Pear aroma and Notty?

I hate to X-post, but I didn't get any takers in the Beginner's forum.

I just tapped my second batch of Biermuncher's Centennial blonde and man all I can smell is pears!

For the sake of learning, I brewed a 10g batch and fermented half w/ US-05 and the other w/ Notty (both @~58-60F ambient). The US-05 batch was consumed several weeks ago and was fantastic! Super clean and crisp w/ just a subtle malt backbone that lets you know it's a quality beer.

The Notty batch smells overwhelmingly of pears and has little to no malt profile that I can distinguish. It doesn't taste bad by any means, but there is almost just no flavor to it. This is my first time using Notty...are these just characteristics of this strain? Both fermentation vessels were identical, brand new better bottles w/ identical sanitation procedures. I can't think of anything that was different between the two batches.

It's very likely the yeast. I find that to be true of Notty. I personally hate it and I have not made a good beer with, though many have I'm sure.

That said, what temp did you ferment at? People with good Notty results seem to ferment low. I have fermented at 68F-70F and got bad results with esters.

My experience with Nottingham yeast is that it's very clean and well-attenuating fermented in the 60s, especially the low-mid 60s. Still, if your temperature was 60 degrees ambient, that should have been on the low end for that yeast. I don't understand why you'd get esters out of that.

That said, what temp did you ferment at?

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Well it was somewhere between 58-64F if I had to guess. I have a Ranco controlled fermentation chamber set at 60F, but I had to make a bootleg "thermowell" (probe taped/insulated to the side of the carboy) so I can't say w/ any certainty. It definitely should be within range though.

I don't understand why you'd get esters out of that.

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So the pears are esters? Could under-pitching or pitching too warm possibly cause them? I didn't re-hydrate and I was around 80F when I pitched if I had to guess.

CharlosCarlies said:

Well it was somewhere between 58-64F if I had to guess. I have a Ranco controlled fermentation chamber set at 60F, but I had to make a bootleg "thermowell" (probe taped/insulated to the side of the carboy) so I can't say w/ any certainty. It definitely should be within range though.



So the pears are esters? Could under-pitching or pitching too warm possibly cause them? I didn't re-hydrate and I was around 80F when I pitched if I had to guess.

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Yep, that is the "fruity" flavor that are esters. Pitching at 80 might do it, especially if fermentation started up within the first 12-24 hours before the fermentation went dwon to the low 60s.

I haven't had that issue with notty, but I definitely get a peach flavor with US-05

charloscharles, you win the award for best avatar. notty is a good yeast . i have found that it likes to be mashed high and fermented low. if you mash at a low temp, it will dry the crap out of the beer. good yeast, just takes some getting used to. love that picture, man!

blackwaterbrewer said:

charloscharles, you win the award for best avatar. notty is a good yeast . i have found that it likes to be mashed high and fermented low. if you mash at a low temp, it will dry the crap out of the beer. good yeast, just takes some getting used to. love that picture, man!

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Haha thanks!

Yeah it definitely turned out much drier than the US-05 batch. The latter finished at 1.010ish and the Notty brought it down to 1.006ish! I'll have to consider your advice next time.

I'm starting to think it was the high pitch temp, but what's weird is the US-05 batch didn't seem to be overly estery. Either way, I guess this is a good excuse to finally get my pre-chiller working w/ the 100+F heat we've been having lately.

Diddo, Notty really dries it out.

CharlosCarlies said:

Well it was somewhere between 58-64F if I had to guess. I have a Ranco controlled fermentation chamber set at 60F, but I had to make a bootleg "thermowell" (probe taped/insulated to the side of the carboy) so I can't say w/ any certainty. It definitely should be within range though.


So the pears are esters? Could under-pitching or pitching too warm possibly cause them? I didn't re-hydrate and I was around 80F when I pitched if I had to guess.

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Your bootleg thermowell should be pretty much bang on. You don't 'need' a thermowell. I do the same as you.

Pitching at 80F is probably what caused these esters. Yooper's right, you shouldn't have got them otherwise. I find it crucial to start fermenting low with almost all beers.

How about wait a few weeks and try it again?