Finding Fault: It Might Be a Schwarzbier

This article originally appeared in the May/June 2021 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By J.K. Bywaters

Off flavors are myriad. They run the gamut from ash to cabbage via backroads paved with cardboard, plastic, and elastic. (Sounds wretched, doesn’t it?) Their number is legion, and I do tend to go on a bit. For the sake of brevity and of decency, we’ll rein this in and keep our focus on the horrible half dozen:

• Acetaldehyde
• Diacetyl
• Phenol
• Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS)
• Oxidation
• Skunk

Access the full article in the May/June 2021 Zymurgy magazine.