Caramel flavour

Nicks90 · May 8, 2018

So I did a partial extract brew and decided to have sneaky taste after a week of carbonation.
Wow
Caramel!!!!!
Looks like my pan was a bit hot at the bottom - even though I was careful with the heat - and it tastes of caramel quite strongly.
It's also quite dark for a Cooper's pale ale!
Am I stuck with this flavour, or will it mellow with age?
Not that its nasty, just a bit 'strong'

chthon · May 9, 2018

Caramel does not sink, and it is not turned into other substances. So the taste stays.

I'm still sceptic that wort caramelises in the boiling pan, because of this:

It is not that sugar increases the thermodynamic properties of water in such a way that a temperature of 160° C is reached, which is needed for caramelisation.

IainM · May 9, 2018

Wort certainly can caramelise in the boiling pan, and it can even go further and burn. A fair few of us on here have learnt that the hard way. It doesn't condition out.

Drunkula · May 9, 2018

chthon said:
Caramel does not sink, and it is not turned into other substances. So the taste stays.

I'm still sceptic that wort caramelises in the boiling pan, because of this:

It is not that sugar increases the thermodynamic properties of water in such a way that a temperature of 160° C is reached, which is needed for caramelisation.

Boring schienche time!

The temperature of a water is a bulk property and at any time some molecules will be higher temperature than the mean, some lower. If that weren't the case then water wouldn't evaporate at lower temperatures because you need extra energy to leave the surface. It takes 100 joules to raise water from 0 to 100c but then another 540 to turn it into steam - that's why steam burns are such a git - when steam condenses on you that energy is immediately given to your skin in a fraction of a second - ouch! Mamma!!

So yeah, you do get micro zones of temperature above the bulk temperature. Aaaand if you're also a glutton for punishment the state change for zero degree water into zero degree ice takes another 80 joules per ml which is why ice works so well in drinks because if it were at -20 to start just to get it to melt would take the same energy as taking zero degree water up to one hundred.

I'm shattered now.

Nicks90 · May 9, 2018

Oh well, you live and learn. But thanks for the advice and schienche!

I'll see what it's like in a month's time after conditioning. If it's too much of a strong flavour after drinking 3 in a row and looking at a 4th thinking 'dont want another', it'll get ditched.
Beer, no matter how nice in small quantities, shouldn't be challenging to drink in large quantities!!!!!!!