Banana/bubblegum off flavors

[Squidmanoo7]

I made a few brews with gallons of water no off flavors....started using city water n all my brews have this off flavor of bananas what causes this. I have used campden tablets. still got it

 

[bransona]

Usually, banana flavor comes from esters. have you switched yeast? Are you fermenting warmer?

 

[Squidmanoo7]

I did switch to white labs and used a champagne yeast for an experiment

 

[dmtaylor]

Fermenting warm, more than 70 F (or 21 C) will cause these flavors with some yeasts. Ferment cooler, in the low 60s, from now on and forever. Also, underpitching the yeast can contribute to this as well. If you're not making a yeast starter with every batch, you really need to, especially with White Labs yeast. It helps wake up the yeast and get them starting to think about multiplying, and prevents stressing them out which can cause off-flavors.

 

[bransona]

fermenting warm, more than 70 f (or 21 c) will cause these flavors with some yeasts. Ferment cooler, in the low 60s, from now on and forever. Also, underpitching the yeast can contribute to this as well. If you're not making a yeast starter with every batch, you really need to, especially with white labs yeast. It helps wake up the yeast and get them starting to think about multiplying, and prevents stressing them out which can cause off-flavors.

+1

 

[Squidmanoo7]

Ok thanks!!! I just pitched n shook to aerate it I bought an aerator to make it easier than shaking a carboy

 

[brewcat]

Fermenting warm, more than 70 F (or 21 C) will cause these flavors with some yeasts. Ferment cooler, in the low 60s, from now on and forever.

Not necessarily. It just depends what flavor your going for. Some yeast is better with higher temps.

 

[alefort]

Also, depending on the yeast, the presence of too many simple chain sugars will cause an over production of the banana ester in beer. What was your Specific Gravity of the wort going into the carboy, and what was your mash temp?

 

[Squidmanoo7]

I mashed at 158-160