Triangle testing is an essential part of our sensory program. It involves a set of three samples - one sample is a test and the other two are experimental controls which are presented blind to the taster. The goal for the taster is to try to determine which sample tastes different from the other two. This test is an important, unbiased way of determining if a change in the brewing process…
The vanilla compounds from the spirit barrel combine with the fruity esters from the Belgian yeast, and in the case of this particular beer, some tropical fruit and citrus notes from the hops that we chose for the whirlpool addition. The furan compounds in the bourbon barrel will give some light caramel and toffee notes to the beer, and a slight perceived sweetness. All this combines…
A problem that all brewers face is managing and eliminating off-flavors. For the first post of this series, we'll take a look at DMS.
What is it?
DMS (dimethyl sulfide) exhibits itself as a canned vegetable or creamed corn flavor in beer.
How does it form in beer?
All malt contains a variant of the amino acid methionine called S-methyl methionine (…
Continuing our discussion of off-flavors, we'll take look at diacetyl it's great on microwave popcorn, but as all brewers know, this "buttery" off-flavor has no place in beer.
Diacetyl (2,3-butanedione) is well known as the “butter” compound in microwave popcorn. It presents itself as a buttery or butterscotch flavor in beer. It’s in the vicinal diketone (VDK) category of…
For the next part of our guide to off-flavors we'll take a look at acetaldehyde, with persistance and consistency you can avoid this undesireable quality.
Acetaldehyde smells and tastes like green apples. Sometimes it’s described as “oxidized apples” or “acetic cider”.
How does it form in beer?
Acetaldehyde is the immediate precursor to ethanol in fermentation…
Continuing our series on off-flavors we're going to look at what happens and how to deal with beer-spoiling bacteria and wild yeast infect your brew.
What is it?
Infection occurs when beer-spoiling bacteria or wild yeast make it into beer and start competing with cultured yeast for sugars. The typical off-flavors to look out for are sour and/or diacetyl (buttery). Other…
The papery off-flavor occurs when beer is oxidized. It can also present itself as a cardboard flavor or even as a sweet stone fruit flavor.
How does it form in beer?
The major compound that causes the oxidized flavor is trans-2-nonenal (pictured above). This flavor is typically formed in packaging when stored at elevated temperatures (above 40 F) for any period of time due to…
Isoamyl acetate is the ester responsible for the banana-flavor. Typically described as the “circus peanuts” flavor or the dominate flavor in german-style hefeweizens.
How does it form in beer?
This compound forms by the condensation of acetyl CoA and isoamyl alcohol during fermentation. Most esters form in beer due to the reduction of a carboxylic acid and ethanol. This…
When our old friends Toshi Ishii and Bryan Baird approached us about brewing something special for Japan relief efforts, we of course jumped at the opportunity. We created this very special IPA, brewed with 100% Maris Otter Malt and Belgian candi sugar. Once we decided to tie it all together with the addition of Japanese Sencha green tea in a dry hop, the rest of the recipe came together easily.…
