Problem with milk stout

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by gruffyboy, Mar 16, 2017.

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  1. gruffyboy

    gruffyboy Devotee (308) Oct 10, 2014 Massachusetts

    Hi all,

    I made a batch of Brewer's Best Milk Stout about 2 months back; I'm a newbie but followed the directions to the letter. After a couple of weeks of bottle conditioning I tasted it and the aroma was very strong with burnt sugar. The taste was somewhat burnt sugar and not really the sweet roast flavor I expected. I called the homebrew store and they recommended to store the beer in cold conditions for 3-4 weeks and that should eliminate the problem (that they thought was caused by primary fermentation being at too warm a temp). But, 4 weeks later and it still tastes the same.

    Is this normal? Are there any solutions??

    Any thoughts appreciated - it would be a shame to ditch the batch.

    Cheers
    Gareth
     
    #1 gruffyboy, Mar 16, 2017
  2. Behlal

    Behlal Initiate (0) Dec 21, 2016 Illinois

    I'm pretty new to but I'd be concerned you burned some of the malt extact or lactose
     
    #2 Behlal, Mar 16, 2017
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  3. CarolusP

    CarolusP Zealot (590) Oct 22, 2015 Minnesota

    Did you add the lactose during the boil? It's usually a good idea to kill the heat during mid boil sugar additions. Otherwise the sugar can sink to the bottom and scorch before dissolving.
     
    #3 CarolusP, Mar 16, 2017
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  4. corbmoster

    corbmoster Pundit (848) Dec 15, 2014 Texas
    Trader

    You are supposed to kill the heat when you add any sugar, or malt extract. Then vigorously stir to make sure everything is mixed well. Then you can heat up to boil. Otherwise, the extract, sugars, etc will sink to the bottom as others have said. People usually add lactose at flame out- when the boil is done, and they turn the heat off.
     
    #4 corbmoster, Mar 16, 2017
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  5. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Not sure if it's been mentioned, but I think you burned your sugar...
     
    #5 SFACRKnight, Mar 17, 2017
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  6. machalel

    machalel Initiate (0) Jan 19, 2012 Australia

    As above, but.... "Sweet roast flavour"???

    I don't know anyone who has ever described roasty as sweet...
     
    #6 machalel, Mar 17, 2017
  7. 1beerbaron

    1beerbaron Initiate (0) Mar 24, 2009 Ohio

    Milk stout - lactose (sweet) + roast
     
    #7 1beerbaron, Mar 17, 2017
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  8. gruffyboy

    gruffyboy Devotee (308) Oct 10, 2014 Massachusetts

    Thanks for the comments all - I followed the directions but guess I should have taken the heat down for the lactose. I assume there are no solutions...
     
    #8 gruffyboy, Mar 18, 2017
  9. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    There's no fixing burned beer.
     
    #9 SFACRKnight, Mar 18, 2017
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  10. donspublic

    donspublic Grand Pooh-Bah (3,552) Aug 4, 2014 Texas
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    being serious here, think about adding an adjunct after the fact. Make a tincture of vodka and vanilla beans and add a small amount with a dropper to the beer when drinking and see if it gets you in the realm of a creme brulee type think. Won't cure it, but might fake out your taste buds. Also go do a search on the forums where people have used french presses to add berries, vanilla, coffee, coconut and other stuff after the fact. I have never done this with a stout, but I had a growler of BW that was so damned tart and funky I couldn't muster up to drink the whole thing before it went bad, so every night used different berry combos in the french press. Were probably some of the better BW's I have ever had, blackberry was killer. Good luck
     
    #10 donspublic, Mar 18, 2017
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  11. gruffyboy

    gruffyboy Devotee (308) Oct 10, 2014 Massachusetts

    Interesting post-script to this....I'd left the beer for another 10 days and tried it tonight: MUCH better; the burnt sugar was vastly reduced, just a little to the taste. Overall the flavor was pretty clean, some sweetness and quite smooth. Probably not perfect, but certainly not something I'd pour down the drain. So, looks like the guy in the home brew store was right! Anyway, thanks for the comments above and hope this maybe helps anyone else out.

    Cheers
     
    #11 gruffyboy, Mar 26, 2017
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  12. SFACRKnight

    SFACRKnight Grand Pooh-Bah (3,348) Jan 20, 2012 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    They may have been correct about conditioning, but I don't think high fermentation temps caused the issue. High fermentation temps create esters that just don't go away after a couple weeks of bottle conditioning.
     
    #12 SFACRKnight, Mar 26, 2017
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