soybean flavor?!?! what did i do wong.

[BlainD]

I brewed a black lager (except I used wlp001) and it's my first bad brew. I fermented it at 55F for week then gradually raised the temp to 75F to finish. It's been in the bottle 5 weeks and it still tastes like what I can best describe as soybeans. I had trouble cooling it down took me almost 2 hours, that's my bet on the source of the problem. It might also have been the yeast but I used the cake on a batch of cider that turned out a little sour but fine all the same.

It's really bugging. I just want to know where I went wrong so I don't do it again. Anyone got any ideas?

 

[kwingert]

It could be DMS. Did you use pilsner malt? How long did you boil? If you used pilsner malt and only boiled it 60 minutes you may have not driven off the DMS. The 2 hour cooling time could have caused it too. How long did you lager it before you bottled? Its possible you didn't allow enough for the yeast to clean up. Maybe using wlp 001 at such a low temp might have caused the taste too. Or maybe your LHBS sold you malted soybeans on accident.

 

[Yooper]

"Soybean"? As in vegetal? Or something else?

the only thing that comes to mind immediately is stressed yeast from fermenting WLP001 at 55 degrees (about 13 degrees cooler than the lowest temp White Labs recommends), but I'm not sure it would give "soybean" flavors.

 

[wfowlks]

So did you use the yeast for cider first then beer or the beer then cider?

Also was your recipe extract, partial mash, all grain?

What were your ingredients & what were your hops.

How long was it in the primary/secondary?

Black /dark beers normally take a lot longer to mellow / blend flavors then the lighter counterparts.

 

[RCCOLA]

Soybean or soy sauce? Black malts can cause soy sauce flavors. Ive had it with Carafa.

 

[BlainD]

Thank you for the responses.

Recipe below.

batch 5 gallon
All grain BIAB
yeast WLP001

8lb Munich
8oz Carafa III
4oz Carraaroma

1oz Spalter @60 min
.5oz Saaz @ 30 and 15

OG 1.046
FG 1.011

ABV 3.9%

"Soybean"? As in vegetal? Or something else?

My wife says soybean and that's the best I think I could describe it. It's a vegtiably sort of taste. I wouldn't say "corn" but I wouldn't not say corn if that makes sense.

So did you use the yeast for cider first then beer or the beer then cider?

Beer then cider

 

[kwingert]

Sounds like DMS. Try boiling longer with the lid off and getting the wort temp down as quickly as possible. I think DMS will form above 150F but will not volatilize off unless its boiling, so if your temp stays high for a long time you could have problems.

 

[BlainD]

Sounds like DMS. Try boiling longer with the lid off and getting the wort temp down as quickly as possible. I think DMS will form above 150F but will not volatilize off unless its boiling, so if your temp stays high for a long time you could have problems.

Yeah I'm think that maybe it. Guess I'll take it as a lesson learned and probably dump this batch (minus a few for cooking maybe). One bad beer out of ~12 in my first 8 months isn't too bad I guess.

 

[Gartywood]

This is bottled right? I'd let it sit in the cellar for 6 months trying one each month before dumping the whole thing.

 

[kwingert]

Gartywood is right, cellar it and see how it tastes in a few months.

 

[BlainD]

Gartywood is right, cellar it and see how it tastes in a few months.

Yeah.... I'm kind of strapped for space.... plus there are several posts on here saying that flavor is here to stay.

 

[kbuzz]

the only thing that comes to mind immediately is stressed yeast from fermenting WLP001 at 55 degrees (about 13 degrees cooler than the lowest temp White Labs recommends), but I'm not sure it would give "soybean" flavors.

I would tend to agree with Yooper. I've never fermented w/ WLP001 at that temp so can't speak to the result of it, but my first instinct when reading this was WHOA - temp way too low for that yeast...surprised you got the attenuation that you did.

For what it's worth...

 

[BlainD]

I would tend to agree with Yooper. I've never fermented w/ WLP001 at that temp so can't speak to the result of it, but my first instinct when reading this was WHOA - temp way too low for that yeast...surprised you got the attenuation that you did.

For what it's worth...

Yeah that was probably one of several factors. Maybe if I had "lagered" it might have helped out, but then what would the point of using ale yeast? Nothing ventured nothing gained right? Think I may retry this beer on again later on just because.... later that is.

 

[kbuzz]

Yeah that was probably one of several factors. Maybe if I had "lagered" it might have helped out, but then what would the point of using ale yeast? Nothing ventured nothing gained right? Think I may retry this beer on again later on just because.... later that is.

There are some yeast strains designed to sit in that temp range and can be used for these sorts of hybrid beer styles - I wouldn't think that WLP001 is one of them though...but also can't speak to what might be a better choice...maybe other members here can help w/ some suggestions...