Soy Saucy Stouts

Thank you!! Completely agreed on both counts. I've had probably hundreds of stouts in my life, and never thought any had a soy sauce taste. Soy sauce is salty, and I've never had a salty stout. It's one of those flavor descriptions I read over and over but can't relate to. And as for the onion/garlic thing, most people use them in relation to beers I would describe as smelling/tasting like fruit salad, quite a difference.

 

I created a thread a few months ago about the origin of the "dark fruits" flavors found in many beer styles. I received many interesting and enlightened responses, answers I still remember and hold to be true to this day.
But now, upon cracking my first of this year's Founders Imperial Stout, I ponder upon a new question--that of the soy sauce flavor, also described as umami, beef broth, or shitaki mushroom. Can anyone provide any insight into where that comes from? The malts? The yeast? The hops? Some combination? I'm very curious to know.

 

Roasted malt

 

according to my wife, every single one.

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/marshal-zhukov-hunaphu-soy-sauce.98984/#post-1462460
https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...of-beer-defect-could-cause-this-flavor.63647/
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/ris-with-a-soy-sauce-flavor.40937/#post-513927
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/soy-sauce-and-meat-in-stouts.28040/

 

Solid knowledge being dropped here! Outstanding. I'll add one more external link to the mix below. Autolysis has only made an appearance with old stouts for me and that likely speaks to cell degradation, but individual tastes and preferences always play a part as well.

Also - homebrewers know a lot of shit. Wow.

http://www.pencilandspoon.com/2011/06/when-beer-goes-bad-autolysis.html?m=1

 

Sorry, I created a new thread last night about soy sauce flavors that got merged here. I didn't realize it had already been discussed in this thread.

 

Ugh, haven't stumbled into one yet.

 

I wonder if this is like the cilantro thing where some people taste super soapy flavors while others don't? I've drank more than my fair share of stouts and haven't ever been able to pick up the soy sauce flavors that people talk about.

 

Sam Adams Triple Bock and a 2009 World Wide Stout I just had both hot the soy sauce hard for me, but in a good way.

 

I got soy sauce from a 7 year old Dark Lord.

 

I think I've had stouts that tasted soy saucy many times (and I HATE it), but the two I can think of are a Prairie Coffee Okie and a bottled Guiness "extra stout"... not the usual one with nitro, but one that I don't see often, with a yellowish label. Super gross.

The Okie had to be bad, because I've had it since and it didn't taste like soy sauce.

 

My roommate says this about almost every stout I have him try.
I can't say I agree entirely, but one I had recently that was soy saucy was Stillwater On Fleek.
Not saying it was bad, but definitely had some of that characteristic

 

I've never gotten it from FIS or OR, both of which I love. I do get it in spades from Bell's Expedition, but I love that as well.

 

Soy sauce is very salty for me, so I haven't picked up on the "flavor" in stouts.

 

Marshal Zhukov was a sludgy Soy Sauce bomb. The one I had was 3 months fresh from memory. Thinking age would have done it nicely but some was drain poured.

 

I have not gotten any soy sauce flavors from a stout, sort of glad on that note also. LOL

 

I've only had one stout that had a strong soy sauce flavor (Sea Cow milk stout from Saltwater brewery), and i just figured i got a can from a bad batch.

The onion IPA thing happens to me a lot, tho, especially with JWB IPAs

 

I can second this experience, though I have also had Zhukov that had zero soy sauce taste