DMS(???) off flavors, will extended aging help?

[artguy]

So, on my first ever brew, an extract SNPA clone recipe that I brewed back on July 8, I learned that sad truth that my smooth-top electric stove was NOT able to seriously boil 3 gallons of water in my 21-quart canning pot. I decanted some off to a second pot to do side-by-side boils, I tried putting the lid with a gap for evaporation, but it was not a great success and all I got was a "vigorous simmer" at best. Granted, that was only one of several first-brew session screw-ups, but from what I've read it is probably responsible for the off-flavor I'm tasting in my batch.

I cracked open my first bottle yesterday (early, only 2 weeks after bottling) just to get a sense of how it was going. It's beer, but there is a funky taste that as best as I can identify seems to be DMS-related (I can't say it tastes exactly liked boiled vegetables, but that's the closest description I can find, and jives with my bad boil experience).

My question: will extended bottle-aging help mellow the off-flavor, or is it there to stay?

FYI: My second batch was an Irish Red vigorously boiled on propane burner (got the SP-10, love it!), and while it's only been in the bottle a week and isn't fully carbed, there is no similar off-taste.

 

[Grizzlybrew]

After double checking a few resources, it seem the only time to rid yourself of DMS is during the boil (because DMS is driven off as a vapor). Even after the boil, DMS will continue to be created - another good reason to chill quickly and keep it uncovered. Once it's in the bottle, it's probably there to stay, unless...

I wonder... if you poured the beer back in a kettle, boiled it again, chilled it, re-primed and bottled, would there be any adverse effects? It would be alot of trouble, but may be worth it depening on the beer. Has anybody ever tried this?

 

[artguy]

I wonder... if you poured the beer back in a kettle, boiled it again, chilled it, re-primed and bottled, would there be any adverse effects? It would be alot of trouble, but may be worth it depening on the beer. Has anybody ever tried this?

Wouldn't this also boil off the alcohol, and fundamentally change the beer?

 

[Grizzlybrew]

Wouldn't this also boil off the alcohol, and fundamentally change the beer?

Very good point... Although you may not neccessarily have to bring it to 100 Deg C... According to a certain online encyclopedia, alcohol has a boiling point of around 80 deg C, while DMS is a "flammable liquid" that boils at 37 deg C. Perhaps, a good steep would do the trick.

 

[atomicsnuffbox]

Very good point... Although you may not neccessarily have to bring it to 100 Deg C... According to a certain online encyclopedia, alcohol has a boiling point of around 80 deg C, while DMS is a "flammable liquid" that boils at 37 deg C. Perhaps, a good steep would do the trick.

Hi all, new member here. I've been using this forum as a resource for a couple months now, so thanks! I'm wondering if anyone has ever tried this reboiling strategy - I looked through the wiki, the "Think you ruined your beer?" sticky for newbies, and did some google searches, and didn't find anything. I did a version of the Who's in the Garden Grand Cru from Papazian's book, with the following recipe:
7# Belgian Pilsen Malt
2# Flaked Red Wheat
2# Clover Honey (added 55 min into boil)
1 Oz Hallertau (60 min boil)
.5 Oz Hallertau (30 min)
.5 Oz Hallertau (5 min)
1 oz bitter orange peel
1 oz coriander
OG: 1.050
FG: 1.007

Did beer in a bag method - mashed forever because of inconsistent thermometer readings, but eventually did about 60 min at ~150 F and it took 30 min getting up to 170 F (because of my slow glass-top stove). It then took over an hour getting up to boil, it stayed at a very slow boil for 60 minutes (no lid), then cooled over 2 hours in a shallow ice bath to pitching temp. Needless to say, this was a LONG brew night. I used Wyeast 3944 Witbeer yeast without a starter - there was vigorous activity after 8 hours.

Fermented 7 days in primary, 6 days in secondary. At bottling, I noticed an awful odor/taste of stale corn. After 5 days in the bottle, I popped one, and the corn flavor was overwhelming. I'm concerned about this because the weak boil, the pilsen malt, and the long cool-down all point to high DMS. It's the exact same flavor I had in the first batch I did, which is still strongly present after over 18 months in the bottle (can't bring myself to throw it, but can't drink it either ).

So... has anyone tried reboiling an already-bottled beer, adding some malt extract/sugar and repitching yeast? I just bought an immersion cooler, so that variable will be better controlled at least. Any help would be appreciated!