Problem with Stouts, Initial Peppery Scent and taste?

[DamageCT]

Not sure if this is the thread to post this problem under but I'm having some difficulties with my stouts. For some reason they all seem to come out with a sharp peppery(?) scent and initial taste, the taste ends up fading and you taste the way the beer was intended to taste as sort of an after taste.

At first I thought it was a soy sauce flavor, but it's not, it's definitely best described as sharp pepper scent and flavor, almost harsh at first but fades after the initial sip.... I can post the recipe if you'd like but I think this problem stems deeper as it's occurred with several different recipes... It also doesn't happen with my ales just my stouts, but, that could just be a coincidence..

 

[didinho]

At first I thought it was a soy sauce flavor, but it's not, it's definitely best described as sharp pepper scent and flavor, almost harsh at first but fades after the initial sip....

harshness due to the roasted grains?

 

[DamageCT]

I get the grains from a local homebrew shop, but now that I think of it, my mill might be crushing and not just cracking, which would cause hulls to get into the boil and impart a bitter harsh taste, wouldn't it..

 

[masaba]

I don't really think that tannin astringency is the same as peppery. Astringency derived from tannins is usually compared to the taste one would get from sucking on a wet tea-bag - an extreme mouth puckering bitterness. I believe that pepper is a very different flavor.

I also think that increasing the roasted grains causes more of a darker roasted coffee flavor. Of course, we all perceive flavor a little differently, If you just pop a few roasted barley grains into your mouth and eat them, you will get a really good idea of the flavor they impart. That would let you know if the peppery flavor you get is derived from the roasted barley.

 

[funnelweb]

Let's have the recipe

BR Folke

 

[kanzimonson]

Def need the recipe, but I'll mention that with increasing amounts of roasted grains you need an increased amount of initial aging to mellow them out. We're talking 1-2 weeks here.

 

[LKABrewer]

It could also be acidity that you are tasting. Did you do anything different with your water for the stout?

 

[DamageCT]

Sorry I forgot to repost on here, the flavor mellowed out, I think it was the coffee used at the 10 minute left mark in the boil