Is DMS a Myth?

[smyrnaquince]

I thought that I read that DMS production for a homebrewer is a myth. However, I've just done 15 minutes of searches and can't find the posting I though I had read.

If someone can point me to a DMS truth-or-fiction thread, I would appreciate it.

This post from Forrest at AHS on the Austin Homebrew's Belgian White Beer thread about a 30-minute boil makes me think DMS is not a concern.

Has anyone actually gotten DMS in their beer that was noticeable?

 

[passedpawn]

I had a friend make a Schwarzbier that tasted like a can of creamed corn. Exactly, and it was undrinkable. He's a knowledgeable brewer, so I know he didn't boil with the lid on the pot or such. No idea where the taste came from, but it was perfectly described as DMS.

 

[Yooper]

I've judged beers with DMS in competition, although I've never experienced DMS in my own brews. I usually don't use a ton of pilsner malt, but when I do I often do something "unusual" (say, a double decoction in a BoPils, followed by a 90 minute boil). I typically do 60 minute boils for APAs that may have a portion of pilsner malt in the grist- but I do a vigorous boil and a quick chilling, so that may be why DMS has not been an issue in those beers.

Since I've tasted plenty of DMS in others' beers, I'd say it's definitely not a myth.

 

[smizak]

Just wait for Great Lakes Oktoberfest to come out. Always a DMS bomb.

 

[Whsoj]

I know is Wikipedia but its mostly correct

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimethyl_sulfide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_U

I think I've been sitting on a hefe with this problem for a while, haven't had a judge taste it but I'd like some one to tell me if its this for sure or not (I put a lid on it to stop yellow jackets from kamikazeing into my boil) my friends love it more than my really good IPAs they can drink all they want.

 

[smyrnaquince]

As for a vigorous boil, I typically get almost 1 gal/hr evaporation. Would that be considered normal (implying the standard 90-minute boil for pilsner malt) or can I shorten (to say, 60 minutes)?

And how do people keep the color light in say, a wheat beer with pilsner, with a long boil. Doesn't a long boil darken the wort?

 

[smizak]

As for a vigorous boil, I typically get almost 1 gal/hr evaporation. Would that be considered normal (implying the standard 90-minute boil for pilsner malt) or can I shorten (to say, 60 minutes)?

And how do people keep the color light in say, a wheat beer with pilsner, with a long boil. Doesn't a long boil darken the wort?

I've never had a long boil darken wort, unless you count the boiloff concentrating the color. I've brewed plenty of light lagers and pale ales, I boil 90 min. regularly.

 

[wobdee]

My induction plate doesn't have enough power to maintain a good rolling boil without the lid partially on and so far after over a dozen brews no DMS. Knock on wood.

 

[winvarin]

Go to the brewing network's website and look at past episodes of the Jamil Show. Look for the Kolsch and Alt show. It's one of the longer shows, but at one point, they get into a pretty deep discussion about DMS, how to ID it, and ways to avoid it.

Per Jamil, a rolling boil does not have to be "leaping out of the pot". He says that if you're getting a good agitation of your wort and its circulating well in the pot, doing that for 90 min will keep the beer from darkening and/or developing too much melanoidin character. The long steady boil plus chilling your wort as quickly as you an will help reduce DMS production.

 

[Pratzie]

Before i got my own home brew kit I did a batch with a friend. we were several SA's deep so we kept the lid on during the entire boil (one of the many things ive since learned aren't exactly good for home brewing). A few months later at a family cookout we cracked open the bottles. Tasted just like corn. And not because we were eating corn on the cob. So ya i'm voting not a myth, but if u've done a few batches and haven't noticed it, ur obviously doing something right.

 

[joyceman]

Does a protein rest help reduce/avoid DMS?