Tastes and smells yeast

[Jesse93]

This has happened to a lot of my home brews, and I don't feel like dry hopping the crap out of everything just to cover it... It is the yeasty smell and taste that I am talking about that keeps ruin my home brews.

This has happened with several yeast strains; us-05, nottingham, mauribrew draught and WLP029. The procedure has been the same for every brew; chill the wort down and aearate it then pitch the yeast (at the right cell count. I have tried to over/underpitch with no different results. Rehydrating the dry yeast doens't affect the result) and let the beer ferment in the cellar, then bottle it when it is done. The taste of yeast is equally strong as after 2 weeks from botteling to over a month.

Is there anything in the process that can reduce the raw yeasty taste? It is not esters, fusel alcohols, acetaldehyde or anything like that. Actually, the fermentation is fairly clean. Except that the yeast flavour doesn't go away.

 

[unionrdr]

Are you allowing the beer to fully attenuate in the fermenter? Then allowing it to settle out/clean up clear or slightly misty before bottling?

 

[badlee]

Do you bring the temperature up towards the end of fermentation?
This could help make sure your fermentation is complete AND will let the beer gas off some,thus loosing any unwanted fermentation related aromas.

 

[PADave]

What temps are you fermenting at? And for how long?

 

[ncsuwerewolf]

Frmentation temp helps. Cold crashing hard or a solid cold crash and either waiting for all your yeast and particulates to settle out or fining with gelatine will provide you with clean, crisp beer for 37 pints per keg.

 

[Jesse93]

Are you allowing the beer to fully attenuate in the fermenter? Then allowing it to settle out/clean up clear or slightly misty before bottling?

I have never made a clear beer to be honest. I don't know why, irish moss etc doesn't seem to work...

 

[Jesse93]

Do you bring the temperature up towards the end of fermentation?
This could help make sure your fermentation is complete AND will let the beer gas off some,thus loosing any unwanted fermentation related aromas.

Yes, in some cases 7-8 degrees celcius.

 

[Jesse93]

What temps are you fermenting at? And for how long?

Mostly 2 weeks. Anything from 18 to 25 degrees celcius. I haven't noticed any difference depending on the temperature

 

[JimRausch]

I have never made a clear beer to be honest. I don't know why, irish moss etc doesn't seem to work...

I believe this is your answer. If it's cloudy, there is most likely yeast in suspension.
Remedies:
1.Make sure it ferments to completion
2.Give it an extra week to let the yeast settle
3.Cold crash and hit her with gelatin. Then let it sit cold for the rest of the week before packaging.
Guaranteed you'll get clear beer.

 

[unionrdr]

Here's an unasked question. Are you steeping or partial mashing any grain malts? If so, it could be starch haze from incomplete conversion in the mash. Or trying to steep grains that have to be mashed?...

 

[flars]

Here's an unasked question. Are you steeping or partial mashing any grain malts? If so, it could be starch haze from incomplete conversion in the mash. Or trying to steep grains that have to be mashed?...

What @uniondr says and keep your beer in the fermentor at least three weeks if you don't have the ability to cold crash. Don't move the fermentor the day you will rack to the bottling bucket. This will stir up the yeast that has settled.

 

[PADave]

Whirlfloc at the end of the boil combined with 3 weeks in the fermenter and I get clear beer every time.

 

[Jesse93]

I believe this is your answer. If it's cloudy, there is most likely yeast in suspension.
Remedies:
1.Make sure it ferments to completion
2.Give it an extra week to let the yeast settle
3.Cold crash and hit her with gelatin. Then let it sit cold for the rest of the week before packaging.
Guaranteed you'll get clear beer.

I could make the first two steps, but I have to wait untill its winter for the third step I can't fit a bucket in my fridge.

The clearest beer that I have made was with US-05:

just by keeping the bottles in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Also, the taste was very clear in comparison with the other beers so maybe you are right

 

[Jesse93]

Here's an unasked question. Are you steeping or partial mashing any grain malts? If so, it could be starch haze from incomplete conversion in the mash. Or trying to steep grains that have to be mashed?...

All grains are mashed togehter, I use the BIAB-method.

 

[flars]

Problem may be not letting the beer finish and clear in the primary and/or when racking to the bottling bucket the siphon is in the compacted yeast layer.

 

[unionrdr]

All grains are mashed togehter, I use the BIAB-method.

But the question is, are you getting good conversion? Any remaining unconverted starches will cause haze that won't settle out completely.

 

[JimRausch]

I could make the first two steps, but I have to wait untill its winter for the third step I can't fit a bucket in my fridge.

The clearest beer that I have made was with US-05:

just by keeping the bottles in the fridge for 2-3 weeks. Also, the taste was very clear in comparison with the other beers so maybe you are right

Well now, that's beautifully clear. And a cool label by the way.
I cold crash in a swamp bucket with 1/2 gallon ice bottles- usually start with 4 overnight, then continue with 2 replaced twice daily. I can get down to 40-45 even when the environmental temps are 80ish. After the overnight, I hit it with gelatin, then hold it in the 40ish range for an additional 2-3 days.
A little bit of labor= wicked clear beer.

 

[kh54s10]

Did you taste the yeast in that more clear beer? Are you pouring out of the bottle? If so are you pouring carefully and leaving the last 1/4 inch in the bottle. If you dump the whole bottle into the glass you will get the yeast that has settled to the bottom.

If you are sensitive to the yeast taste you may have to resort to filtering your beers.

 

[GHBWNY]

...the taste was very clear in comparison with the other beers...

So, what you're telling us is that your clear beer = clear taste, or conversely, yeast in suspension = yeast you taste. The answer seems quite simple --- do something to get that yeast out of suspension. The pic you posted shows extremely clear beer, and by your own admission, "the taste was very clear." So, whatever you did for that beer, replicate for your others. Problem solved.

You say you can't cold-crash because of it not being winter? Don't you have ice where you live? Couldn't you put your fermenter/keg/whatever in a tub and pack it with ice for a couple days? It could only help your clarity, thus helping your yeast-taste problem.

 

[Jesse93]

So, what you're telling us is that your clear beer = clear taste, or conversely, yeast in suspension = yeast you taste. The answer seems quite simple --- do something to get that yeast out of suspension. The pic you posted shows extremely clear beer, and by your own admission, "the taste was very clear." So, whatever you did for that beer, replicate for your others. Problem solved.

You say you can't cold-crash because of it not being winter? Don't you have ice where you live? Couldn't you put your fermenter/keg/whatever in a tub and pack it with ice for a couple days? It could only help your clarity, thus helping your yeast-taste problem.

I really didn't do anything special with that beer, it had been in the fridge for maybe 2-3 weeks. If I remember right it was just 95% belgian pale ale malt and 5% caravienne, without any dry hopping. I tried a porter the other day that I brewed in November last year which came out yeasty. I just stored it in a basement and it came out crystal clear. Maybe I just need to store my homebrews for a month or two after they have fully carbonated.

Ofcourse there is ice here, problem is that I don't have access to a tub either. On the winters I could cold crash the beer outside, but with the risk of freezing during the nights.

 

[Jesse93]

I brewed one another ale with US-05 instead of Mauribrew Draught as I used in the mentioned one. It came out crystal clear already after a few days in the fermentor. And people say it has poor to moderate flocculation abilities... No yeast smell or taste what so ever. I don't know why I've had yeasty taste with US-05 before, since it drops like a rock for me. The beauty of home brewing