Banana Esters, Porter, What to do now?

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Yourrealdad

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So my third batch has been made and it is Ed's Bee Cave Porter, which was my second as well. Fermentation temps got a little high today 68-72 according to the three colors on my therm strip. I have a strong banana smell coming out of the blow off.

I can't find a decisive answer about whether esters can go away. Some say yes others say no. Some say it will mellow with time.

My question is what can I do as far as storing in the primary and bottling that will reduce the ester flavors? Time, temps. I can store it pretty cold in my garage cause I am in CO if cold crashing will help.

Thanks again,
Just trying to salvage a great recipe.
 
When did you pitch your yeast and how long has it been vigorously fermenting so far?? What kind of yeast are you using??

The smells emanating from the fermenter are not necessarily an exact indication of what you will end up with at the end of fermentation and after bottling/conditioning/ageing. Porters are often pretty funky smelling during fermentation, anyway.

Firstly, it's probably going to be advantageous to just leave the beer in primary for a minimum of three weeks from pitching. Then check FG and bottle, if stable, and condition at room temp for 3 weeks.
If, after a three week warm conditioning followed by a few days to a week in the fridge, the beer still seems to be in need of more time to condition, your garage storing option sounds like it'd be a good idea. Porters are one of those beers that really do benefit from extended ageing/conditioning before they come into their own and start tasting optimum.
 
Pitched my yeast on Friday night around 7pm. Pitched it on roughly 70 degree wort. Used dry Nottingham. Had fermentation in 12 hours and vigourous fermentation in about 18-24hrs for about 2 days. Getting a gurgle about every minute or so now.
 
Might be a little too warm for that strain so it's kicking out some esters. That's not something you can undo. It's done. As others have said, do not rely on what you are smelling out of the airlock as a sign of what your beer will smell like. A lot of those esters are getting blown out, which is why you smell them.

The esters will fade slightly over time but not entirely. It's not completely out of style for english beers to exhibit a small amount of ester.
 
I had a bit higher temps on Nottingham yeast on a pale ale, gave it a fruity character but not overwhelmingly and very drinkable. I have a porter that I fermented at 67 Deg with Notty and it is wonderful, so much so I am entering it in a couple of competitions to see what happens.
I think you will be just fine.
 
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