ALCOHOLIC overpowering alcohol flavor, acetone, paint thinner, sharp ACETALDEHYDE High amount of fermentable sugars High fermentation temperature green apples, grassy, acetic(vinegar), cidery Underpitching Yeast strain used Bacterial Spoilage Oxidation Premature removal from yeast Premature flocculation Aerate wort before pitching yeast Allow more time for fermentation Healthy yeast strain **Appropriate Styles: American Lagers 01 Aerate wort well Control fermentation temperature Pitch more yeast Use less fermentables **Appropriate Styles: Strong Ales & Lagers 02
ASTRINGENT BITTER Tart, vinegary, dry, puckering sensation hop like, excessively bitter or mouth puckering 03 Excessive hopping High alpha acid hops Excessive wort attenuation 04 Lengthy hop boil times Excessive grain crushing High sparge Temps High water PH Control PH levels Reduce hopping rates Use lower AA hops Use less attenuative yeast Reduce boil times Higher mash temp Monitor sparge temps **Appropriate Styles: Strong Ales & Lagers CIDERY DIACETYL Butter, Butterscotch, Rancid butter Apple cider, Wine, Acetaldehyde(green apples) Too much corn/cane sugar Yeast strain 05 06 Low fermentation temeratures Mutated yeast Premature racking, fining or lagering Underpitching of yeast Reduce the amount of corn/can sugar Allow fermentation to complete Use alternate fermentables Use dry/liquid malt Extracts Higher primary fermentation temperature Monitor fermentation temps Use healthy yeast **Appropriate Styles: Hard Ciders **Appropriate Styles: Scotch Ales, English Ales & Czech Pils
D.M.S ESTERY/FRUITY (DIMETHYL SULFIDE) Banana, Apple, Citrus, Strawberry, Grapefruit, etc Cooked vegetables, vegetal flavor, occasionally shellfish 07 Covered boil Use of adjuncts High gravity wort Poor yeast health Wort bacteria (poor sanitation) High fermentation temperature Under boiling wort Warm fermentation with lager yeast Under pitching yeast Yeast selection Fresh yeast Reduce adjuncts use Choose a lower ester producing yeast Vigorous uncovered boil Ferment at lower temperatures Proper sparging 08 Keep lager fermentation below 50F Reduce pilsner malt **Appropriate Styles: American Lagers & Cream Ales **Appropriate Styles: Most Ales GRAINY GRASSY fresh-cut grass or hay Spent husks, Grainy,Spent grains Boiling grains 09 Excessive grain crushing Excessive sparging High mineral content in water High sparge temperature Cracking grains in advance of brew-day Low quality malt Natural quality of hop variety Oxidation Proper crush Choose an alternative hop variety Maintain Lautering temperature between 164-170 degress Only crush grains prior to brewing with them Steeping adjunct grains below 170 degrees Use high quality, fresh malt **Appropriate Styles: None for Husky off-flavor. Grainy flavor however is appropriate for many different styles: Light lagers, Pilsners, Porters, Stouts & Wheat beers. 10 Store grains in air-tight containers **Appropriate Styles: American Pale Ale, English IPA, American IPA, Imperial IPA
METALLIC MOLDY metal-like, irony, pennies Improperly stored grains mold, mildew, musty 11 Non-Stainless Steel brewing equipment (spoons, fittings,etc) Poor sanitation Poor quality bottle caps or Kegs 12 Storing fermenting beer in dark & damp places Water with high iron content Wort being boiled in unprocessed metal containers (iron, aluminum,etc) Grain not stored in air-tight containers Avoid using water with a naturally high iron content Use fresh, properly stored grain Store your fermenting beer in a dry, dark location Use stainless steel brewing equipment & tools. Use high quality, fresh malts & grains OXIDATION PHENOLIC medicinal, band-aids, plastic, clove-like stale, papery, wet cardboard, sherry **Note: You should always aerate your beer prior to pitching your yeast Too much oxygen introduced to your beer 13 Too much head space allowed when bottling Not purging kegs properly Do not aerate wort until it is under 80F Monitor head space when bottling 14 Improper use of chlorine or iodine based cleaners Poor sanitation Over sparging Wild yeast Yeast strain chosen Reduce the amount of splashing while transferring wort. Choose another yeast strain Use Oxygen absorbing bottle-caps OR if kegging make sure to purge the kegs properly Proper sparging while Monitoring your waters PH levels Use healthy, pure yeast strains Use non-chlorine or iodine based cleaners **Appropriate Styles: Barleywines & English Old Ales **Appropriate Styles: Belgian Style Beers & German Wheat Beers
SKUNKY SOAPY musty, burned rubber, skunk-like Soap, detergent, oily, fatty 15 Exposure to light Keeping beer in primary fermentor too long Using clear or green bottles Leaving soap residue in carboy 16 Storing your fermenting carboys in sunlight Reduce exposure to UV rays Only use dark brown beer bottles Use a secondary fermentor Store your fermenting beer in a dry, dark place SOURNESS SULFURY rotten egg, raw sewage, burning match, sulfur tart, sour, vinegar-like Bacterial or Wild yeast infection 17 High fermentaton temps Low quality yeast strain Mashing too long Poor sanitation Storage at warm temperatures 18 Bacterial or Wild yeast infection Chosen yeast strain Natural bi-product of fermentation process Using water with a high sulfur content Cool fermentation temperatures Conditioning(aka - lagering) after primary fermenation Mashing for less than 2 hours High quality yeast strain Use fresh healthy yeast Use filtered water **Appropriate Styles: Lambics, Flanders Ales, Berlinner Weiss
SWEET YEASTY overly sweet, syrupy or sugary Excessive additions of adjuncts yeast, bready or slightly sulfur-like 19 High temperature mash Poor yeast health Premature lagering 20 Leaving the beer in your primary fermentor too long Not letting your beer ferment long enough Unhealthy yeast strain Using a low attenuation yeast strain Choose appropriate yeast strain Healthy yeast strain Lagering after primary fermentation Maintain a low temperature mash Reduce the grain bill **Appropriate Styles: Strong Ales, Lagers & Lambics
CLOUDINESS LIGHT BODY Looks Like: clody, hazy Looks Like: watery, weak or thin mouthfeel 21 Bacterial haze poor sanitation Low mash temperature Chill haze insufficient conversion of mash Too many adjunct sugars added Permanent Haze High sparge temps Protein rest too long Low flocculating yeast strain Poor quality matls Filter beer prior to kegging/bottling Decrease amount of adjunct sugars Higher flocculation yeast strain Higher mash temperature Longer mash times Shorten protein rest Use fresh, high quality malts 22 Reduce sparge temperatures **Appropriate Styles: German Weizen, Belgian Witbier, Lambics **Appropriate Styles: Light American Lagers & Lambics LOW HEAD RETENTION Looks Like: flat,watery or un-carbonated Dirty/oily glass 23 Low protein grist Insufficient or deteriorated hops Not boiling wort for at least 1 hour CLower ABV in recipe Shorten protein rest Use clean glassware **Appropriate Styles: Lambics & various high ABV beers Resources: http://www.bjcp.org/docs/offflavorflash.pdf http://www.morebeer.com/content/homebrew-off-flavors http://www.northernbrewer.com/connect/2011/08/common-off-flavors/