Grassy flavour

[Brewberoza]

Started home brewing again recently and have done three 10L batches. The first went fine. But the second two I used pellets instead of whole hops. I am getting a strange "grassy" flavour from them. I am not sure how other homebrewers handle pellets. I chilled before bottling to drop them out. However, I got free hops from a local brewery but they were best sell by date (at least some were anyhow). I am not sure if there is something in my pellet use that I am missing or just the fact that the pellets were poor quality to begin with. I have heard of a "sweaty socks" off flavour from old hops or just very little flavour.

Can anyone comment on the grassy flavour please?

 

[unforgiven]

some say if you dry hop for more than a week can give grassy flavour
only done kits so far so only ever dry hopped myself

 

[Ghillie]

Started home brewing again recently and have done three 10L batches. The first went fine. But the second two I used pellets instead of whole hops. I am getting a strange "grassy" flavour from them. I am not sure how other homebrewers handle pellets. I chilled before bottling to drop them out. However, I got free hops from a local brewery but they were best sell by date (at least some were anyhow). I am not sure if there is something in my pellet use that I am missing or just the fact that the pellets were poor quality to begin with. I have heard of a "sweaty socks" off flavour from old hops or just very little flavour.

Can anyone comment on the grassy flavour please?

How long has it been since bottling and what did you brew?

 

[Leon103]

What hops were they

 

[GerritT]

Old hops aren't always bad, sometimes just a bit flavourless. Source: having used old and cheap hops myself. Bitter works well, aroma needs extra 10% or 50% or whatever, just more, as you like it. And free is free, no price can beat that.

 

[Ciaran12s]

I made a golden ale using only citra about 3 months ago. After about 4-6 weeks conditioning I cracked one and it tasted grassy and a bit dank. It became delicious at the 8-10 week stage. So I suppose what I'm saying is that should condition out. How long has it been bottled?

 

[Brewberoza]

Old hops aren't always bad, sometimes just a bit flavourless. Source: having used old and cheap hops myself. Bitter works well, aroma needs extra 10% or 50% or whatever, just more, as you like it. And free is free, no price can beat that.

Absolutely!

 

[Brewberoza]

I made a golden ale using only citra about 3 months ago. After about 4-6 weeks conditioning I cracked one and it tasted grassy and a bit dank. It became delicious at the 8-10 week stage. So I suppose what I'm saying is that should condition out. How long has it been bottled?

Tasted one last night after starting thread and that off flavour, while not gone, was definitely less. So maybe it will condition away. Just to clarify, you were using pellets?

 

[Ciaran12s]

Yeah just pellets. Never used anything else.

 

[Simonh82]

I've kept beer in contact with pellets for over a month and never had grassy flavours. I suspect the issue is with the hops rather than the process.

 

[Sadfield]

I've kept beer in contact with pellets for over a month and never had grassy flavours. I suspect the issue is with the hops rather than the process.

I did a Heritage style IPA that spent 8 months on dry hops with no issue. And that was probably 6 months less than what traditionally would have been done.

I think, the grassy hop theory is more a result of all the desired aroma compounds from Lupulin being lost through oxidation, leaving the smell of the green hop material, rather than a function of time.

Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

 

[Brewberoza]

From what I understand, leaving leaf hops too long can give grassy flavours but never had it.
I will go with the hops being the problem but that extended cold conditioning should help.

Thanks all

 

[MickDundee]

Could it be that you don’t like a particular hop.

I love German beers and a lot of them have this flavour in the background that I referred to as “German”. I’ve had a couple of beers that were “too German” that i didn’t enjoy, including my second ever kit.

I recently made a single hop Hersbrucker beer with 100g Hersbrucker and it was so “German” it was (and still is) practically undrinkable. I’ve discovered I don’t like Hersbrucker in large doses but do like it in the background. I’ll stick with Mittelfruh and Tradition in my own beers.