my stout smells like soysauce...

[LittleHoudini]

a little more than a month ago i brewed a chocolate cream stout. after about 3 weeks i moved it to secondary and its been about 3 weeks since then. tonight i popped it open to rack into my bottling bucket and i smelled the distinct aroma of...soy sauce...i ran my finger along the side of the hose that had some beer on it after i was done bottling and it even sort of tastes salty.

what could have happened? ill admit the salty taste could have just been the unsweetened cocoa flavor with a very immature uncarbed beer. like, when i tasted it thats what i first thought it was but the smell of soy sauce just has me really concerned.

 

[cockybitz]

you do know that soy sauce is a fermented product, right?

 

[HItransplant]

you do know that soy sauce is a fermented product, right?

I didnt know that.

 

[LittleHoudini]

hm...i did not. wikipedia seems to agree and its never steered my wrong. any reason to why my sweet delicious stout would smell like soysauce?

 

[LittleHoudini]

7lbs maris otter
1lbs chocolate malt
1lbs crystal 120
1lbs cara red
1lbs dextrin malt
1lbs roasted barley
1.5oz fuggles(60 min)
.25 oz kent goldings(15 min)
8oz lactose and 8oz unsweetened cocoa(boil in water, add to boil with 10 minutes left)
wyeast trappist 3787 pitched at 75F

ssssssooooo

 

[cockybitz]

I would have to entertain the thought that it is made using soy as the fermentable. I only really knew because I had read it once and the next time I was looking at a bottle of soysauce I took notice. Sure enough- "Naturally Fermented"

Now why yours tastes of soy... I've no idea. My best GUESS is that rogue bacteria found their way and are now fermenting (albeit slowly) your nonfermentables

 

[LittleHoudini]

i think i may be perceiving the bitterness of the dark uncarbed beer as having a soy saucy flavor....i dont think theres anything wrong with it. its all pretty new equipment and i sanitized real well. after a month or so in the bottles i think the flavors should mellow...itll probably be fine but my room mate pointed out the smell...sorta freaked out. not too worried though

 

[BrookdaleBrew]

Do a search for soy sauce. It actually comes up around here pretty often. I can't remember off the top of my head what it actually is though.

 

[devilishprune]

I think that oxidation can lead to soy sauce flavor in beers.