"Cattiness" a good thing?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Hop-Droppen-Roll, Jan 20, 2014.

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  1. sisterthelonious

    sisterthelonious Initiate (0) Aug 3, 2013 Wisconsin

    Have any of us actually ever tasted cat piss? Maybe it tastes awesome.
     
  2. Preluderl

    Preluderl Pooh-Bah (1,710) Sep 27, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Sucks smells like straight cat pee to me. I actually got one once at a bar, some guy bumped into me and I spilled some on my sleeve. Like an hour later a friend asked me if one of my cats had peed on my shirt or something.
     
  3. Hop-Droppen-Roll

    Hop-Droppen-Roll Initiate (0) Nov 5, 2013 Minnesota

    Good luck explaining to THAT person that craft > BMC :grinning:
     
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  4. MooseBoose

    MooseBoose Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2007 Wisconsin


    Apparently we are both right, or wrong. And no one really knows the exact percentages.

    http://www.dailycal.org/2013/04/17/fun-food-fact-of-the-week-why-asparagus-makes-urine-smell-funny/
    http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/why-pee-smells-funny-eat-asparagus

    No studies I can find on the cat pee smell however.
     
  5. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,757) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I get it from some IPAs, but not all, and not all the ones others may claim. I do tend to notice it in Citra IPAs, as well as some "dank" IPAs (those are not mutually exclusive categories). However, as with others, there is nothing about the flavor that I would describe as "cat piss." I also do not consider dank and cat pee to be the same aroma; a beer might have a pungent "green" odor without that sharp cat smell. To me, anyway.

    Some beers certainly have it stronger than others, I might add. I also do not always get it, or in the same strength, from a second bottle (or draught) of the same beer.

    "Cat-like" might be better than "cat pee," as it's not ammonia that it smells like. "Catty" is right out!

    I've never had it overwhelm my ability to enjoy a beer, but it's not an aroma that I like.

    Beers where I've had a noticeable experience with this scent:
    -Citra Mantra (but not strong)
    -Hop Ranch
    -Another One (again, not strong)
    -Double Citra (maybe the strongest!)
    -DirtWolf
    -Sucks (not too strong)
    -RuinTen (I think it may have been my first experience with the smell, but my review doesn't specify)

    Funny enough, no one told me Citra is supposed to smell this way; it's just a trend I noticed. Going back through my beer reviews, though, Citra is a remarkably consistent theme.
     
  6. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,071) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Confusing matters, some versions of the officially recognized (by the Master Brewers Assoc. of America and other brewers' groups) "Beer Flavor Wheel" list "Catty" as a defect, under "Oxidized, Stale, Musty". Giving it the "0810" designation on some wheels, using Systematic Beer Flavor Terminology.

    [​IMG]
    Of course, the Flavor Wheel pre-dates the development of many of these newer hop strains, and is always being updated and available in many different versions. "Catty" is often noted as being the non-technical term for the off-flavor known as "ribes" or "blackcurrent".

    In the past I've also read that, in the UK, "catty" is sometimes used as a synonym for "skunky" for light struck beer (supposedly because there are no skunks the British Isles?).
     
    #66 jesskidden, Jan 24, 2014
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2014
  7. MusicaleMike

    MusicaleMike Savant (1,220) Mar 17, 2008 Pennsylvania

    I wasn't arguing, as your edit suggests you figured out already, that skunk=cat pee. I was arguing that the chemical compound known as mercaptan (or methanethiol) is primarily responsible for skunked beer and "asparagus pee." Mercaptan is the one of the byproducts of metabolizing asparagus (and can be found in skunk spray), which contains high concentrations of aspartic acid and may be the precursor to "asparagus pee," though it has not been determined as of yet.

    To be clear, the chemical compound which causes "skunky" beer is 3-MBT (3-Methyl-2-Butene-1-Thiol), produced mainly by the breakdown of isohumulones from UV light. SO, we were both incorrect in saying mercaptan is the chemical compound responsible for "skunked" beer. It is almost identical though, and is contained within, right? (methane...thiol...methyl...butene...thiol...)

    As for the perception of "asparagus pee," that range varies depending on which study you look at. (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3002398/)
     
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  8. hopfenunmaltz

    hopfenunmaltz Pooh-Bah (2,611) Jun 8, 2005 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Thanks for the link and pointing out that mercaptan is also related to the apspartic acid/ asparagus pee smell. In the link they say it smells like cooked cabbage, which is usually a descriptor for DMS in beer.
     
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  9. CatfishClark

    CatfishClark Initiate (0) Dec 1, 2008 Texas

    I love cat-pissy beers. Actual cat piss, not so much. But cat-pissy beers, yes please! Weird, I know...it's a fine line, I suppose...
     
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  10. StLeasy

    StLeasy Initiate (0) Sep 8, 2013 Illinois

    There's a strain "papaya" that smells just like its name (a lot like mangoes), and I bet (hope) that eventually someone will breed a hop very high in mycrene (mango flavor)

    I really enjoy the catty flavors of Simcoe (Drinking a Schlafly AIPA for that matter :stuck_out_tongue:), Citra, and Mosaic. I also like that the aroma seems to keep better than some.
     
  11. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Founder's Mosaic Promise is the most sublime catty, savory, and oniony beer I've had...gonna have to try and replicate.
     
  12. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

  13. Urk1127

    Urk1127 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,728) Jul 2, 2014 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Based on comments above, im guessing its that cat piss smell. And it turns me off a beer so fast. I have 5 cats and ill never be used to the smell when they piss in the corner or my car tires.
     
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  14. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    Only one I've had was today and it was brewed on 3/1/16...best 5.5% smash beer I think I've had.
    Jack, had one today and was mesmerized by the flavors I described...bottled on 3/1/16...cheers
     
  15. SFNC

    SFNC Savant (1,085) Apr 7, 2013 North Carolina

    I Heart Cat Piss Beer!
     
  16. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Barry, I would advise you to obtain the Mosaic hop crop that Founders obtained for the 3/1/16 batch if you truly want to replicate this beer. IMO if you obtained the Mosaic hop crop that Founders used to brew the previous batch I referenced you would obtain a very differing result.

    Best of luck on your quest!

    Cheers!
     
  17. Zorro

    Zorro Grand Pooh-Bah (3,258) Dec 25, 2003 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Another word you can use to describe it is "Willow Tree."
     
  18. Zorro

    Zorro Grand Pooh-Bah (3,258) Dec 25, 2003 California
    Pooh-Bah

    Nah yer Lion. :slight_smile:
     
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  19. hophugger

    hophugger Grand Pooh-Bah (3,410) Mar 5, 2014 Virginia
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Catty flavors (skunky, off putting, dank) flavors are sometimes desirable to ne in a killer IPA. They kind of add a little goodness and complexity to the aroma and to the beer overall, IMO.......
     
  20. 2beerdogs

    2beerdogs Grand Pooh-Bah (4,878) Jan 31, 2005 California
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    When I get it...major negative. Strong onion is a downer too. But a little weedy dank is good.
     
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