Why does my SMASH smell stale?

[DonRikkles]

A few weeks ago, I brewed a SMASH of Vienna and Willamette. After letting it ferment and bottle condition, I eagerly opened my first bottle 4 weeks later. I was disappointed by what I smelled and tasted. The beer smelled stale (think a fraternity house the morning after a party) and tasted like old Miller lite. It's actually not bad when drinking with food or a cigar, but certainly not pleasant to drink by itself.

As far as I can tell, I brewed correctly. I mashed for an hour at 152, added hops at 60, 15, and 5 minutes, and pitched US-05 at 70 degrees. Everything was clean. What gives the beer the staleness? Is it the Vienna, the Willamette hops, or the yeast, or combination thereof? Please point me in the right direction.

 

[Yooper]

"Stale" can come from a couple of places. One is using stale malt. The stale flavor from stale malt can carry over to the beer. Another possibility is oxidation. Severe oxidation can taste like wet cardboard, but a lesser amount of oxidation can come across as "stale" or "old" or even "musty" tasting.

Is it possible that the beer could have some oxidation?

 

[FarmerTed]

Isn't Willamette similar to Fuggles? Fuggles can taste kind of weird (earthy and vegetal), in my limited experience. I wonder if Willamette is the same way. I think that may be what's going on. It could get better with a little more time, if the hops mellow out some.

 

[DonRikkles]

I suppose it might have happened. When would it have occurred? I'm thinking during the brewing process or fermentation. When I opened the airlock to bottle, it smelled stale then too. I thought it would have gone away during carbonation.

 

[lumpher]

willamette is basically u.s. fuggle. i wouldn't use it in a smash for that reason. methinks that may be the problem. when i use willamette for flavor, i mix it with cascade to counter that earthy (some say stale) flavor