Sort of a Mexican style Vienna lager
59% Vienna
20% flaked corn
20% Munich 6l
1% midnight wheat
Magnum/hersbrucker bittering
Hersbrucker 10 min
23 IBU
W34/70
1.051
1.010
Mash ph 5.4
Amber balanced water
Any ideas what would contribute to a light ashy flavor? It’s mild but noticeable and annoying.
150F mash for 60 minutes
scorching during the mash or boil? Only time I’ve had a beer taste ashy (tasted like how wet cigar ashes smell) was when the wort got scorched by the burner on my old electric setup.
I don’t think it would be that but that makes sense. I used all of my normal equipment and processes which have never yielded this result. Maybe something happened without me realizing.
Did you brew a stout recently in any of your gear (kettle/mash tun/fermenter/keg/etc.)? Is there any chance of flavor carryover?
The only other though is that possibly some fine particulates from the mifnight wheat made it into the end product. Has it changed or gotten better with time?
Yeah, I would think some lagering should get rid of that after a bit.
Does anyone think that contamination could be a cause of an ashy flavor? Since the pH was in line, I have to wonder… I’ve used midnight wheat a few times and haven’t gotten an ashy flavor from it. But I have gotten ashy in dark beers before and I often wonder if it was due to a low grade contamination of some sort.
I have had a contamination cause a smoky phenolic. Could that be the same as “ashy”?
Also I’ve found that even small amounts of dark grain (like fine particulate from midnight wheat) seem to combine with yeast in suspension.
May want to try cold crashing or gelatin fining to see if that clears it up.
Thanks all. The beer is extremely clear. It was cold crashed and fined in the fermenter before kegging and 34/70 always yields really bright beers for me. I had one last night and it did seem improved. Depending on the day my palette will pick up different notes so that’s another variable to throw in.
I used 2 oz total of midnight wheat and have never noticed this character in any of my beers. I don’t know how to describe the flavor other than ashy. It doesn’t taste burned or smoky. Literally like an ash tray however it is a very minor underlying flavor. I have brewed a beer since with the same equipment with nothing carrying over and I have not brewed a dark beer in a few months. I am hopeful that it will continue to improve. Entering it as an international Amber lager regardless with no expectations.
Yeah, that’s what I was thinking. I’m sure that’s what I’ve perceived, was just seeing if this case is maybe the same thing. Don’t know what kind of contamination would cause it.
I do see a lot of comments about W34/70 suggesting that it will throw “hefe-like” phenolics at higher temps.
Several articles on phenols suggest that at higher concentrations clove like phenols become smokey.
Scrolling back I noticed we never discussed fermentation temp. Anything different from your usual pattern with this yeast?
I think it ran at 52f for five or six days before gradually bumping it up to 62f.
Yeah that doesn’t seem anywhere near trouble. Wild yeast maybe?
Wait, maybe we’ve been going about this all wrong. You didn’t knock your ashtray into the boil kettle did you?
Ha! That could be a good possibility ;). It seems to have dissipated and is barely noticeably so I am hoping it continues to lessen. I will try to report back.
As stated above, lagering will reduce this.
This beer has turned the corner and is tasting a lot better. I have had good luck with beers developing quicker lately for some reason and this just needed more time as suggested.
I kind of half assed bottling for the comp so I hope they are properly carbed with no off flavors because I am curious how it will score.
Sounds like it could be excess polyphenols. They fall out of solution after awhile. Did you acidify sparge?
I did per bru’n water