chances are better for an infection, but I'd still ride this one out.

Let us know either way how the beer goes. It'd be good to get some feedback here.

Somebody else can have my stone.

 

I used to add the liquid extract over the length of the boil, in portions. This was to prevent scorching and to keep from killing the boil (I was doing it on a stovetop back then, so this was a concern). DME I'd mix it in up to three segments.

However, it all got boiled at least ten minutes.

 

just wait until you run vinegar through the system...i've had it look like it was coffee coming out.

To the OP, I add honey, maple syrup, sugar, candy syrup and a multitude of other ingredients that were not pastuerized to my actively fermenting beers. I would feel better if i were you that the wort was already actively fermenting when I add them the LME, but I wouldn't worry about it...just don't make it a habit.

 

<speechless>

 

... it tastes like MN / ND coffee. That swill is thin & awful.