Marmite Beer

[Portreath]

Of late I've been getting through shed loads of Marmite, in fact I'm saying away form any thing sweet as I fear I may start fermenting! I know that Marmite is a by-product of the Beer brewing industry, so I wondering if I can go full circle and make a Marmite beer?

 

[uDicko]

Someone made wine with marmite on this forum recently, albeit small doses as some form of yeast nutrition (I think). Turned out OK.

Now I too am a fellow marmite lover... But what are your thoughts on how marmitey will you go on the scale? Any ideas on recipes.

 

[uDicko]

Infact. Wouldn't you just be making an alcoholic marmite broth?

Not even sure how you would hop it, if at all

 

[The Baron]

If I was going to do it I would make a favourite low hopped base beer and add the marmite as if doing a fruit/flavoured beer, just my thoughts

 

[Portreath]

If think (your responses got me thinking really) a low hop/alcohol quick beer like a mild might be worth a shot, may be a sample 5ltr batch erhmmm. I might just give it a punt.

Edit: Marmite Mild....has a nice ring to it

 

[LED_ZEP]

I made the Marmite wine and I would say it's an acquired taste but not totally unpleasant. I'm not a beer maker so can't give much advice on that front other than don't make the marmite flavour too strong. It did work very well with the orange zest (from dried orange peel) flavour I added. So maybe go for a fruity or citrus flavour. As mentioned above it works as a yeast nutrient in the firment so no problems with it fermenting. I added about 4 large tablespoons to 4.5 liters and the flavour came across and there was a slight saltiness in the final wine.

Hope that helps.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Well "Marmite" is generally regarded as an off-flavour, as it implies autolysis. So just take a normal beer, stress the hell out of your yeast and then just leave it for a few months...

I love Marmite but I'm not sure I'd want it in my beer. If I did, I'd want something that could stand up to such a strong taste, go somewhere in the Old Peculier direction or even bigger.

Given that autolysis can be a characteristic of old beer, the bigger end of Old Ales would probably suit quite well.

And if you partigyle, at least you end up with a few gallons of a drinkable smaller beer....

 

[LED_ZEP]

Well "Marmite" is generally regarded as an off-flavour, as it implies autolysis.

When making the Marmite wine I simmered the spices I added and Marmite in a pan with a little water for about 10mins. That should have stopped any enzymes being active in the ferment and so autolysis shouldn't have taken place.
I've got the wine "aging" in a dj so I can try it again in about a month. After the initial taste following ferment I'm thinking it'll get used for cooking rather than drinking (or another process that can't be discussed on here) but most of that is down to the fact I over did the cloves.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

When making the Marmite wine I simmered the spices I added and Marmite in a pan with a little water for about 10mins. That should have stopped any enzymes being active in the ferment and so autolysis shouldn't have taken place.

You're missing my point, I wasn't suggesting there was a risk of the Marmite causing autolysis (the production process involves boiling for a lot more than 10 minutes, any enzymes in Marmite are long dead), just that, autolysis in non-Marmite beer can cause the beer to have a hint of Marmite taste.

 

[LED_ZEP]

You're missing my point

Point taken, I just eat Marmite (and have made one batch of Marmite wine) so not aware of the production process.

 

[rbunsen]

I made the Marmite wine and I would say it's an acquired taste but not totally unpleasant. I'm not a beer maker so can't give much advice on that front other than don't make the marmite flavour too strong. It did work very well with the orange zest (from dried orange peel) flavour I added. So maybe go for a fruity or citrus flavour. As mentioned above it works as a yeast nutrient in the firment so no problems with it fermenting. I added about 4 large tablespoons to 4.5 liters and the flavour came across and there was a slight saltiness in the final wine.

Hope that helps.

Sainsbury's do a reduced salt, yeast extract. It might be used instead, to reduce the salty taste in the final product, wine or beer.

 

[Madhouse]

Sainsbury's do a reduced salt, yeast extract. It might be used instead, to reduce the salty taste in the final product, wine or beer.

...... or make a Marmite Gose ........ or is that a step too far?

Marmite Mild sounds like a good place to start though in terms of beer and name. I'm trying to think how you get Twiglet into a beer name.....

What does marmite go with normally? could you chuck it into a porter with some spices and stuff to make something christmassy?

 

[LED_ZEP]

What does marmite go with normally? could you chuck it into a porter with some spices and stuff to make something christmassy?

That's the way I went. My wine recipe is here.
https://www.thehomebrewforum.co.uk/threads/marmite-wine-i-said-i-would.89411/post-944303

 

[Duxuk]

Surely you can get a hint of what it would be like by just adding a nip to any beer and stirring. Marmite is salty but the main effect is "umami", a savoury scumptiousness which is said to be the fifth element of taste after salt, sweet, sour and bitter. It's not the flavour itself which is so good but rather the way it unites the other taste elements. You can get umami by browning meat or vegetables which creates glutamates, which Marmite is full of. The other option would be to add some monosodium glutamate but I think it's now so unfashionable due to it's long chemical name that it might be hard to get hold of. Try a chinese grocer, they call it taste powder.

 

[Drunkula]

monosodium glutamate but I think it's now so unfashionable due to it's long chemical name

It's unpopular due to a single, atrocious study that got latched onto that then got bonded with racism that was blaming jewish, chinese, whatever for making you ill. The MSG stigma never died off and you have clueless wankers still insisting it's bad today. The BBC did a little trickery with a group of msg sensitive tossers insisting they'd all bloat up, get rashes, headaches and explode if they had msg and thankfully it showed what whining little tossweasels they were when they took them to an Italian restaurant and gave them food lashed through with msg and they felt nothing. Then to a chinese not using it and they suddenly made themselves turn their bowels inside-out and teeth detonate.

I got 2kg before lockdown so I'm mighty fiiiine.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

This is a good overview of current state of play with MSG : https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151106-is-msg-as-bad-as-its-made-out-to-be
TLDR is that there is a small proportion of people genuinely seem to be affected by it in large quantities on an empty stomach, but shouldn't affect you in the real world.

As Duxuk said, Marmite is an umami-bomb, I often use it as a replacement for stock-cubes when cooking (and it's vegan if you ever need to do meaty-tasting-but-vegan-friendly)

 

[LED_ZEP]

Meaty Savoury Goodness

 

[F00b4r]

Don’t do it! I had a RIS once that had been aged for a couple of years in the bottle and it had autolysis, it was NOT a pleasant beer. If you want to test how it tasted dose a RIS with a heaped dessert spoon of marmite.

 

[Nicks90]

This is a good overview of current state of play with MSG : https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20151106-is-msg-as-bad-as-its-made-out-to-be
TLDR is that there is a small proportion of people genuinely seem to be affected by it in large quantities on an empty stomach, but shouldn't affect you in the real world.

As Duxuk said, Marmite is an umami-bomb, I often use it as a replacement for stock-cubes when cooking (and it's vegan if you ever need to do meaty-tasting-but-vegan-friendly)

I hate marmite, but I love it as an additive in food. Just like Asian fish sauce, it's grim but really lifts a dish.
Marmite in gravy, spag bol, meat pies, stews and casseroles, a small amount in Yorkshire puddings (I know, sacrilege and I'm from Yorkshire too!) And I even did a steak on the BBQ marinaded in some watered down marmite which was to die for!!!!!!!!

I've read elsewhere that adding salt to beer makes a difference to the taste, but never tried it. As I have a darkish bitter carbing up, I might go with adding 1/8th of a teaspoon to a pint and seeing what it's like. The try another with a grind of salt. See what the difference is.

 

[Drunkula]

I've read elsewhere that adding salt to beer makes a difference to the taste, but never tried it.

It's like adding calcium chloride. The chloride smoothes out bitterness. It works with coffee, too. You'd want it for a beer you'd like to be more sweet or malty.

http://brulosophy.com/2019/09/09/wa...-table-salt-at-packaging-exbeeriment-results/