Today is the off flavor taste test for benzaldehyde, colloquially known as "almond", although I don't really think that's a good descriptor of it. The almost I know is a earthy, crunchy, dry, and nutty flavor. Although I understand now that they mean more of a 'candied almond paste' effect, like marzipan, calling it almost was a bit misleading. In fact, I thought that this the benzaldehyde flavor reminded me of the goo inside of chocolate covered cherries; that kind of ultra sweet flavor you ... continue reading...
Off Flavor Taste Test #2: Acetic Acid
As a continuation of my comprehensive taste test kit I bought from Siebel Institute, last weekend I conducted off flavor taste test #2 and #3. If you missed #1, acetyldehyde, think...raw pumpkin and fresh cut grass. But today we are going to be talking about acetic acid, which is probably much more easily identifiable, but harder to get rid of! Flavor Name: Acetic Acid Similar To: Vinegar, sour apples, sour feet (my interpretation) Causes: Bacterial infection* (lactobacillus, ... continue reading...
Off-Flavor Taste Test #1 : Acetyldehyde
About two weeks ago I decided to bite the bullet and purchase Siebel Institute's Comprehensive Sensory Training Kit to improve my craft beer tasting skills. It was pricey at $250, but because I'll be using it myself I can get a few tests out of each flavor. Each vial is enough to dose 1L of beer. 1L = 34 fl. oz. 1 beer = 12 fl. oz. That means I have enough to dose 3 different beers. I don't want to waste a whole beer with nasty flavor, and I want to compare with the original flavor, so ... continue reading...
Beer Run March 16, 2015
So I spent a boat load of money at Craft Beer Kings last weekend and had the package delivered to my home. If you order about $150 worth of beer, they give you free shipping. So I figured rather than order it bottle by bottle and pay more, why not just get a bunch and pace myself. So I basically cleared out anything they had that was sour, brett, or barrel aged. I've been listening to the Sour Hour on iTunes, plus I bought two 5 gallon bourbon whiskey barrels online that I plan on aging an ... continue reading...
A Tale of Two Saisons
A few months ago while visiting my grandfather, I noticed that all his grapes were going to waste. He told me that he was going to make wine with them like he’s been doing for the past 2-3 years, but this year he just couldn’t find the time. Busy guy I guess. So I got the idea that I wanted to brew a beer with them. After searching for styles that would fit grapes (I found none), I decided that a saison would be a light tasting beer that could benefit from some extra simple sugar. I figured ... continue reading...