I recently turned in a beer for a local competition. Overall I received pretty good scores, but 2 of the judges left the “grassy” remark as part of their evaluation.
I’m thinking this is due to dry hopping, but I’m open to suggestions as to what else can cause this. In the past I definitely got this flavor when dry hopping cold. Here is my general strategy to dry hopping.
Rack from primary to secondary
Dry hop secondary for 2 days (or so) at ~ 68F
Remove dry hop mesh container
Cold crash and fine with gelatin (1-2 days, sometimes longer)
Here are some ways that “grassiness” can make its way into your beer.
1) Hop variety - Some hops give more of a grasssy note to the beer. Trying a different variety might help.
2) Old malt and/or hops. Some malts will take on a grassy note if they are stored too long or improperly (too high a storage temp or unsealed at a high humidity level. Grain that is exposed to really high humidity tends to go slack (stale) and will have a mushy consistency when you chew some up. I always do a “bite test” on grains that have been around for a long time to see if they are still crunchy and have a good malt flavor. With hops, even if they don’t smell cheesy after long storage, they might be grassy and you should be able to smell the grassiness. Using really fresh ingredients, if you can get them will alleviate this issue.
3) Using way too much hops during the boil. Try a different variety with higher alpha acids as your bittering addition so that you can use less in the boil.
4) Dry hopping for too long a time. It appears that you are OK on this issue from what you stated. Maybe a different variety of dry hops will help. I normally dry hop for no longer than 5 days (sometimes only 3 days) in the secondary at 68-70 degrees, then rack the beer to the keg, crash it and carbonate it. I use in in-line screen (that I got from Grainger) to capture any hop particles that are sucked out of the secondary by the racking cane before the beer hits the keg. FYI, I don’t fine most of my beers (only lagers like Helles of Octoberfest). Sitting in the secondary for 5 days usually clears them even at room temperature. There may still be some yeast that falls out in the keg after crashing but after the first glass or two the beer will clear up when serving.
Always, always, always, first ask yourself the question: Are the judges full of crap?! I would say that about 60% judges put out an unfortunate high level of crap.
Only after you answer that question can we answer any other questions.
That is a very good point as well and I agree it is the place to start…
You said your beers scored well, so were the judges criticizing the “grassy” or just describing the perception of the hops?
Grassy is a “descriptor” for some hops that is not inherently bad. Some hops are not “fruity” or “Citrusy” - they are “grassy” or “earthy” or “spicy.” So, if it was conveyed in a way that did not specifically say it was a negative, it could simply be that.
-Most importantly - do YOU find it “grassy?” Do YOU find it to be negative in that regard? Do your friends find it grassy (in a bad way)? If not… Don’t chase a problem that is not a problem to you.
Before you conclude that the judges are wrong, you have to taste the beer you provided the judges. If you provided beer in bottles then you can’t judge the judges by tasting the kegged beer; you have to taste the bottled beer, which means bottling extra for you to taste after the competition.
I think the biggest thing we mainly need to know is, what style of beer did you submit for judging. Grassy is fine for many pale ales and IPAs, but if you submitted a kölsch or a stout it would be out of place.
Are the judges who comment grassy much different in points? And what other comments were left for the beer?
Good question…The only one there that owned a brewery rated it the highest (41/50). Although 2 of the others said it was a little grassy. I’ll admit - I don’t have the best palette.
Yeah good point… I find it a little on the sweet side, or not bitter enough for the style. 2 of the 3 judges found it grassy and rated it a 34 and 35 out of 50. The other judge (owned the brewery pub we were at) rated it 41/50 and had no mention of it being grassy. I don’t find it necessarily grass, but I know my palette isn’t the best.
American Pale ale - IBU is around 50 (according to BeerSmith). I find it a little too sweet (caramel 20L malt is the likely culprit), but not necessarily grassy. The biggest contributor would likely be the dry hopping, but I don’t know if I’m necessarily doing anything wrong with it or just the nature of the hops I chose (Citra, Cascade).
One more thing - do you know how the comnpetition bottles were shipped or stored vs the bottles you kept. Some beers come into competitions quite a bit damaged.
Do,you know if the other judges were certified bjcp or just judges?
American pale ale guidelines say “Dry hopping (if used) may add grassy notes, although this character should not be excessive.” For flavor and aroma.
I wonder if those judges thought the dry hop addition was excessive, or maybe if they didn’t know the style, thought it was a fault in the beer. Personally I wouldn’t be concerned, it sounds like you did well and the two judges who didn’t score your beer that well were either unfamiliar with the style, or, they just gave you an average score to give you an average score.
Last question, what would you score the beer and why?
I physically brought the bottles to the competition. They were in good shape. It was a small competition (maybe 20 beers total) and 3 judges. We were all in the same room while they were tasting.
Do you know the specific ranks of the judges? Apprentice, Recognized, Certified, National, etc.? If none of these boxes are checked then they are unlikely to know what they are talking about.
Thanks for your response. Dry hopping was 2oz for 5 gallons, so I wouldn’t suspect it to be too much. In fact, I wanted to double that to 4oz for the next round. Overall, I like the beer, but I know it needs improvement. I would score it similar to the others, but probably closer to the owner of the brewery. My main concern is why is it grassy, and how can I reduce/fix that taste. I appreciate the insights from everyone.
Honestly not sure what the credentials are. Definitely not trying to slam them, just trying to understand where the grassy taste would be coming from and how to correct it. I appreciate everyone’s insight!