What Causes "vegemitey Roughness"

[mr_wibble]

Hi,

I once made a Belgian style ale, the one from Colin Penrose's Book "The Homebrewer Survival Guide for Beginners".
("Dave's Belgian Ale" - LME, Amber ME, crystal malt, dextrose, dark candy sugar, hallertau hops, White labs Abbey Ale yeast)

Apart from needing to realise my air-lock wasn't locked, everything brewed smoothly. I think I asked a question about it on this-here forum.

But then on the tasting ... it was rough. I thought to myself at the time: "Well you've stuffed that then".
I did drink a couple, at least they were consistent.

I sat on a dozen 750ml bottles, ostensibly saving them for xmas ... truth was I couldn't bring myself to drink it.

But then, some months later, I drank a Leffe Dunkel. Lo and behold, it had much the same roughness!
(It did occur to me at the time to try my own ale again, but I didn't.)

So, now fast forward 8 months last weekend. I had a Westmale(sp?) dubbel. There was that roughness again.

Finally to my questions: Where does this roughness come from?

I've drank a fair few Leffe Dunkels over the years, and typically it's velvety smooth - which is why I like it. Any ideas what happened to the one that wasn't? That was my first Westmale ... maybe it's always like that but I doubt it.

I've still got 10 bottles of my ale left, is it going to get smoother with age?


thanks,
-Wibble

 

[Nick JD]

Google Yeast Autolysis.

 

[mr_wibble]

Google Yeast Autolysis.

So this: http://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices...s-from-the-pros
Says a few things, like aerate well, clean well, etc.

But how did this flavour get into my commercial beer too?

 

[jphowman]

In my experience the Vegemitey flavors are always a result of storing an unfiltered/bottle conditioned beer at too high a temperature.
I gave out bottles of a belgian golden strong at my wedding a few years ago, and I drank a bunch with my cousins about 6months later. It was very obvious who had chucked the bottle in the shed and who hadn't.

The belgian beers are unlikely to be flitered, I'm guessing there was probably enough yeast to keel over and give you the taste.

 

[fawnroux]

Google Yeast Autolysis.

This ^^^^^

Autolysis is usually associated with vegemite flavours. That article you linked didn't really get into it much. If you are interested, google some more articles. Any problem you can get in home brew, you can get in commercial beers. Actually, i've drank more commercial beers with faults than I have homebrew.

Is it a specific vegemite flavour you are getting? Dunkel and Dubbel are darker beers. Is it maybe some something in those darker malts you are getting? What other darker beers do you drink?

Dave

 

[Bizier]

Any problem you can get in home brew, you can get in commercial beers. Actually, i've drank more commercial beers with faults than I have homebrew.

I know that I am diverging from everyone pointing to autolysis being the problem, but I suggest that if homebrewers had to pass their packaged beer into affordable national/international distribution, there would only be a very small portion whose beer would manage similar longevity to professionally packaged products.

 

[Nick JD]

I know that I am diverging from everyone pointing to autolysis being the problem, but I suggest that if homebrewers had to pass their packaged beer into affordable national/international distribution, there would only be a very small portion whose beer would manage similar longevity to professionally packaged products.

If you have a CPBF and do some simple pasteurisation you'd be fine. Same use by as commercial. Same process.

 

[fawnroux]

I know that I am diverging from everyone pointing to autolysis being the problem, but I suggest that if homebrewers had to pass their packaged beer into affordable national/international distribution, there would only be a very small portion whose beer would manage similar longevity to professionally packaged products.

I don't recall suggesting they would.

The OP asked why an off flavour was getting into a commercially produced beer. I merely pointed out that the same rules apply, whether or not they are commercially brewed.