What's that off taste in Heineken?

I find Heineken rather offensive but I'm not sure why. I can't quite put my finger on it. Before you say skunk what with the green bottles, I've noticed this flavor in other european brews in brown bottles.

For example, I picked up a pack of Estrella Damm (spanish) the other day because it was marked down to $4.50. I figured it was worth trying something new for just 4.50.. mistake. Ack. There's that flavor. It seems to be present in many European Pilsners.

I've never encountered it in a homebrew but, then again, I almost exclusively use domestic hops (cascade, chinook, citra, anyone?).

So I'm wondering if it's the hops, and which one(s) so that I can avoid them. Or is it something else, maybe the yeast strain..

It's like you have normal good tasting beer - stout, ipa, pale ale, wheat/hefe, even BMC - and then you have the stuff that tastes like Heineken.. which is not at all good. I'd rather have a bud light or high life than an estrella damm <insert vomit smiley here>.

it's likely some sulphur or DMS or something from the lagering process you pick up. very common in imported lagers with a lot of pilsner content. not really an off flavor, buut part of the flavor profile.

I am quite the opposite. I love it. Becks, Heineken, Stella, Grolsch, Pilsner Urquell etc.. Give me that green bottle funk!! YUMMY!! I have a kolsch in primary right now and am saving all my green bottles for that in order to expose them to light for a day to see what happens.

I had a six-pack that someone gave me and it sat in my basement for about 2 years. About a month ago I figured what the heck throw it in the fridge and drink it. Not sure if it was the normal Heineken taste or it was altered with several mild temperature cycles. I suspect the former, but I'm with ya. Me no likely. I threw it out.

I love Pilsner Urquell though.

mrkartoom said:

I love Pilsner Urquell though.

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Me to...

Not a Heine fan though...

Not a fan of Green beers.

Heineken = skunky

Not a fan of the Heinie...

I know the taste you're speaking of, I've never really minded it, just associate it with that type of beer. I've only tasted it in European export beers. The stuff they brew for themselves is amazing. Maybe it's a conspiracy to keep us Americans out of their beers

fineexampl said:

it's likely some sulphur or DMS or something from the lagering process you pick up. very common in imported lagers with a lot of pilsner content. not really an off flavor, buut part of the flavor profile.

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exactly!

however a poorly stored light struck green bottle can do the hop skunk.

I do enjoy a heiny can while fishing, and save 3 emptys you can build a really cool 90% rubbing alcohol camp stove! http://www.jureystudio.com/pennystove/

OH MAN HEINEKEN CHANGED THE KEG CAN! but above link in v2 fixes problem. LOVE this link! built 7 of the v1's

HoosierDaddyBrew said:

I know the taste you're speaking of, I've never really minded it, just associate it with that type of beer. I've only tasted it in European export beers. The stuff they brew for themselves is amazing. Maybe it's a conspiracy to keep us Americans out of their beers

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Nope, drank a ton of Heineken in Amsterdam and it still has the funk

I agree that it isn't an 'off flavor' per se. That was a bit of a misnomer on my part.

Off flavor is hard to define. I mean, the style guidelines aren't gospel and taste is subjective. I'm thinking of it as more of an 'off putting' flavor in that it's presence is unwanted in my mouth and in my beer. And apparently I'm not alone.. but judging by Heineken's sales and the number of other European beers that taste this way (Stella is another good example) some people must like it and the brewers have intentionally crafted the beverage to have that flavor note.

I sampled another Estrella tonight in an attempt to nail down the taste and I just can't. It's medicinal, that's about all I can say. Maybe phenolic? Maybe a little sour? It could be sulfur, maybe - that might be the best guess I've seen so far.

I can say that it's not citrusy, and it doesn't really taste the way a skunk smells. It definitely tastes bad but I feel like the beer would be far less bitter without it.. almost like that funk IS the bitterness but if it's hop flavor then it's very different than any hops I've ever used or encountered in a craft APA or IPA.

hmmm..

edited to say: I wanted to mention that mexican lagers such as Dos Equis do not taste this way and neither does miller highlife which comes in clear bottles (high life is my preferred el cheapo BMC beverage).

fineexampl said:

it's likely some sulphur or DMS or something from the lagering process you pick up. very common in imported lagers with a lot of pilsner content. not really an off flavor, buut part of the flavor profile.

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then this is your best answer so far. A+ on call kudos fineexampl!

Piss

fineexampl said:

it's likely some sulphur or DMS or something from the lagering process you pick up.

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Yes, I think it's mainly sulfur in combination with noble hops. I don't think it's DMS so much, but then the only time I've really tasted DMS was in a Czech Rebel.

rockfish42 said:

Nope, drank a ton of Heineken in Amsterdam and it still has the funk

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Did they serve it in those little teenie glasses? I remember when in old town there I went to the bars hoping to get a good pint of something and all they had anywhere were these little glasses, which really annoyed me for some reason.

Lost said:

I find Heineken rather offensive but I'm not sure why. I can't quite put my finger on it. Before you say skunk what with the green bottles, I've noticed this flavor in other european brews in brown bottles.

For example, I picked up a pack of Estrella Damm (spanish) the other day because it was marked down to $4.50. I figured it was worth trying something new for just 4.50.. mistake. Ack. There's that flavor. It seems to be present in many European Pilsners..

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I know what you're talking about -but those aren't always 'off' flavors. Never cared for Heineken myself, but I like quite a few of the English and German beers. AS for the Spanish beer....
Well, I spent 6 years in southern Spain (Seville to be precise) and quite simply never learned to like their beer. In fact, I can't recall any Spanish beer I DID like. I did appreciate their wines, however (even their version of rot-gut "Tio Pepe, and basic wine Vino Tinto" had something to appreciate -it was great with aged cheeses). But their beer? no. No. uhm, no.

It's a bit of the dirty Dutch they bottle in every batch!

simply put, the off flavor is @$$,

But yeah, i have experience that "off" flavor in many imported lagers

While I dislike Heineken, Grolsch is ok. And I get the flip top battles for an extra 35 cents per bottle (compared to the regular bottle price)

Heineken always tastes skunked to me. I've never had a bottle that didn't...

I can't say if the cans taste any better because I've never tried them. It's a beer that never left a good impression, so I never bothered.

3-methyl-2-butene-1-thiol. Its the compound produced from light reacting with hop compounds. Here is a good article on it.
http://www.professorbeer.com/articles/skunked_beer.html

The flavor is present even in their canned product, it's not skunking, well at least there are two problems here

Autolysis

rockfish42 said:

The flavor is present even in their canned product, it's not skunking, well at least there are two problems here

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I agree. It's also in European lagers in brown bottles such as Estrella Damm.

I also have had dogs come back from the woods smelling of skunk. It's a different smell than the taste in Heineken IMO. That said, skunk is pretty pungent compared to the flavor of the beer - maybe the difference is one of quantity rather than quality.

Pretty sure that flavor is the hops Saaz. That's what I was told by the guy who runs the local home brew shop.