Yeast starter led to yeast bite

Made a standard yeast starter (per white labs) with california ale yeast for a 1.056 OG amber. Since using starters I have been getting persistent yeast bite even after 3 weeks in the refrigerated corny. I did a 2 week primary, 2 week secondary, and then force carbed for 2 weeks before tasting. Is this due to overpitching? My FG is a bit lower lower with the starter by maybe .002. That is good but not worth the yeasty taste. Any ideas?

Are you pitching the starter liquid as well? You may be getting off flavors from the starter beer. I prefer to fully ferment, crash, decant, and then pitch so I'm not putting the nasty oxidized starter liquid in my wort. If it is just a yeasty taste that should settle out over time. You could use some gelatin to help drop the yeast out quicker.

I don't believe that a 2qt starter can add off flavors to a beer.

I think your yeast bite problems are because you're using one of the worst flocculating yeasts. Either switch to a more flocculant strain (WLP051 is similar to 001) or start using gelatin.

I'm pretty sensitive to yeast bite, so I always use gelatin to clear everything up.

I did pitch the whole liquid. When i was pitching just the vial was getting a clean beer. How long should I let the starter go (i.e. 24 hours, 36 hours, until ???) before I refigerate and let settle, and then decant before pitching? Thanks!

I like the higher attenuation (higher abv) with WL001 - but don't like the higher yeast flavor (lower flocculation). What is the best balanced yeast for an amber ale?

English yeasts have great flocculation as well. WLP007 is good, and I like the malty flavors.

But if you want to stay pretty clean and neutral, try the 051, it's awesome. I stand by my earlier assertion: it's a very slim chance that your yeast starters are contributing off flavors, unless you're fermenting them at 90 degrees for a week.

rimfire said:

I did pitch the whole liquid. When i was pitching just the vial was getting a clean beer. How long should I let the starter go (i.e. 24 hours, 36 hours, until ???) before I refigerate and let settle, and then decant before pitching? Thanks!

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I will in part agree with Kanzi in that a few quarts of starter are not going to impact the flavor of an amber much; however, if you taste the starter beer its not something you want to drink so adding it to the whole will impart some flavor. The bigger the flavor of a beer the more room to hide off flavors. However, if you id'd your off flavor correctly as being yeast bite then I would go back to what Kanzi and I said, clear out the yeast with gelatin and you will be GTG.

Possibly try the Wyeast 1332 Northwest, a little more in the way of esters and a little less attenuation in exchange for the high flocculation. Or better yet 1272 American II, similar to 1056 or WL001, good attenuation and flocculation and if fermented cooler is good and clean. My LHBS doesn't carry WL so I don't have much in the way of practicle knowledge with them.

The first pint or so will have most of the leftover yeast that didn't floc out during primary/secondary. Maybe you just haven't had enough samples