Question on aging...

paul · 09-27-2009, 03:03 PM

I am brewing my first batch (an amber ale) and I am at my FG that I need to be at. I took a sample last night and it had a banana flavor to it. I did a search on the forum and have seen people report flavors like this from higher fermentation temps. (Mine was 70-75) I have read where this flavor will mellow out into the beer and it will taste fine with giving it some time to age.

Here's my question on. Should I let it age in the primary, or can I let it age in the bottles since I have to carbonate the beer any way? Will it make a difference on how the beer ages?

NHBeerDude · 09-27-2009, 03:05 PM

I would age in the bottles.

**Revvy** · 09-27-2009, 03:09 PM

You'll find that many of us leave our beers alone in primary for 3-4 weeks before we bottle, that lets the yeast clean up some of the things that lead to off flavors. That still won't take away the need for bottle conditioning, but not rushing the beer off the yeast right away after you reach your gravity will go a long way to making your beer great.

I know from experience that leaving my beers in primary for a month has improved them in terms of clarity and flavor, and has resulted in some great comments by judges on my beers. I go by what palmer taks about here.

Quote:

How to Brew

The fermentation of malt sugars into beer is a complicated biochemical process. It is more than just the conversion of sugar to alcohol, which can be regarded as the primary activity. Total fermentation is better defined as three phases, the Adaptation or Lagtime phase, the Primary or Attenuative phase and a Secondary or Conditioning phase. The yeast do not end Phase 2 before beginning Phase 3, the processes occur in parallel, but the conditioning processes occur more slowly. As the majority of simple sugars are consumed, more and more of the yeast will transition to eating the larger, more complex sugars and early yeast by-products. This is why beer (and wine) improves with age to a degree, as long as they are on the yeast. Beer that has been filtered or pasteurized will not benefit from aging.

...8.2.2 Primary or Attenuative Phase

The primary or attenuative phase is marked by a time of vigorous fermentation when the gravity of the beer drops by 2/3-3/4 of the original gravity (OG). The majority of the attenuation occurs during the primary phase, and can last anywhere from 2-6 days for ales, or 4-10 days for lagers, depending on conditions.

Many canned kits will advise bottling the beer after one week or after the krausen has subsided. This is not a good idea because the beer has not yet gone through the Conditioning phase. At this time the beer would taste a bit rough around the edges (e.g. yeasty flavors, buttery tones, green apple flavors) but these off-flavors will disappear after a few weeks of conditioning.

The reactions that take place during the conditioning phase are primarily a function of the yeast. The vigorous primary stage is over, the majority of the wort sugars have been converted to alcohol, and a lot of the yeast cells are going dormant - but some are still active.

The Secondary Phase allows for the slow reduction of the remaining fermentables. The yeast have eaten most all of the easily fermentable sugars and now start to turn their attention elsewhere. The yeast start to work on the heavier sugars like maltotriose. Also, the yeast clean up some of the byproducts they produced during the fast-paced primary phase.

Leaving an ale beer in the primary fermentor for a total of 2-3 weeks (instead of just the one week most canned kits recommend), will provide time for the conditioning reactions and improve the beer. This extra time will also let more sediment settle out before bottling, resulting in a clearer beer and easier pouring. And, three weeks in the primary fermentor is usually not enough time for off-flavors to occur.

I would leave the beer alone for at least another week or two, letting the large amount of yeast do what they can, then bottle and let bottle conditioning tackle it as well.....

I haven't found a beer in my experience YET that didn't improve with time...We're not making koolaid here...yeast do amazing things if we give them the chance...even the single can of hopped lme, given some more time on the yeast, can become something sublime....

paul · 09-27-2009, 03:21 PM

Great!! Thanks so much for the info. Total it has been 2 weeks in the primary . I am going to give it at least one more week if not longer before I bottle. At my temps (70-75) do you think this banana flavor will come up often with ales?

Thanks Again
Paul

**Revvy** · 09-27-2009, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by paul

Great!! Thanks so much for the info. Total it has been 2 weeks in the primary . I am going to give it at least one more week if not longer before I bottle. At my temps (70-75) do you think this banana flavor will come up often with ales?

Thanks Again
Paul

I don't recommend anyone stress about any tastes they find until it's even been 6 weeks in the bottle...The beer has a big journey to go through still, during bottle conditioning.

I have a pretty detailed blog about this here; Revvy's Blog; Of Patience and Bottle Conditioning.

After the beer passes a window of at least 3 weeks but about 6 for stronger ales, THEN if the flavor has not goen away or re-ceeded, THEN we can look to see what caused the off flavor, using a flavor wheel or a chart...but while the beer is green, it can mimic many of those off flavors....except if it is green, they fade away.

If you read this you'll see that sometimes it may take longer...http://www.homebrewtalk.com/f39/never-dump-your-beer-patience-virtue-time-heals-all-things-even-beer-73254/

But I betcha even the Banana flavor may be gone after conditioning.

HotbreakHotel · 09-27-2009, 08:22 PM

I think your banana taste could have come from the high fermentation temps. To control esters, it's better under 70, and better yet at 65 or less. I used to get esters until I started fermenting at 65.

+1 I think the esters will condition out eventually.