The effects of a long boil on roasted grains

My wife is the greatest. She gave me a 5 gallon cask that once held Manhattan Rye from Thuthilltown distilleries with a directive to fill the damn thing. Yes, dear!

I am in the early stages of pulling together a rather complex Russian Imperial Stout that will follow the English model. It will be more of a black English Barleywine with loads of complexity and layers of flavor. The beer might require a 2-2.5 hour boil for true pot caramelization. My only concern is the possibile effect of boiling wort rich in roast, chocolate or other dark malts for such a long time. Will this cause problems with astingency or tannins?

Thanks!

Dan

You don’t get caramelization in the kettle. The temp cannot get high enough. You do get Maillard reaction products.

Sometimes those types of beers are made by boiling down a gallon or two of first runnings to a thick syrup and combining with the rest of the boil. In that regard, there is the danger of scorching or burning the syrup if it’s not removed from the heat soon enough. Though the type of malt doesn’t play a role in that.