I don't think I like Special B

I've brewed 3 beers this year with special B in them. They were a Belgian Quad (extract), a RIS (AG), and a Weizenbock (extract). Each had about 5-6% Special B as part of the malt bill. Obviously, these are beers that should age a bit, but they all have this distinct taste that I find very unpleasant and the only thing they all have in common is the Special B. From what I had read about Special B it seemed like something I would like. I've heard it described as raisiny, dark fruits, even molasses. But, this flavor does not taste like any of those things to me. I am having a hard time describing the flavor, but it is almost vegetal in nature. Anyone else not like Special B? Am I crazy here?

It's a crystal malt that's already converted, grab a handful and chew on it, should taste exactly the same in the beer.

I've never used more than 0.5 lb of Special B, which is usually more in the 2-4% range for me. I do like it though. Often the raisin, burnt flavor doesn't really shine through until its been in the bottle for a few months. I haven't picked out anything vegetal about it.

Well. everyone likes different flavors, so it could easily be that you don't care for it. I think it has a pretty prominent raisin/dark fruit taste and aroma.

I would note that the other thing all the brews have in common is a high OG. Anything marginal in your process can be amplified in a big beer.

I like it in small amounts in the appropriate beer - mostly dark Belgians or a touch in a dark mild... You might also try the Special B from the different maltster. There are significant differences in both flavor and color between them.

Yeah I considered the high OG thing too, but in the same time frame I made a barleywine and a tripel and they both turned out great so then I zeroed in on the special B. The weizenbock as really improved a lot since I bottled it in January. But I can still detect that same flavor that is in the relatively young RIS and Belgian Quad so then I started looking at the recipes and found that special B was the common ingredient.

Thanks for the advice about chewing on the grain. I'll give that a try next time I am at the LHBS.

ArcaneXor said:

I like it in small amounts in the appropriate beer - mostly dark Belgians or a touch in a dark mild... You might also try the Special B from the different maltster. There are significant differences in both flavor and color between them.

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I have a friend who uses special B in his brown ale. It's really good, but I think he uses very little and still gets a "twangy" toffee/raisin flavor. Otherwise, I agree- mostly in a mild or a very dark Belgian beer would be the most appropriate use of special B.

It seems to me that 6% special B is quite a lot as it's pretty intense and strong flavored. It's not "vegetal" though, not at all.

You could overuse special B but it wouldn't throw off the flavor you are experiencing. There's gotta be something else contributing to the vegetal flavor you mentioned. I use special B in lots of different styles when I want a complex grist to work with. I'd suggest looking at other areas of those beers for why you are experiencing the flavor and give those beers a month or two to age.

I really like it, but I use it sparingly. I've come to the point where I can almost always taste it in a commercial beer. It's got a very distinctive flavor. I've never tasted vegetal though.

Special B is one of those malts that you can easily over due if your not careful. I like it in small amounts in a wide range of beers. One this I really like about Special B is the red color that it imparts. I have overdone it in the past and found it to be very harsh in flavor. Never vegetal though...

Cheers
Jay

I use it alot. I like using it in the Petes wicked ale recipe.I only use 4oz in a 5.5 gallon batch which is only 4.4% of grainbill. It does have that burnt raiseny taste to the grain so using a little adds that unique taste.

Vegetal off-flavors sounds more like DMS to me. Did you change anything in your brew-system recently? I had dms issues when I first started using a counter-flow chiller (mostly because I was an idiot). To me, the flavor was vegetal, and not so much corn-like. Judges picked it out in a comp I entered, for which I will be forever grateful.

I love special b. i get sweet raisin and molasses from it. Like was said before it evolves as it ages. It will really throw a level of complexity into any dark beer

Well, two of the beers were extract and one of the beers was AG BIAB. So my system changed there, but the two extract batches were made in basically the same way.

I am going to sit on the quad and the RIS for several months because I've got other good stuff to drink right now (my pipeline has been really good this year). As I said I actually like the weizenbock now but can still taste the "taste" I am associating with the special B in the 3 beers. Perhaps since this was the lowest ABV of the 3 and I actually used the least amount of special B in it the flavor has married into the beer better.

I do like raisins and dark fruit. I do like complex dark beers. So I want to like special B and I hope that this is not the problem.

" So I want to like special B and I hope that this is not the problem."

Why? Like what you like. You obviously enjoy a wide range of styles and flavors, so it's perfectly fine to not like this one. Part of the joy of homebrewing is that you can tweak beers to be exactly what you are looking for. There is always more than one way to achieve a basic flavor profile - eg dark candy sugar vs Special B. There is nothing wrong with preferring 1 method due to some subtle differences.

fatnoah said:

I've brewed 3 beers this year with special B in them. They were a Belgian Quad (extract), a RIS (AG), and a Weizenbock (extract). Each had about 5-6% Special B as part of the malt bill. Obviously, these are beers that should age a bit, but they all have this distinct taste that I find very unpleasant and the only thing they all have in common is the Special B. From what I had read about Special B it seemed like something I would like. I've heard it described as raisiny, dark fruits, even molasses. But, this flavor does not taste like any of those things to me. I am having a hard time describing the flavor, but it is almost vegetal in nature. Anyone else not like Special B? Am I crazy here?

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I am not a Doctor but I play one on TV... Yes you are "crazy"...

Well maybe not..... but I like Special B, a bit in my Porters and Stouts sometimes to add a bit of sweetness...

I could see it in the Belgian and the RIP but think it would be too much in the Weizenbock...


But as a few others have stated I don't see the "vegetal" (DMS) flavor being from the Special-B...

I know three ways you get DMS in a beer..


Can you go in to you process a bit?

From John Palmers's "How to brew"

Dimethyl Sulfides (DMS)/ Cooked Vegetable Flavors
Like diacetyl in ales, DMS is common in many light lagers and is considered to be part of the character. DMS is produced in the wort during the boil by the reduction of another compound, S-methyl-methionine (SMM), which is itself produced during malting. When a malt is roasted or toasted, the SMM is reduced beforehand and does not manifest as DMS in the wort, which explains why it is more prevalent in pale lagers. In other styles, DMS is a common off-flavor, and can be caused by poor brewing practices or bacterial infections.

DMS is continuously produced in the wort while it is hot and is usually removed by vaporization during the boil. If the wort is cooled slowly these compounds will not be removed from the wort and will dissolve back in. Thus it is important to not completely cover the brewpot during the boil or allow condensate to drip back into the pot from the lid. The wort should also be cooled quickly after the boil, either by immersing in an ice bath or using a wort chiller.

When caused by bacterial infection, DMS has a more rancid character, more liked cooked cabbage than corn. It is usually the result of poor sanitation. Repitching the yeast from an infected batch of beer will perpetuate the problem.

I do open boil for 60 min. I cool in ice bath in sink. I only do 2.5 gal batches so I can get the wort down below 70F in about 25-30 min. I wouldn't describe it as rancid and the beers (weiznebock and quad) are getting better not worse. And I've made several other batches both dark and light in color that turned out great. So I don't think it is infection.


If it turns out I don't like special B then I guess that's fine. I just know it is a popular specialty grain and I like the styles that usually use it as an ingredient so I would be surprised if it turns out t isn't for me.

I dislike Special B as well... Just not for me... I highly prefer US or UK dark crystal.