Help identifying off flavour

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DeepThought

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Hi

My first AG brew is now a week post bottling and following a quick sample to see how it's getting on I've hit a flavour I'm having trouble identifying.

It's quite hard to describe, I guess I'd say it was sort of nutty and a bit inky (think the Parker pens you used to use at school), perhaps with a hint of gloss paint. It isn't overpowering but it's there very faintly in the background and I'm trying to work out what it is so I can prevent it in the future.

The brew was a cascade and MO SMaSH fermented with US-05 at a steady 18c with no finings and no water additions. The idea being to see how my water profile works first before I start messing with anything.

The water report for my area can be found here if it helps: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/media/default/pdfs/ZH517.pdf

I appreciate the beer is still very green so maybe it'll mellow in time but it doesn't strike me as one of those flavours that will really condition out.

Any thoughts?
 
I had a slight pear drop flavour/smell on a Barclays Perkins black lager - made it undrinkable. But after aging for a year it was delicious. Not sure if that is the sort of taste you mean? But aging cures many ills!
 
I’ll wait it out and see then I guess, looks like it could be any of a number of things from the very useful document kindly shared above.

Don’t know about giving it a year mind you. That’s a full 50 weeks longer than a beer has ever managed to survive in my house without being drunk. I’ll give it my best shot though.
 
Don’t know about giving it a year mind you. That’s a full 50 weeks longer than a beer has ever managed to survive in my house without being drunk. I’ll give it my best shot though.
Then you're not making enough beer. Six weeks is the minimum for me and six months is not unusual. I make lager in one year for the next year.
All bottle conditioned stuff.
 
Hi

My first AG brew is now a week post bottling and following a quick sample to see how it's getting on I've hit a flavour I'm having trouble identifying.

It's quite hard to describe, I guess I'd say it was sort of nutty and a bit inky (think the Parker pens you used to use at school), perhaps with a hint of gloss paint. It isn't overpowering but it's there very faintly in the background and I'm trying to work out what it is so I can prevent it in the future.

The brew was a cascade and MO SMaSH fermented with US-05 at a steady 18c with no finings and no water additions. The idea being to see how my water profile works first before I start messing with anything.

The water report for my area can be found here if it helps: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/media/default/pdfs/ZH517.pdf

I appreciate the beer is still very green so maybe it'll mellow in time but it doesn't strike me as one of those flavours that will really condition out.

Any thoughts?
If its difficult for you to describe then I think asking folk to do it remotely would be nigh impossible. While the above attachment is good Palmers is a lot simpler. Common Off-Flavors - How to Brew
 
Hi

My first AG brew is now a week post bottling and following a quick sample to see how it's getting on I've hit a flavour I'm having trouble identifying.

It's quite hard to describe, I guess I'd say it was sort of nutty and a bit inky (think the Parker pens you used to use at school), perhaps with a hint of gloss paint. It isn't overpowering but it's there very faintly in the background and I'm trying to work out what it is so I can prevent it in the future.

The brew was a cascade and MO SMaSH fermented with US-05 at a steady 18c with no finings and no water additions. The idea being to see how my water profile works first before I start messing with anything.

The water report for my area can be found here if it helps: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/media/default/pdfs/ZH517.pdf

I appreciate the beer is still very green so maybe it'll mellow in time but it doesn't strike me as one of those flavours that will really condition out.

Any thoughts?

I would recommend finding a home brew club to help you diagnose this. My guess would be oxidation, but it’s difficult to tell from your description.

As for brewing process, you won’t need to worry about adjusting your water for a while. There’s lots of other areas you’ll want to try and sort out first (fermentation, oxidation) before you even need to think about water adjustment.
 
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