Are there any commercial beers I can buy to get a feel for a strong diacetyl taste?

[Juno_Malone]

I keep reading about how excess diacetyl in a beer results in a "buttery" taste. I don't think I've ever tasted a beer that I would describe as buttery. Are there any commercial beers that are known to have this strong diacetyl flavor, so I could pick one up and see what it tastes like? I guess my alternative is to brew a gallon of lager, pitch the yeast at room temps, lower to lager temps and skip the diacetyl rest before lagering...

 

[geoffm33]

Have a look at this reddit post:

http://www.reddit.com/r/beer/comments/1wl0st/intentional_use_of_diacetyl_in_commercial_beer/

 

[progmac]

the easiest way to taste diacetyl is make an unstirred starter of wyeast 1187 ringwood, drink it as soon as the yeast flocs (after ~ 36 hours). the taste is unmistakable. in commercial beers with diacetyl, it tends to be at an 'appropriate' level, so it might be easy to miss.

fyi - you can then use that yeast to make a tasty english ale

 

[alane1]

Shipyard Old Thumper

 

[Brettomomyces]

Pretty much anything Shipyard...especially their pale ale. They use pride of ringwood yeast for most of their beers.

 

[ruger988]

It literally tastes like butter. There is no mistaking Diacteyl when you taste it... Go eat a stick of butter and you have a diacetyl flavor.

 

[masaba]

If you want to know what strong diacetyl smells and tastes like, take a pint of your favorite beer, pour out 1/3 of the glass and replace it with melted butter.

 

[thekraken]

in commercial beers with diacetyl, it tends to be at an 'appropriate' level, so it might be easy to miss.

Couldn't you take one of those commercial diacetyl examples and do a diacetyl test to exaggerate the flavor?

I'm interested in this question too, OP. I took a brew into my LHBS for off flavor identification and the guy took a sip then wouldn't go near it saying the diacetyl was too much for him. I don't taste anything that tastes anything remotely like butter in this brew... But I trust he is more experienced and probably knows his stuff better than I do.

That said, a few months before a started homebrewing I remember tasting a beer at my local bar that I couldn't even finish, it tasted like straight butter, I know now that must have been a diacetyl problem. It takes a lot for me not to finish a pint, especially one I payed for. I'm sorry I can't remember then name of that beer for you, I think I intentionally wanted to forget everything about it.

 

[progmac]

Iirc Old speckled hen has a very recognizable diacetyl component

 

[kanzimonson]

This post title made me laugh.

Take a small sample of a beer you just pitched within 24-36 hours. Heat it up to 150-170 degrees. Cool it back down to a drinkable temp. There ya go.

This is a great test to do at the end of fermentation to determine if your beer is finished.

 

[Brettomomyces]

I liken the smell to more fake movie theater butter than real butter if that helps

 

[Maxkling]

Buy off flavor kit...

 

[BrewSavage]

Muirwood chardonnay maybe?

Go to good wine shop and tell them you want a butter bomb chardonnay.

 

[TNGabe]

Sammy Smith's is easy to find and all have diacetyl to some extent. If you happen to be able to get Kentucky Bourbon Barrel Ale it's a dactyl bomb.