My last 2 IPAs have both had a soapy off flavor. I realize that this can be caused by autolysis but I don’t think this is the case. The only thing different I did in these last 2 recipes was swap our cascades for centennial since I was out. The cascades weren’t super fresh but they smelled fine.
Anyone have any ideas?
Any change in sanitizing/rinsing process? Did you repitch slurry? That’s all I got.
Dave
They were from two different pitches - in fact, I switched yeast strains on the last one. Definitely not a contamination flavor I am picking up.
I think some hops come off as a little soapy. Maybe the floral aroma of the cascades smells a little soapy.
Sometimes a particular grain/hop combo will bring out a weird flavor. I recently did a Riwaka IPA and ended up using CaraMunich III for my crystal malt. I ended up getting a very distinct sunflower seed flavor that seemed to be coming from a combo of some savory notes from the hops and graininess from the malt. Maybe the floral notes of the hops is combining with something else (grain bill, water chemistry, yeast byproduct, etc.) to end up with something that seems soapy in the finished beer.
Noonan stated that higher sulfate levels balance hop soapy flavors.
“Hoppy beers sometimes have an unpleasant soapy flavor. Calcium sulfate eliminates soapy flavors and accentuates a clean, piquant hop bitterness.”
http://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices/56-water/313-brewing-water-tips-from-the-pros
I have a Rogue Yellow Snow last night and it definitely has a soapy flavor. So I’d say it’s coming from the hops and sulfate level of the water. That style of IPA is not how I roll.
I’m betting you hit the nail. I have not had my water tested in a long, long time and the local water is sourced differently.
You could add some gypsum to water to dissolve well, then do a little experiment adding sulfated water to a pint.
I was wondering if I could just add the gypsum directly to the pint, but I’ll try the dissolving idea. Thanks!
I would try and get a high ppm dissolved, so that you don’t dilute the beer too much when you add the solution. Though I am now thinking it might be too much dilution. Another thing is to put some gypsum in a bottle, add the beer, cap it so you can shake to disolve. Let it settle down for a day or so, then taste.
Let us know if this works.
Yes, please do.
I may try filling a corny nd letting it dissolve. I was thinking the gypsum would dissolve better in beer than water due to the lower pH.
For as little as you’re using I wouldn’t worry about it. I would do some initial tests in a glass and stir it in. Stir a non-gypsum sample for a control (in case the control seems less soapy after you knock out some CO2)
Personally, I liked Yellow Snow. I didn’t detect the off flavors you noted. I see from scanning some of the reviews that some people seemed to not like it, but they all seemed to question its freshness*. How fresh was it?
Not that I have any agenda when it comes to getting people to like Rogue (or any other) beer. I just personally found that one tasty, and wonder why the pDev (13.65) is so high on that particular brew, and why some people seem to love it, other tend to dislike it pretty strongly. Is it the hops? Freshness? Something else?
*caveat: n=pretty small
I think it’s just how some people’s palates are. I wouldn’t say it was an overly strong soapy flavor, or even and off flavor. I’m pretty sure that’s how the beer is intended to taste. Just that I don’t like my beer that bitter, so it seemed soapy to me. Pretty sure it’s fairly fresh. I did have a Fuller’s ESB right after that (after drinking some water first) and enjoyed the hell out of it.
Fair enough. I find Rogue’s beers to be somewhat hit or miss, so I was curious if you had tried to ascertain why it tasted soapy.
Since my last homebrew was an ESB…
Cheers! 
Yes. I have tasted beers in competition with soapy flavors but have never understood the cause. I mean, I know it is hop-related, but why?
George Gix attributed soapy esters to lipids in the beer. I have noticed soapy aromas especially when using EKG and Challenger hops. Both were high in beta acids, and I have wondered if the oxidation of betas produced the soapy aroma.
Also, I keep cognizant that sometimes we associate a flowery aroma with soap because soaps all use flowery fragrances and additives. It may just be a normal hop aroma or flavor that over time we have come to associate with soap.
Do you have a reference for autolysis producing soapy off-flavors?
This thread is very interesting to me because I had a lb of Cascade hops that I swore gave my beer a “soapy” flavor, then I just attributed it to myself being overly critical.