Alright so I typically brew 5 gallon extract batches with a partial boil. I got myself a turkey fryer to try and make the jump to full boils. So I started one tonight. A Belgian tripel. Some specialty grains, 3.3 lbs of Pilsen lme, 2 lbs of Belgian candi sugar, a late addition of 6.6 lbs of more Pilsen lme, some Styrian goldings for hops and some wirfloc. So I'm in the heat of the boil right now just letting it rumble. And a couple problems thus far. 1. Had trouble getting the water heated above 100 degrees but I eventually got it hot enough to steep 2. Almost had a boil over but saved it in time so no harm done 3. After adding my extract and 60 min hop addition I noticed black flakes starting to bubble up I can't imagine it's Scortched malt anyone have any experiences like this? Any and all input is appreciated! I'll let you guys know how the boil finishes up. Cheers!
Looking at the time of your post I'm guessing that you are done with the boil by now. I don't think those flakes need to be a concern. Since you used LME, my guess is that some of it scorched and caused these flakes. LME is heavy and immediately sinks to the bottom of your kettle, and if you didn't cut your heat source before you were able to get the LME well mixed into the wort, it probably burned a little bit on the bottom of your kettle. You'll likely see some of it stuck to the bottom when you go to clean your kettle at the end of your brewing session, which will confirm this. I've never detected any off flavor from this when it has happened to me, so don't worry about it.
Update: I did find some lme burned to the bottom so that is what I'm assuming happened. I figure it will settle into the trub. All in all first full boil was a success thankyou all very much! Cheers!
It could also be the candi-syrup. When adding candi-syrup to the boil, you have to be extra careful to stir it vigorously when adding, as it can get scorched on the bottom quite easily. Usually, it is best to lift the pot off the flame, add the cand-syrup while stirring, and then put it back on the flame. It's even better to add the candi-syrup at flame-out. Less rick of scorching, better hop utilization, and you preserve more of the flavours/aromas.
It was actually candi sugar. Like the rock form. But still I imagine that's probably what had happened. In retrospect the flakes started to stir up in the boil very quickly after adding the candy sugar. Thankyou all for your words of wisdom. The beer is in primary fermenting away rather rapidly. Actually it almost clogged my blowoff tube but that's all just part of the fun! Thanks again guys! Cheers!
