How do I get (a little) DMS in my finished beer?

Mashing
1

I know that too much DMS is a bad thing, but some of the best beer I’ve ever tasted (Southern Germany) had a distinct DMS note.

I’ve tried the following, separately and in combination:
Used light, Czech malt.
Covered the BK during boiling. The lid did not cover the kettle completely, but condensation was dripping back into the pot.
One hour boil.
Gentle boil.

I expect the first recommendation is: Be careful; you can easily get too much and ruin your beer. With that thought in mind, what do I try next to get that little bit of a DMS note?

2

Have you tried adding creamed corn to the end of the boil? Sorry, just kidding, I couldn’t resist.

3

I laughed out loud at this while at work and got a couple funny looks :lol:

4

[quote=“Old_Dawg”]I know that too much DMS is a bad thing, but some of the best beer I’ve ever tasted (Southern Germany) had a distinct DMS note.

I’ve tried the following, separately and in combination:
Used light, Czech malt.
Covered the BK during boiling. The lid did not cover the kettle completely, but condensation was dripping back into the pot.
One hour boil.
Gentle boil.

I expect the first recommendation is: Be careful; you can easily get too much and ruin your beer. With that thought in mind, what do I try next to get that little bit of a DMS note?[/quote]

I’ve never tried to get DMS on purpose, but if I did, I would use all the techniques listed above at the same time. My guess is the DMS will still be pretty slight. What’s your experience? Not enough DMS? I guess you could also use flaked corn in the mash to guarantee a little bit of corny flavor.

5

DMS is formed over a certain temperature but boiling removes it. Try cooling slowly once your boil is over. Maybe kill the heat and let it sit covered for a 1/2 hour or so before cooling.

6

Flaked corn will work to get some slight corn flavor, so try that in conjunction with all of the above. Your attempts show that SMM is really not a huge worry with most homebrewing processes, including leaving the lid partially on. I’m not saying it can’t arise, just that it typically isn’t a huge concern if you boil moderately hard with a vent of a modest amount. YMMV, of course.

7

The only time I’ve had discernible levels of DMS was when I brewed a German style pilsner and cooled it without using a chiller. Took a couple hours while sitting in a large sink with the lid on. The level of DMS was not overpowering, but strong enough to tell it was definitely there. Letting it sit for only 1/2 hour while hot and covered might be about right.

8

Creamed corn! Why didn’t I think of that?

Thanks for the replies. I’ve not tried the slow cooling. I’ll add that to all of the above on my next Czech Pils. And, the creamed corn, of course.

I assume the creamed corn should not be boiled, right?

9

I’ve heard of German breweries doing what you did. Letting the steam drip back into the brew kettle.

10

Use rahr pils malt it seems to have the highest smm levels of all the pils malt I have ever experienced. I used 100 min boil, completely uncovered, rapidly chilled and still had discernible levels of dms. I used it a few times and dms was always the result, so I stay away from it now as I am seeking none to very low levels of dms in my pils.