Why are so many people against esters in their ales

[Big_Cat]

I mean i like fruit beers so the esters are a given but I've read so much negative about it that I'm beginning to think I have gotten to like what others try to get rid off....

 

[xmacro]

There are over 60 different esters in beer, you're gonna have to be more specific

Higher alcohols are volatile and intensely flavored. At elevated levels, they may impart intensely fruity or
solvent-like characters to beer. The balance between the levels of higher alcohols and esters is an important factor in determining the beer’s drinkability. Higher alcohols are implicated as the cause of hangover headaches.

Beer contains around 60 different esters, but only a few are important to beer flavor and aroma. To understand the factors that affect ester formation, we must look at the compounds that are the key precursors in ester formation.

 

[microbusbrewery]

I don't think anyone is against them. I think it's more of a case of brewing to style. If you have a high ester profile in a style that's supposed to be low (or vise versa) then it's considered a flaw. But there are times it's appropriate.

 

[lifesjoys]

Make and enjoy what you like to drink. Who cares what anyone else thinks.

 

[Piratwolf]

I had an "Irish Red" at one of our club meetings that the brewer told me was over the top with banana & sweet fruit esters. It was delicious!

But it wasn't anything like an Irish Red, and if I'd tied into it EXPECTING an Irish Red, I'd have had a hard time not spitting it all over my shoes. For me, that's how the style aspect is key. Plus, of course, it'd get hammered in a BJCP comp.

 

[BamaRooster]

The great thing about home brewing is that you can brew what you like. My favorite lager is one that would get hammered in a BJCP competition. No matter I make it and enjoy it.

 

[Yooper]

"Good esters", the kind you get in a flavorful English ale with great fruity English ale yeast, are great. It goes with the beer, and is a big part of the character.

But the esters you get from fermenting a "clean" ale yeast too high are unpleasantly fruity and out of place in something like an American pale ale or a German lager.

Belgians have tons of esters and phenols- that's part of the profile and a big part of the style.

It really depends on the beer.

 

[eelpout]

I don't mind esters, as long as they ain't the banana kind. Gag reflex kicks in