Filtration & "Yeasty Flavor" questions

#1 So I just aquired a Buon Vino mini jet that is used to filter wine and Im curious if anybody has used one of these to filter their beer? Also wondering if I will still be able to carbonate with priming sugar after using said filter since I do not have the equipment to carbonate with CO2... I'd just prefer to not have to potentially waste a batch to find out if somebody already knows the answer, I like to drink it not pour it out!

#2 I have been brewing for 2 years now and have consistently noticed a "yeasty" flavor to my brews; only a few of my friends with more discerning palates are able to taste this but agree with me that it is definitely there.... I just want to taste beer! Any thoughts on what could be causing this? I haven't gone all-grain yet so I didn't know if that has something to do with it, I am very meticulous with sanitation and temperatures. I thought maybe not racking to secondary might be causing it so Im trying it with my current batch to see if it changes anything. Other techniques that I have used with no change in flavor are cold crashing and gelatin.

1. never used a filter, even on kolsch, so I can't comment.

2. lots of different yeasts and they all end up 'yeasty' in the final beer?
How long in primary normally?

Grossly overpitching will leave you with yeasty beer, or using bread yeast instead of brewer's yeast (sure it works but its not 'ideal' and I do speak from experience).

Have any other homebrewer's tasted your 'yeasty' beer? I'm wondering if its not something like 'extract twang' that is confusing your tastebuds.

All different Yeasts, I use whatever comes in the ingredient kits; I never use more than what is provided. Pretty long in primary, minimum2-3 weeks, had one in for 2 months once. The only other homebrewers that have tasted it are just starting off and don't have a discriminatory palate yet. It could certainly be from the extract, which might haunt me until I have the equipment to go to all-grain....

jpg5080 said:

All different Yeasts, I use whatever comes in the ingredient kits; I never use more than what is provided. Pretty long in primary, minimum2-3 weeks, had one in for 2 months once. The only other homebrewers that have tasted it are just starting off and don't have a discriminatory palate yet. It could certainly be from the extract, which might haunt me until I have the equipment to go to all-grain....

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You've used liquid yeast and dry yeast, of all different types and brands?

YooperBrew said:

You've used liquid yeast and dry yeast, of all different types and brands?

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Yes; Liquid, dry, whatever comes with the ingredient kit, usually munton's. I only used liquid once and that was with an oatmeal stout if I remember correctly. That was the second batch I ever made and I didnt note what kind of liquid yeast it was.

#1 If you filter out the yeasts, you won't have yeasts available to carb in the bottles (unless you add yeast back in).

#2 Do you experience the same taste in commercial bottled beer? It may be that your taste buds are just hypersensitive to the taste of yeast. When you pour a bottle, are you pouring in the trub from the bottom of the bottle, or are you leaving the last of the beer behind in the bottle? If the trub is getting into your glass, that can make it taste yeasty. (Or, are you drinking out of the bottle???)

The first thing I would do is ditch the Munton's- it's just not as good as a good quality yeast. Try Safale S05, and ferment at under 70 degrees. I have a feeling the yeasty flavor is coming from poor yeast quality and a too-high fermentation temperature.

I'd also recommend a good quality kit. Are you using kits with freshly crushed specialty grains and fresh (NOT canned) extract? That will make a big difference in flavor, and using a good yeast in the right proportions will make a difference. I think most Munton's yeast are 6 grams, while others are 11 grams. Underpitching can cause some weird yeast flavors, so make sure you're pitching the optimum amount of yeast at the correct temperature (almost always about 65 degrees).

- I had a feeling that the filter might make bottle carbonating difficult, thanks for confirmation

- I do not experience this same yeasty taste with commercially bottled beer, and I am a freak about keeping the trub in the bottle and out of my glass.

- most of the kits I use utilize at least SOME canned extract so the higher quality kits are definitely something I will look into

- Thanks for the heads up on better yeast products, Ill give em' a try below 70 degrees.

Thanks for all the input, appreciate the solidarity!

I'd be happy to taste your beer and give you my thoughts, plus let you try some of mine.

I'd vote for temperatures being a tad high, especially later in the fermentation, since you haven't mentioned a lot of esters, which is the common sign of too high a temperature during really ACTIVE fermentation. I know this taste and it drove me crazy in my early brewing. I believe what you are tasting is a bit higher than normal autolysis of the yeast.

Now before everyone replies and says myth alert, you are wrong. Autolysis is a normal part of the yeast life cycle. The awful flavors supposed to be from autolysis have been mistakenly associated with this normal biological process. Wine makers make extensive use of this process, leaving the wine on the lees (spent yeast) to develop the bready/yeasty flavors found is some chardonnays and good sparkling wine.

I think some people are more sensitive to this flavor, plus it can be better masked in some beer styles. I also think some people like it and have no problem with it. I'm with you. I don't like it in most beer styles. If doing primary only brewing, do your best to not let it get too warm late in the process. Or you can do a transfer to another fermenter for additional aging away from the bulk of the yeast. This latter method is what helped me get rid of the yeasty taste in my early brews. HOWEVER, as I've brewed more and more, and gotten much better at temperature control, I will often do primary only brews.

I agree...Munton's is only good for emergency "I have no good yeast left to use!" situations.

I also say troll around the forums here and see if you can find a more experienced brewer to stop over for a critique. I recently popped over to a forum member's house to fix his keg that wouldn't dispense. In the process I found out he was using PBW as his only sanitizer.
And because of that, I joined the local brew club to mooch off their expertise and experience