Onion taste in hoppy beers

[serum]

I've never been a huge fan of hoppy beers but didn't really hate them but I've noticed a cooked onion flavour in some of them and I can't seem to shake it off. I've noticed it lately in Punk IPA, Stone IPA, Sharps Wolf Rock, Hop House 13 and a fair few others.

Sometimes when I learn to pick out a flavour it really seems to dominate for a while but then fade away but this one seems to be sticking around and it makes it hard to enjoy quite a few beers.

I was wondering whether it's a dodgy hop batch or something?

I had a Nogne O Pale last week and that tasted alright but loads of them seem to have this taste and I don't know whether I'm going mad!

Has anyone else noticed it?

 

[HLA91]

I personally haven't experienced it but I have come across people mentioning it before, so your not alone.
I suppose some people are more sensitive to smells/tastes than other. Me, I can smell 'wet dog' in damp glassware from a mile off, whereas the wife says I'm barking, well I am but that's besides the point.

 

[Sadfield]

Sounds like you are sensitive to dimethyl trisulphide. Quite a common component of hop aroma, especially from dry hopping, but at levels most of us don't notice. I get a similar thing where strawberry aromas in beer to others, taste like two part car body filler to me. Both contain some form of (EDIT) Ethyl Acetate. I'm not keen on strawberries.



Sent from my E5823 using Tapatalk

 

[serum]

Yes it could be that but it's only once I've started to notice it. I've been drinking punk IPA for years and never spotted it before. I used to find these beers quite refreshing (with the exception of Hop House 13 which is utter guff)

I seem to get it once I try a particularly strong example. I started spotting a sweetcorn flavour in Pilsners after having a really malty Helles Bock but I quite like that flavour so I don't mind.

 

[rats_eyes]

I've heard of this occurring due to overuse of certain hops. These beers will all be affected by availibity of their desired hops, maybe producers have had to make similar alterations to one another

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

 

[serum]

What so they're actually putting fried onions in instead? :)

 

[rats_eyes]

I had an 80 shilling from a new start up a few weeks back, it was full on pickled onion! Totally infected rather than over-hopped though

Sent from my SM-A320FL using Tapatalk

 

[Covrich]

the fact you do not get it all the time would make me think its not a genetic thing like corriander.. maybe your taste buds are changing? do you find you are subconsciously searching for this flavour now?

I cannot remember which beer it was now but there was one beer years ago where I got a strong dirty flavour on it and everyone else who tried that same beer didn't .. it was only a sample of about 3 of us though.

 

[YeastFace]

I get onion from Simcoe, and recent crop Mosaic to a lesser extent.

 

[HopHead420]

Mosaic, Simcoe, Columbus, Summit and probably others can all have a bit of onion or garlic from crop to crop. Appears in part to be related to later harvesting.

 

[Brew_DD2]

I get it from beers heavily hopped with Citra. I quite enjoy it.

 

[RKi]

Summit has a legendary onion reputation.

 

[strange-steve]

It seems to fairly common in new world hops, though I personally don't ever recall tasting oniony hops. As RKi says, summit is often mentioned, though I don't think the beers you mentioned have summit in them.

 

[Clint]

I get it in the Sharps wolf rock....blinking dreadful!

 

[dad_of_jon]

the fact you do not get it all the time would make me think its not a genetic thing like corriander.. maybe your taste buds are changing? do you find you are subconsciously searching for this flavour now?

I cannot remember which beer it was now but there was one beer years ago where I got a strong dirty flavour on it and everyone else who tried that same beer didn't .. it was only a sample of about 3 of us though.

I've been picking up hints of onion recently in a few brews recently. more worrying in beers I've had recently from the same batch where there were none.

conclusion: either the aging of the beer does this, or my tastes are changing naturally or I have a mild covid or other infection that is changing my senses temporarily(hopefully).

 

[The Baron]

Certain hops have been known to give a onion taste sometimes

 

[NIGHTSKY BREWING]

Yes it could be that but it's only once I've started to notice it. I've been drinking punk IPA for years and never spotted it before. I used to find these beers quite refreshing (with the exception of Hop House 13 which is utter guff)

I seem to get it once I try a particularly strong example. I started spotting a sweetcorn flavour in Pilsners after having a really malty Helles Bock but I quite like that flavour so I don't mind.

Sweet corn ??? I wee bit of DMS....common in Lager malts.....some leave a bit in because some like it in the style.
Boiled less...possibly to save money in the big Brewery's....?

 

[Clarence]

I get it with Kingfisher and Cobra (and lime), especially after dunking my bhajis therein.

 

[Jim Brewster]

I had it in a batch when I re-used the Citra dry hops from one batch froze them and used them in the boil of the next brew. Could have been a coincidence but that was the only time I have ever noticed it, and I didn't particularly like it!

 

[Bernie]

I've found wild hops and the initial smell when rubbed between my fingers is of garlic. Some suggest that overripe hops is the source.

Any dedicated home brewer should have a gas chromatograph amongst his equipment.
https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/BF02908410.pdf