Is there a genetic component to tasting grassy flavors in beer?

[OfficerJimLahey]

I have been brewing for a couple years now, and have experimented with a LOT of different NE IPA recipes. A lot of these beers, especially when using NZ/AUS hops, have an overly grassy flavor to me that really bothers me. My last NE IPA had Nelson Sauvin in it, and every time I pour a glass I get a fair amount of grass. Yesterday had some buddies over to brew, poured all 3 of us a glass, and apparently I am the only one who tastes any sort of grass. Is there any sort of science or explanation behind this? I've been entering homebrew comps recently and have purposely not entered certain IPA's because they taste grassy to me. It would be nice to know that it's all me and i'm not actually making trash beer haha.

 

[day_trippr]

Pretty much every aspect of the human condition is subject to genetic influence. wrt home brewing one classic example is how most folks won't notice anything amiss with beer run through PVC lines, other folks simply can't stand it and switch to barrier tubing. I have no doubt hop character can present differently for the same reason...

Cheers!

 

[Dgallo]

I have been brewing for a couple years now, and have experimented with a LOT of different NE IPA recipes. A lot of these beers, especially when using NZ/AUS hops, have an overly grassy flavor to me that really bothers me. My last NE IPA had Nelson Sauvin in it, and every time I pour a glass I get a fair amount of grass. Yesterday had some buddies over to brew, poured all 3 of us a glass, and apparently I am the only one who tastes any sort of grass. Is there any sort of science or explanation behind this? I've been entering homebrew comps recently and have purposely not entered certain IPA's because they taste grassy to me. It would be nice to know that it's all me and i'm not actually making trash beer haha.

There is science of hopping behind this. Overhopping and prolonged hop contact time produce green, grassy flavors. How long is your dry hop from the time it’s tossed in until your rack if to your keg or bottles? How many ounces are you using?

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I'm not aware of anything specifically for grassiness, but there's definitely a genetic component to taste. One of the most famous examples is a mutation in OR6A2 carried by about 1 in 6 people that makes them taste coriander/cilantro as "soapy". I suspect it's connected with the fact that a proportion of beer drinkers perceive Centennial as soapy, it is rich in many of the same terpenols.

As another example, I've a friend who is a super-taster of butyrate, which is unfortunate as she can find baby vomit in even award-winning beers (but not all beer, thankfully), and can't drink sours at all.

 

[OfficerJimLahey]

There is science of hopping behind this. Overhopping and prolonged hop contact time produce green, grassy flavors. How long is your dry hop from the time it’s tossed in until your rack if to your keg or bottles? How many ounces are you using?

That is the thing, I have never excessively hopped anything. The last beer I used I had 3 oz total in the boil/whirlpool starting at 15 minutes, 1 oz dry hop for a 5 gal batch for 3 days before kegging. One thing I have noticed which is weird is if I dry hop cold in the keg I get no grassiness. Wonder if there is something behind that?

I'm not aware of anything specifically for grassiness, but there's definitely a genetic component to taste. One of the most famous examples is a mutation in OR6A2 carried by about 1 in 6 people that makes them taste coriander/cilantro as "soapy". I suspect it's connected with the fact that a proportion of beer drinkers perceive Centennial as soapy, it is rich in many of the same terpenols.

As another example, I've a friend who is a super-taster of butyrate, which is unfortunate as she can find baby vomit in even award-winning beers (but not all beer, thankfully), and can't drink sours at all.

This is awesome, I was hoping to get a response like this. I have had a friend say witbiers taste like soap to him, that is cool they connected that mutation to the taste. I should see if there's some literature on this haha

Unrelated note, have you made your moteuka saison before? That is a combo I would really like to try.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Unrelated note, have you made your moteuka saison before? That is a combo I would really like to try.

Nope, although it's loosely inspired by my favourite beer in the recent Fuller's collaboration box which was a Nelson/Rakau/Motueka saison, and once you start looking around there's been quite a few, including Mike Tonsmeire.

 

[BrewinSoldier]

I get those grassy flavors in mine as well which is frustrating at times. This is even using recipes that other people have brewed several times and they aren't getting any. If I knock my dry hops way down I don't get it anymore, but then I don't have the super aroma and hop flavors that a NEIPA should have. I always dry hop at D-rest temps since that is what Ive read gives you the best aromas and flavors from dry hopping. I tried it cold a few times and it wasn't anywhere near the as strong for me.

Now that I have a setup to do two consecutive 2.5 gallon batches at a time, I'm going to start experimenting like crazy with NEIPAs for a while.

 

[thehaze]

Are you absolutely sure, that " grassy " is not you saying or not understand astringency/chalkiness, etc.? Many NEIPAs are chalky, some more than others. Leaving aside the hops and hopping, water will either save, or ruin a beer. I for one, concluded that I dislike water profiles, where Ca is over 50 ppm and CL is over 100 ppm. Ca for me needs to be very low when using more Cl, otherwise I get astringency/chalkiness, which people around perceive as grassiness.

 

[Dgallo]

Let’s say it is a genetic based, think the litmus test we did in elementary school with PTC. That would mean that you should test the grassy flavor with any and all moderate to heavily hopped beers. Since you are trying to brew this style, I would assume you’ve tried an excellent example that met the desired hop aroma and flavor which you are trying to imitate as a homebrewer. If this is the case it would discredit the initial argument that it’s a genetic factor. If it not the case, then it would be possible

If it’s not genetic there are a lot of factors that effect hop aroma and flavor. Hopping time, temp, duration of contact. Water chemistry, loose or bagged additions. Quality of hop(are they last hops) and oxidation issues of the beer and even the hops prior to brewing. For example, was the bag opened previously and not properly stored and oxidized. No offense to anyone who this is happening to but it’s always much easier to look for this type of possibility verse thinking your own process could be the issue. This is a very difficult style to nail. People think it’s just unload the beer with hops and bingo, NEIPA. There are many great NEIPA threads in here you might want to review, this being one of them. https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/northeast-style-ipa.568046/page-202#post-8548870

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I detect grassy flavors when using pellet hops that I don't detect when using whole leaf or plug hops.