Diacetyl & Pilsner Urquell

Reading about brewing science always gives me a headache, far more complicated than I ever thought.

 

LOL!

In contrast I really enjoy reading about brewing science.

I attended HomebrewCon (National Homebrewers Conference) a month ago and my favorite presentation was given by a yeast vendor (Fermentis) which included lots of science. In my opinion this was the best presentation given at this event. I know the person who gave the presentation quite well and in casual conversation he made mention that the organizers gave him some 'push back' with comments that his presentation was "too technical". I laughed out loud when I heard him say that. I replied to him "the fact that your presentation contained quantifiable information is exactly why I liked it so much".

C'mon Dale, come over to the 'dark side' and learn to enjoy science!

Cheers!

 

If there’s a way to make beer poisonous it would be me.

 

In the name of "science"!?!

Cheers!

 

Yikes! That beer with that food! Jealous.

 

A few days ago, I noticed a new pilsner made by an extremely well regarded American craft brewer. The brewer claimed that it was "inspired by the Czech Pilsner style." That claim is always a gamble for me. Having such a deliberate reference can be a good sign or it can mean that there'll be intended diacetyl in the beer. While in the store, I very quickly skimmed the reviews here and they were mainly glowing... and I didn't notice a mention of diacetyl. I bought a 6 pack, and unfortunately the beer had diacetyl to my palate. I gave the reviews here a more thorough look. Not one person mentioned it in their review. Once again, I could be misidentifying it, or too sensitive to it, but to me it felt like it was a major component of the beer relative to other pilsners.

 

Chris, which beer are you discussing here?

If I can purchase a single of this beer I will do so and give you feedback. My palate is very sensitive to diacetyl.

Cheers!

 

Same

 

The British knew about it, they dry hopped.

PU doesn't dry hop, so not the source of Diacetyl.

Alpine dry hops, that was what my post addressed.

When Schellhammer presented the info be at a CBC, reportedly Vinnie Cilurzo got up in the Q&A and said that know he understood what was going on in some batches they made.

 

Thanks. For now, I've reached out to the brewer and will give them an opportunity to respond. Cheers.

 

Okilley Dokilley.

If the brewer responds with an 'answer' that can be shared please post it.

If you do not 'hear' back please let us know what beer you are discussing.

Cheers!

P.S. On a related note I got a chance to 'meet' Shane Welch via electronic conversations over a diacetyl issue with a batch of Sixpoint Crisp many years ago. Below is something I posted about this:

"That is how I 'met' Shane. I purchased a 6-pack of Crisp that was brewed at The Lion Brewery and they reeked of diacetyl (a buttery flavor). I sent a e-mail to Sixpoint complaining about this. Shane personally replied and we exchanged a number of e-mails over this disappointment. Shane listened to what I had to say, recognized the issue, and he made amends for this specific purchase."