Can anyone tell me why Safale S0-4 has a rather strong smell and taste in my brew?

We have brewed a few batches with Safale S0-4 and all of them has this interesting slight smell/taste in the beer. Nothing unpleasant....but we are not into it at all.

Basically....after the siphoning....we smell the yeast cake that is left over in the fermenter, and we can conclude that that is the smell/flavour our beers have. Why is this? Is this normal?

The problem is that it is not something I have ever tasted in a beer, but it is not too strong...so I doubt it can be an infection or something. My friend keeps telling me that it has the smell/aroma of a wheat beer (weissbier). I kinda agree with him.

A little bit of info on my fermenation:
MO single malt, using ideal temperature between 15-20 C (59-68F). I am using a plastic fermenter. My beers are simple....English ales.

It could be esters that you are not fond of, but it is hard to say without experiencing first hand. What is your fermenting temperature and how long does the beer stay in the primary?

how would you describe this smell? does it smell like anything else we might recognize?

Have you tried s-05?

BrewinHooligan said:

It could be esters that you are not fond of, but it is hard to say without experiencing first hand. What is your fermenting temperature and how long does the beer stay in the primary?

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MO single malt, using ideal temperature between 15-20 C (59-68F). I am using a plastic fermenter. My beers are simple....English ales.

Malric said:

Have you tried s-05?

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Next batch is going to be with S-05. I have already bought a sachet of that yeast. I am more into the American IPAs ...than the English style ales.

sweetcell said:

how would you describe this smell? does it smell like anything else we might recognize?

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it is hard to tell. The problem is that it is not something I have ever tasted in a beer, but it is not too strong...so I doubt it can be an infection or something. My friend keeps telling me that it has the slightly fruity smell/aroma of a wheat beer (weissbier). I kinda agree with him.

Sounds like esters; they're what give that fruity/banana smell in wheat beers. English strains tend to give off more of that character during fermentation, and ime S-04 tends to get quite fruity, especially during warmer fermentation.

If it's esters, I also think you'll prefer the S-05 more.

It's definitely the esters (the stuff that adds "fruitiness" to beers) that are produced by the S-04 yeast during fermentation, based on the yeast and what you described. S-04 doesn't ferment as clean as S-05, and is generally more widely used in wheat beers/belgians, because of the esters it produces. If it ferments too warm (72ish+), it can impart a fruity/banana aroma and flavor that won't really settle out for months. But regardless of fermentation temps, it has more "fruity" flavors/aroma than S-05.

If you're making ales that aren't wheat/belgian/fruity, etc. you would probably be happier with S-05's results.

I really like the SA-04. The smell is nice. It might be esters or a bit of sulfur, I'm not sure but I find the beers brewed with 04 to be more flavorful. I have also found that if fermented at too high a temp, then the banana smell is present but with longer aging it too, disappears.

I use the 05 also if I want more complete attenuation and higher ABV or to let the hops stand out more. The 04 to me is much better at allowing the malt flavors to come forth.

Its all a matter of taste though. So Try the 05 or try the WL001, I think, for a cleaner less"smelly" brew. Nottingham works in that regard also, at least from my experience, which is oh, so slight.

I like S04 because it leaves a nice clear beer, but I don't care much for the flavor of it. It's tolerable at about 64 degrees (beer temperature, NOT ambient!) or less. It's pretty neutral at 59 degrees, but gets fruity after about 62 degrees.

Yooper said:

I like S04 because it leaves a nice clear beer, but I don't care much for the flavor of it. It's tolerable at about 64 degrees (beer temperature, NOT ambient!) or less. It's pretty neutral at 59 degrees, but gets fruity after about 62 degrees.

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I agree with this 100%. I love how clear this yeast drops and how I can pour every last drop from the bottle without getting much yeast in my glass. When I do use this yeast, I ferment around 60f to limit the yeast character.

Yooper said:

I like S04 because it leaves a nice clear beer, but I don't care much for the flavor of it. It's tolerable at about 64 degrees (beer temperature, NOT ambient!) or less. It's pretty neutral at 59 degrees, but gets fruity after about 62 degrees.

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I like S-04, and yeah it gets fruity. Haven't found a beer judge that likes it yet.

That's right, I had forgotten about that. The beer finishes fermenting in record time and goes totally clear really fast. I did a wee heavy with it and it took off so fast that it kept blowing off the overflow hose. the first blow off before I set up the hose, it blew the entire "bubbler" right to the ceiling and sprayed wort over the entire room. I have yet to get it off the blown ceiling. It will probably have to be replaced.

Yes, it's important to distinguish between 68 beer temp, and 68 ambient temp. A beer fermented with S-04 at 68 ambient could be quite nasty. I'm with Yooper in that I don't like the flavors it gives when fermented above about 65F in the beer.