So I brewed a Standard American Lager for my wife back in December. I lagered it in the garage until 2/18 between 36-40 degree’s. Just tried the first bottle after 2 and a half weeks of carbonating and it doesn’t taste right. Her favorite beer is Asahi Dry, so I built the recipe around rice. Here was the grain bill for a 4.5 gallon batch (I added the Rice Syrup Solids to boil, not the mash)
I added the Rice Syrup Solids because the brewshop ran out of flaked rice so I subbed with the solids. The beer tastes kind of like someone added some milk to an otherwise standard lager. I’m blaming the solids as to adding that lactose like flavor. Anyone experienced this? I’m curious if the flavor will mellow with additional aging or did I simply use to much of the rice syrup? I don’t think it’s Diacetyl, I’ve tasted that before and this isn’t reminding me of that.
I adapted it from an Asahi Clone recipe that mentioned this - 1# rice hulls (or your mash will be ugly thick and a stuck mash assured). Perhaps it was overkill.
It’s my understanding that rice syrup solids are pretty fermentable and should thin out the beer and raise the ABV. When di you add it in the boil? Is it possible it carmelized from a long boil? I wouldn’t think you should get a milk/lactose flavoring from it at all. What was your final gravity, did it fully ferment out prior to lagering?
I just took a bottle to two very experienced homebrewer friends of mine. One of whom has judged in the past. It’s DMS. “Creamed Corn” flavor, I thought it was lactose. Oh well no more lagers for me till next year
Interestingly, the creamed corn/DMS is acceptable under some lager styles (2C, for example), but too much is a problem according to BJCP guidelines, evidently.
I don’t have high DMS levels in my lagers, I do long boils and have healthy fermentations that last about 6-7 days, with a D-rest at the end. The D-rest is done with about 8 gravity points left, and the fermentation is more vigorous which drives off DMS and H2S.
After checking out that link, I’m pretty sure I didn’t have a rigorous enough boil going. I have a Bayou Classic Jet Burner that’s a heat monster. With a full on boil I’ll often lose nearly half the wort to evaporation if I don’t dial in the flame. Lately I’ve tended to use a gentler boil, I haven’t noticed any DMS in my ales. Perhaps that gentler boil caused the DMS to not burn off appropriately and was thus more noticeable in a lager. Lesson learned.
As Denny mentioned, the rice hulls are unnecessary.
You should try using a double mash with rice grits next time you brew the beer. I find that grits tend to have a slightly different flavor than flakes. I usually soak my grits overnight in the liquor in which they will be gelatinized.
But you can get dinged on it, right? I lost points on DMS hints for a Helles (1D) recently - it had other issues, so I am not griping, just wondering the thought process…if it’s there, it must need to be barely perceptible.
no more lagers for me till next year