Cause of smokey flavor?

Hey everyone - here's what's up:

I transfered to secondary fermentation about 3 days ago, and I sampled the beer from the hydrometer beaker. It had a distinctive smokey character - not just a hint of smoke, but fairly blatant. I'm know that the favor is only 1/2 developed so far - still needs the aging. But I was wondering what might cause the smokey flavor? Is it carmalized sugar that ... carmalized during the boil? Is it "large" sugars / fusel alcohols/ other chemicals that the yeast will digest during 2nd fermentation?

Brown Ale
Heres the ingredients (from a minimash):
1.75 lb 2-Row
1 lb Munich
8 oz Caravienne
8 oz Aromatic
8 oz Carapils
8 oz Crystal 60L
4 oz Chocolate
--
1oz Northern Brewer Hops (6.8) - bittering
1&1 oz Kent Goldings - flavor & aroma
--
English Ale Yeast

Thanks

You have several 'biscuit' types there. Maybe combined, they are producing the smell.

I'd agree with David. Also, some yeasts can actually give off some by-products that are "smoky" in nature, so that could be contributing as well.

How did you ferment, and what was your yeast? As Baron mentioned, yeasts can give off "smoky" phenols.


TL

TexLaw said:

How did you ferment, and what was your yeast? As Baron mentioned, yeasts can give off "smoky" phenols.


TL

Click to expand...

Ferment -
7.5 Gal plastic bucket.
6 days
67-72 degrees
top fermenting, english ale yeast from "White Labs" (don't know the strain off top of my head).

2nd fermentation -
5 gal glass carboy
Planning for 2 weeks
65-70 degrees (weather got cooler )


Initial gravity: 1.065
Gravity after primary fermentation: 1.025


Is this the type of flavor that mellows with age?
I'll try to remember to update this post with the final result in a few weeks.

-David

Having made a barleywine with too much peat smoked malt, I can verify that (at least that type of smoke) mellows with age.

david_42 said:

You have several 'biscuit' types there. Maybe combined, they are producing the smell.

Click to expand...

Which grains qualify as 'biscuit' types? What does that mean?
Thanks.

The class of malts is really Kilned malts, but one of the common elements is a toasted biscuit flavor. Biscuit, Victory, Munich, Vienna and Carapils fall into this group.

The beer has finished, and I have tasted several "samples."
I don't taste any smoke flavor at all. The beer's flavor is a bit more potent than I would like, but I'm attributing this to high fermentation temperatures (prolly in the 80s since room temp was 70s).

It is also worth noting that my oatmeal stout had a similar smoky flavor between primary & secondary fermentation. The stout is currently in bottles (awaiting bubbles), but again, the smoky flavor disappeared after secondary fermentation.

Just more confirmation for beginners: RDWHAHB

That sounds like phenols to me. With the high fermentation temperature, the yeast was more likely to make phenols. Then, in time, they faded.


TL

I just brewed the Northern Brewer Chinook IPA and tasted it during the process and it has an overwhelming smokey flavor, I'm hoping it mellows out in mine as well since I'm not a fan of the smokey flavor.