In a recent article I read (BYO), the author mentioned umami in describing various flavors in beer. Umami is the "5th taste", along with sweet, sour, bitter and salty. It is often described as "savory". I have often wondered about trying to introduce some of that umami flavor to my beer. What I am wondering is how the addition of mono-sodium glutamate (MSG) would affect the water chemistry if I add it to my water adjustments. Or maybe, I should just make sure my sodium levels are low and then add the MSG to the boil. Anybody have any ideas about this?
BTW, I am of the opinion that MSG gets a bad rap in the media, and is not much (if at all) worse than sodium chloride. You might want to watch your intake, but it is not poison.