What does DMS taste like?

[BetterSense]

I've identified a flavor which I don't like much. At first I thought it was DMS, based on descriptions on the web. To me its more of a smell than a flavor...you can even smell it without drinking the beer usually. To me it smells/tastes kind of like Campbell's vegetable soup or something, but not overpowering. I've tasted it in 2 or 3 craft brews and now I'm tasting it in my own pale ale (but I only taste it now that the beer has been in the bottles about 4 months). Maybe its just a malt or hop flavor that I don't like. How can I know?

How can I know what DMS tastes like? Diacetyl? Can you actually buy DMS and Diacetyl so that you can taste them so you know what they taste like? Is there a away to deliberately induce them in a small batch just for the experience?

 

[hopsalot]

cooked vegetables/corn

 

[hopsalot]

Red Hook ESB has a characteristic diacetyl taste.

English ale strains, are known to be heavy diacetyl producers.

DMS really has no place in beer though, usually produced when the wort is covered during boiling

 

[weirdboy]

What kind of beer is it? DMS is much more likely to come up in beers that have pilsner malt, although it can certainly come up in others, especially due to process-related issues like a short or non-vigorous boil, boiling with the lid on, or a long cold break, and like most off flavors, infection. As far as a "reference flavor" for DMS, creamed corn from a can is pretty close, although it can vary as you can get other sulfur compounds besides just DMS in there which change the flavor and aroma somewhat. Canned vegetables is probably something like DMS and/or other sulfur compounds.

Diacetyl will taste/feel like buttered popcorn, like in a movie theater. Diacetyl is actually the chemical used to flavor butter topping for popcorn, or in butterscotch candy, so it will be extremely similar to that. At low levels it may just be a sort of slickness in the mouthfeel more than any aroma or flavor.

 

[weirdboy]

DMS really has no place in beer though, usually produced when the wort is covered during boiling

The style guidelines for all of the American lagers can have DMS, as well as German Pilsner and in a Cream Ale it's standard to have DMS.

 

[BetterSense]

I don't even know if I have DMS though. Maybe its just a certain flavor. I wonder if my LHBS will taste my beer for me. Is there any way you can send your beer away and have it tasted? It sounds silly but tasting and isolating off flavors can be hard.

 

[weirdboy]

Take it to your LHBS. If they won't taste your beer, you probably shouldn't be shopping there anyway.

 

[hopsalot]

The style guidelines for all of the American lagers can have DMS, as well as German Pilsner and in a Cream Ale it's standard to have DMS.

BJCP:
Low levels of yeast character (green apples, DMS, or fruitiness) are optional but acceptable. No diacetyl.

well there you have it, thanks for the correction weirdboy