So I've been using northern brewer hops for bittering in my partial mash brews, based on advice that NB is "clean" and neutral (I.e.: little to no flavor when boiled 60 mins). I'm noticing a background flavor that can only be described as "twang", if that makes sense. It's bringing down otherwise awesome brews, and I'm not sure if this twang is due to the NB bittering, or something else. I'm hoping it's the hops. If its something else, I can think of two possible culprits:1) my use of dry nottingham yeast, or 2) DME used in the partial mash recipes.
Other people that taste the beer don't notice the twang, though I have a sensitive pallet (laugh), and can pick up on the off flavors. Its bugging me and would really like to fix the issue. I have a new PM batch on the go using different hops and yeast, but it'll be another 6 weeks before I can do a taste comparison. I appreciate if someone with experience can advise. I'd like to stick with PM brewing for now, but if it's due to the DME I'll be switching to all-grain PDQ. Thanks I advance.
Other people that taste the beer don't notice the twang, though I have a sensitive pallet (laugh), and can pick up on the off flavors. Its bugging me and would really like to fix the issue. I have a new PM batch on the go using different hops and yeast, but it'll be another 6 weeks before I can do a taste comparison. I appreciate if someone with experience can advise. I'd like to stick with PM brewing for now, but if it's due to the DME I'll be switching to all-grain PDQ. Thanks I advance.