[Bel Air Brewing]

I use gelatin religiously. Knox unflavored, and Walmart unflavored.

When the package of gelatin is opened, there is a subtle, yet very distinct odor. Similar to a livestock barn. My grandparents had a farm, so I can recognize this in an instant!

The odor is present in the liquid after the gelatin is dissolved. And it is not a pleasant aroma.

I think that the off flavor shows itself in the beer. It is not an "in your face" off flavor, but it is there. The taste I get is a hint of Dawn Dish Soap. And it is in nearly every beer brewed here. No, soap never touches any of the brewing equipment!

Yes, I need to do an A-B comparison with two batches. One with gelatin, one without.

Have any of you who use gelatin experienced this?

[tommymorris]

My beers are crystal clear without gelatin. I use Whirlfloc in the boil. That’s it. To me gelatin is a tool used on the occasional beer that doesn’t clear on it own.

[denny]

I've never used gelatin, but considering where it comes from I'm not surprised by the odor from the packet. I'm more skeptical about the aroma in the beer.

[Bel Air Brewing]

My beers are crystal clear without gelatin. I use Whirlfloc in the boil. That’s it. To me gelatin is a tool used on the occasional beer that doesn’t clear on it own.

Yes, we use Whirlfloc each brew. With gelatin, the beers are brilliant clear in about two days. And gelatin is an animal product, which I think explains the horse-barn aroma.

Might switch to Biofine.

[Bel Air Brewing]

I've never used gelatin, but considering where it comes from I'm not surprised by the odor from the packet. I'm more skeptical about the aroma in the beer.

Not an aroma in the finished beer, but the slight hint of dish soap in the flavor.

[Bel Air Brewing]

Doing a search, I am not the only one who experiences this issue:

Well, the recipe worked out well. However, the knox gelatin smells like barnyard. It's extremely noticeable. It isn't that the gelatin is old either - we purchased about a month ago. I had hoped adding the gelatin to the meringue would make the smell thin out, but now it just smells like egg white + orange + barnyard.

From a cooking forum.

[denny]

I've never used gelatin, but considering where it comes from I'm not surprised by the odor from the packet. I'm more skeptical about the aroma in the beer.

Not an aroma in the finished beer, but the slight hint of dish soap in the flavor.

Sometimes indicates a yeast issue.

[narvin]

Knox gelatin does smell sometimes.  I've never noticed the flavor in a beer though.  It's possible but gelatin is taking things out of suspension in the beer and then being removed.

[Bel Air Brewing]

I've never used gelatin, but considering where it comes from I'm not surprised by the odor from the packet. I'm more skeptical about the aroma in the beer.

Not an aroma in the finished beer, but the slight hint of dish soap in the flavor.

Sometimes indicates a yeast issue.

Ok…another rabbit hole to explore. Might be time to start with new yeast, after 30+ generations of trusty Diamond.

[Bob357]

I've used Knox and Great Value, at least 100 times between the two, and never perceived any off flavor or aroma in my beers.

[Iliff Ave]

If you use it on every batch I don’t know why it just appeared. Likely not the gelatin.

[Bel Air Brewing]

If you use it on every batch I don’t know why it just appeared. Likely not the gelatin.

It did not just appear, having been noticed for a long time. But I always thought it might be an over active imagination. Now I think it is very likely from the gelatin.

[majorvices]

Yeast nutrients smell like ammonia, Whirlflock and Brewtan B both have terrible seaweed and earthy aromas. Gelatin has a horse hoof aroma.

I dunno, I never really noticed any of them coming over in the beer when dosed appropriately. That said, I use Biofineand it has no aroma.

[Bel Air Brewing]

Yeast nutrients smell like ammonia, Whirlflock and Brewtan B both have terrible seaweed and earthy aromas. Gelatin has a horse hoof aroma.

I dunno, I never really noticed any of them coming over in the beer when dosed appropriately. That said, I use Biofineand it has no aroma.

That's my plan next time...no more horse parts in my beer!

[Bel Air Brewing]

I've never used gelatin, but considering where it comes from I'm not surprised by the odor from the packet. I'm more skeptical about the aroma in the beer.

Not an aroma in the finished beer, but the slight hint of dish soap in the flavor.

Sometimes indicates a yeast issue.

This will be explored in depth. Two identical beers, with different yeast. Wyeast 2124 (new smack packs) / Diamond (harvested slurry). If it is the yeast, we need to find out. Each Diamond harvest is hyper clean, has a wonderful aroma, and has been a great performer.

More tasting later today.

I was surprised to learn of the soap off flavor in beer, as it is more common than what was thought. The common theme is hair shampoo. There is a wide range of causes for this.

This particular off flavor is very, very subtle. Many would not notice, and that is partly why the imagination factor is being looked at.