Banana smell in the fermenter

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El Cazador

El Cazador

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I did some searching around here and have come to the conclusion that my fermentation temp is too high. My thermometer (which is reading from inside my mini-brew) reads 72. I'm brewing a Belgian Christmas ale - I can't remember what White Labs yeast I was using, but I can check on that.

To my point . . . I've read that if I let it sit a bit longer the banana smell will go away. Is this right? Should I attempt to cool it down? I got caught in a 10 degree upswing in the weather in the last couple days, and I'm limited to my garage for fermentation. I guess I can throw a wet towel over my fermenter and put a fan on it?
 
FullSack said:
I did some searching around here and have come to the conclusion that my fermentation temp is too high. My thermometer (which is reading from inside my mini-brew) reads 72. I'm brewing a Belgian Christmas ale - I can't remember what White Labs yeast I was using, but I can check on that.

To my point . . . I've read that if I let it sit a bit longer the banana smell will go away. Is this right? Should I attempt to cool it down? I got caught in a 10 degree upswing in the weather in the last couple days, and I'm limited to my garage for fermentation. I guess I can throw a wet towel over my fermenter and put a fan on it?
Click to expand...

you definitely need to get it out of the garage unless it's in some sort of super insulated box or something so that temp is kept constant. the temp of a garage fluctuates waay too much.

also, check out Whitelabs webpage. i know that at least in the shop, i saw a poster that had all of the fermenting temps for their yeasts.

good luck
 
Based on what I've seen with my own beer and what I've read, it should start fading as your fementation slows and continue through aging. The degree to which it fades will probably depend on your specific variables... yeast, grains, temps, time, etc.
 
I don't think 72 is too high for that yeast...it's in the high end of the range but I don't think its over the top. The high temp. the more esters will be produced. That is what is giving you your banana flavor. Keep in mind that some yeasts prodoce more esters that others.

I have the WL poster that madrein is talking about...I'll check it out for you when I get home from work tonight.
 
Bopper359 said:
I don't think 72 is too high for that yeast...it's in the high end of the range but I don't think its over the top.
Click to expand...

my thoughts exactly, my garage has really stable temps. I live on the coast, so I have a nice cloud cover this time of year that keeps things cool.
 

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