Beer keeps tasting fruity

[RishoBrew]

After about dozen of partial mass batches I've decided to go all-grain for couple of reasons. Curiosity was one, but the main was a promise of better tasting beer. All my extract batches which included, ales, stouts, hybrids, and lagers had a very similar fruity taste. I concluded this was due to the Breiss LMEs/DMEs I was using - the only brand my local store carry. Actually once or twice I used Muntons LME. I even had several people with experience tasted them but at this point I don't recall what they said.

So my first all-grain while it was okay, I felt it was a disaster. Mostly because I kept thinking "Am I doing it right?" I have a rectangular cooler that converted to a mash tun and prior to brewing I've tested it to see how well it holds temperature and over a course or an hour it only lost a degree or two, so I was happy with that. For kettle I use an aluminum turkey fryer pot that's 6.5 gallons to the brim - not ideal but it was free with the propane burner included. I used batch sparging to collect about 6 gallon of worth.

So anyway, so the batch, to my surprise came out tasting very similarly to the extract batches. The entire process, in my mind, wasn't focused on the beer, but on my new set up and how it performed. I brewed a simple pilsner, used Bavarian Lager Wyeast 2206 and it was drinkable - still with a fruity taste.

My next two all-grain batches, which I did back to back on the same day, were Sam Adams clone and Pumpkin Ale. I've done the Sam Adams before from an partial mash and it came out great, probably my most favorite batch. With the pumpkin, I was improvising. We have local brewery, Bristol Brewing that does a famous pumpkin every fall and while never having tasting a pumpkin ale, I decided to brew one. I used their grain bill and yeast which they have published on their site (without actual amounts). So I had my supply store put together the actual ratios. For this I opted for Wyeast London Ale 1028. I used real pumpkin that I peeled and baked in the oven. I tasted it and it was good, mild, chewy and overall pleasant. The problem I encountered with mashing was that the calculated strike temperature was way too low after I added the grains and pumpkin, so quickly heated up more water, it took about 4 gallon bring it to the ideal temperature. The Sam Adams was not an issue, I tried to do both in a tandem and the entire process took about 8 hours. I used Bavarian Lager Wyeast 2206.

Pumpkin was fermented in a spare room with a radiant heater on to attempt to maintain a target commemorator of 70F but through out the 4 weeks of fermentation, the temperature fluctuated sometimes as much as 5-7 degrees but mostly down. The Sam Adams was in the basement in near steady 63F.

So while I don't know what a pumpkin ale supposed to taste like, it has distinct fruity flavor and the taste of spices are prevalent. The other is also fruity tasting, nowhere near as good as the extract version of the same.

Is it ester I'm tasting? I've concluded that perhaps my fermentation methods aren't good. How can I improve this? What can I do to maintain a steady temperature, or is the fluctuation I've described acceptable? Also I will be getting a proper brew kettle in a near future.

 

[billl]

"I've concluded that perhaps my fermentation methods aren't good."

Yep. You want a steady temp in the appropriate range for the yeast . For most yeast, that would be around 65ish. Belgian and british yeasts tend to be much more prone to "fruity" at higher and/or fluctuating temps than "clean" american yeasts.

The bavarian lager yeast has a preferred temp range of 46-58 degrees, so 70+ is waaaay out of range.

 

[RM-MN]

If you beer is fermenting at an ambient temperature of 63, the actual fermenting temperature is more like 65 to 67, too high for the yeast strain you chose which will often give you the fruity flavors you notice. Try keeping it a bit cooler by setting the fermenter in a tub of water (this alone may be enough) and add frozen water bottles to keep the water temp at or below the 63 degrees. This can work well for Danstar Nottingham but would still be way too warm for a lager yeast. If you can keep the beer temp down in the mid 50's, Nottingham will ferment so clean you will think you used a lager yeast. It will also take a long time so be patient with it.

 

[RishoBrew]

The bavarian lager yeast has a preferred temp range of 46-58 degrees, so 70+ is waaaay out of range.

So today I'm brewing a California Common, that requires ale temperatures but uses lager yearst - Wyeast 2112 (California Lager). I'm following this recipe AG version: http://byo.com/hops/item/2123-california-common-style-profile

So if the temp suggested is 62F what should the ambient temperature be?

 

[billl]

The beer temp will be a couple degrees higher than the room temp during active fermentation. Of course, that really depends on how active the fermentation is. I'd target an ambient temp of 60-61 and then just pay attention to make sure the fermenter isn't heating up much more than that.

 

[RM-MN]

So today I'm brewing a California Common, that requires ale temperatures but uses lager yearst - Wyeast 2112 (California Lager). I'm following this recipe AG version: http://byo.com/hops/item/2123-california-common-style-profile

So if the temp suggested is 62F what should the ambient temperature be?

Try keeping it a bit cooler by setting the fermenter in a tub of water (this alone may be enough) and add frozen water bottles to keep the water temp at or below the 63 degrees.

Any way you can keep the temperature under control is fine. Since you have a cool basement, set the fermenter in a tub of water. This will help keep the ferment from raising the temperature very much. If you want that one degree cooler, drop a frozen water bottle in the water. Monitor the temperature of the beer, not just the water it sets in.:rockin:

There isn't a sure way to use ambient temperature to get a specific beer temp because every ferment can be different due to the pitch rate and vigor of the yeast. With that said, when I have an ambient of 62, the beer temp seems to be between 64 and 65.

 

[RishoBrew]

So if the temperature on the self-adhesive strip style thermometer indicates 60, it's not really 60?

 

[Limbrizik]

Your stick on thermometer should be fine. The other posters are just saying the air temp in the room your beer is in will be cooler than your beer temp but if you go off of your stick on thermometer then all is well. Another way to avoid fruitiness in your beer is to pitch an adequate amount of yeast. If you don't use enough the yeast can get stressed and create all sorts of unpleasant flavors. The easiest way to avoid this is to use a dry yeast, such as nottingham as previously mentioned. Good luck!

 

[Drk93TT]

So if the temperature on the self-adhesive strip style thermometer indicates 60, it's not really 60?

The only 100% accurate reading will come from a thermowell submersed in the fermenting wort. Strip gets ya close. Ferm. temps above recommended for the yeast used will cause off-flavors.

 

[Horseflesh]

The "set it and forget it" convenience of a mini fridge fermentation chamber is fantastic. I can't imagine brewing without one.

 

[RM-MN]

The only 100% accurate reading will come from a thermowell submersed in the fermenting wort. Strip gets ya close. Ferm. temps above recommended for the yeast used will cause off-flavors.

People who have tested both show that the temperature measured by the thermowell varied from the outside of the fermenter by about 1/2 degree F. which isn't a significant difference considering that the stick on strips only show full degree increments which are subject to interpretation. In any case the difference is a pretty minor consideration in fermenting beer.