I've noticed that some beers have a specific "grape-nuts" sort of taste to them and I recently found a really strong example in Newburyport's Kolsch. I also find that Mayflower's beers sometimes have a little bit of this taste as well. I was reading reviews of the Kolsch and someone mentioned that this represents unmalted barley and I was curious if anyone knew the details. So, does anyone else pick up on this flavor? And if so what's your understanding of where it comes from? To be clear, I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. I found that it was an unwelcome taste in a Kolsch but I generally enjoy it in heavier beers.
Beers with a heavy percentage of Munich malt in the grain bill taste distinctly grape-ish to my palate. Here's an interesting article that talks about malt flavors: http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2012/11/what-does-pilsner-malt-taste-like-munich-vienna-2-row.html
Great info. Thanks for the link! Mayflower's IPA does indeed have Munich malt in it so that appears to be a relevant data point to my taste buds anyway (can't find the malt bill for Newburyport though). And I dug this up on the BA page about unmalted barley which would seem to support it also potentially playing a role as I think "grainy" is another good adjective for that flavor: "Unmalted barley gives a rich, smooth, "grainy" flavor to beer. Unlike the other adjuncts, unmalted barley will contribute foam (head) retention to the finished beer because of lower levels of proteolysis. However, the nitrogenous and complex proteins that contribute to head retention also contribute to chill haze problems. Clarity problems make unmalted barley inappropriate for light beers, which is one reason why corn and rice are preferred. It is essential in dry stout, e.g., Guinness Stout."
