Yeasty beer

[lhommedieu]

My beer spent 4 weeks in the primary, and then I kegged it and started to carbonate it in a 35 degree fridge. A day later I was a little curious about how much carbonation I'd achieved, so I drew off about 8 oz. to taste. The beer was only slightly carbonated - but I'd expected that. It tasted good but there was a slight smell of yeast and a slight taste as well. Not exactly off-putting, but not what I wanted, either.

From what I've read on the forum I think that putting the keg in the fridge had the same effect as cold-crashing the yeast, and that I'm picking up the yeast on the bottom.

Is it reasonable to expect that the next pint or so of beer will taste a little yeasty, but that the rest will condition nicely over the next 3-4 weeks?

Best,

Steve

 

[Yooper]

Is it reasonable to expect that the next pint or so of beer will taste a little yeasty, but that the rest will condition nicely over the next 3-4 weeks?

Best,

Steve

Yes, that's reasonable.

But it's also reasonable to assume that leaving the beer on the yeast for 4 weeks in primary will impart some yeast character (ie "yeasty" flavors). Some people like that, and will purposefully leave their beer on the yeast cake for 4 weeks. I do not, and will never leave a beer in the fermenter for that long.

 

[GASoline71]

Your beer is also kinda "young", and needs to condition in the keg. Give it a little time.

Gary

 

[willness33]

If that 8oz was the very first pull off of the keg, you got mostly yeast. I dump the first 12oz on every keg. When you rack to the keg then cool the beer, the yeast settles to the bottom. The dip tube is at the bottom of the keg. First pull of the handle gives you yeast.

 

[DrummerBoySeth]

If that 8oz was the very first pull off of the keg, you got mostly yeast. I dump the first 12oz on every keg. When you rack to the keg then cool the beer, the yeast settles to the bottom. The dip tube is at the bottom of the keg. First pull of the handle gives you yeast.

+1 to this. Pull a few more pints from that keg, and see if the yeasty character is still there. I suspect it will diminish quite a bit after the first 2 or 3 pints are poured.

 

[Yooper]

I dump, I don't know, maybe 3 ounces, from the first half glass of beer. After that it's all clear beer. If you're having yeast in the first 12 ounces, there is an issue!

 

[willness33]

I dump, I don't know, maybe 3 ounces, from the first half glass of beer. After that it's all clear beer. If you're having yeast in the first 12 ounces, there is an issue!

Didn't say I have yeast for the first 12. That's about what I pull off for the heck of it. I could have been more clear in my first post. Honestly, I've never actually really measured how much I pull off on the first draw. I fill up a plastic cup full, smell it and dump it. Then I grab a nice big glass and pour for real.lol

 

[lhommedieu]

Yes, that's reasonable.

But it's also reasonable to assume that leaving the beer on the yeast for 4 weeks in primary will impart some yeast character (ie "yeasty" flavors). Some people like that, and will purposefully leave their beer on the yeast cake for 4 weeks. I do not, and will never leave a beer in the fermenter for that long.

I'm just a little curious: there's lots of posts on the forum advocating leaving the beer in the primary for longer periods of time - even longer than a month - on the grounds that it lets the yeast clean up better and allows you not to use a secondary. But you seem to be arguing for a different approach. Are there pros and cons to either approach?

If I had had my druthers, I would have racked to a secondary after primary fermentation was over - and then let it condition for a few weeks before cold-crashing it and kegging it. But there was a lot of talk about leaving it in the primary and not doing a secondary - so I went with that instead.

It's just my first beer, and I'll be the first to admit being one of those guys trying to explain the elephant - but I'm curious about why you said "I do not, and will not leave a beer in the fermenter for that long."

Best,

Steve

 

[scoundrel]

I'm just a little curious: there's lots of posts on the forum advocating leaving the beer in the primary for longer periods of time - even longer than a month - on the grounds that it lets the yeast clean up better and allows you not to use a secondary. But you seem to be arguing for a different approach. Are there pros and cons to either approach?

If I had had my druthers, I would have racked to a secondary after primary fermentation was over - and then let it condition for a few weeks before cold-crashing it and kegging it. But there was a lot of talk about leaving it in the primary and not doing a secondary - so I went with that instead.

It's just my first beer, and I'll be the first to admit being one of those guys trying to explain the elephant - but I'm curious about why you said "I do not, and will not leave a beer in the fermenter for that long."

Best,

Steve

Well there are disadvantages to going to secondary. Besides the obvious cleaning, there's the risk of infection/oxidation, not to mention time and loss. For me, the biggest advantage to all grain brewing is batch size. Most extract kits yield 5 gallons period. For me, I brew a 6 gallon AG batch, leave 1/2 gallon behind and then end up with 5.5 gallons in the fermenter.

After fermentation, I rack off 5 gallons and use the rest for gravity readings and for taste testing (keg setup required). The beer is crystal clear, bottles nicely and unless I tell people, they swear it's commercial.

As an extract brewer, I can see your desire to move to secondary and IMO, seems justified for clarity. Just take extra precautions to ensure you end up with consistent, quality beer. Remember, oxygen is your enemy. Even if you don't keg, it would be worthwhile to buy a 5 pound CO2 tank to purge your secondary and bottles to ensure pristine results. Good luck!

 

[chungking]

Yooper, you've stated before that you usually leave your brews in the primary for atleast 3 weeks and don't use a secondary to get clear beer an allow the yeast to clean up. A little confused now. So do you rack to secondary or bottle as soon as fermentation has ceased?

Btw, it might have been someone else who stated it, not necessarily you yooper. Not calling you out or anything!

 

[Yooper]

Yooper, you've stated before that you usually leave your brews in the primary for atleast 3 weeks and don't use a secondary to get clear beer an allow the yeast to clean up. A little confused now. So do you rack to secondary or bottle as soon as fermentation has ceased?

Btw, it might have been someone else who stated it, not necessarily you yooper. Not calling you out or anything!

I rarely have left a beer in the fermenter for three weeks, and never on purpose! I've never gone "at least three weeks", ever.

A well made beer doesn't need all that long to be ready. The keys are good fermentation temperature control, proper yeast pitching (temperature and amount) and a good recipe. If you don't create off-flavors in the first place, they don't need time to age out. Once the beer is finished fermenting, the yeast do go back and "clean up" some of their byproducts like diacetyl. But that happens in about 24 hours after fermentation ends. So I would suggest waiting at least three days after fermentation ends before doing anything.

I normally wait until the beer has finished (again, been done for three days or so at least) and then package it when it is clear. That is usually around day 10-14. If I'm dryhopping, I will wait until the beer is clear, add the dryhops, and package 5 days later.

Typically, I keg on day 10-14 for most ales.

 

[chungking]

Sorry, I must have gotten you mixed up with someone else. I too do not like yeasty beer, so if I determine fermentation is done, and not dry hopping, I should go ahead and bottle? Most people on here do say to leave it for 3 weeks or longer if you are not cold crashing, which I cannot do.

I have a Belgian Trappist that had been in primary for 2 weeks this Friday. I am wondering what I should do. I think these styles are supposed to have a yeasty character to them though...

 

[Yooper]

Sorry, I must have gotten you mixed up with someone else. I too do not like yeasty beer, so if I determine fermentation is done, and not dry hopping, I should go ahead and bottle? Most people on here do say to leave it for 3 weeks or longer if you are not cold crashing, which I cannot do.

I have a Belgian Trappist that had been in primary for 2 weeks this Friday. I am wondering what I should do. I think these styles are supposed to have a yeasty character to them though...

It depends on the beer. If it's been at FG for at least three days, and the beer is clear, it can be bottled. If it's still murky, I'd wait until it's clear before bottling.

 

[lhommedieu]

Yooper,

If I am interpreting you correctly, primary fermentation generally ends within 7-10 days (check with hyrometer) and then you can bottle or keg. Does this mean that the beer does not need to condition any further, or will waiting a month or so after the beer has been bottled or kegged allow the beer to clear and/or develop a cleaner taste?

Best,

Steve

 

[Yooper]

Yooper,

If I am interpreting you correctly, primary fermentation generally ends within 7-10 days (check with hyrometer) and then you can bottle or keg. Does this mean that the beer does not need to condition any further, or will waiting a month or so after the beer has been bottled or kegged allow the beer to clear and/or develop a cleaner taste?

Best,

Steve

Primary fermentation generally ends within 3-5 days, for most regular ales. That's assuming a well made beer- proper amount of yeast at the proper temperature, good ingredients, etc.

After active fermentation slows, the "clean up" period begins. That takes a few days.

After that, the spent yeast will flocculate and begin to fall out and the beer will clear.

You can't really put a time line on this, but generally for me that is in about days 10-14 for most ales.

Conditioning is a process that continues, as the flavors meld and blend together and any young beer flavors like acetyldehyde will fade and go away. That process make take several weeks, depending on the beer. I have an oatmeal stout that is not very good at 3 weeks old, but is wonderful at 5-6 weeks old because the flavors meld and blend so well by then. A "bigger" beer may take longer, as will beers with spices and lots of roasty flavors or oak. Each beer will be a bit different.

 

[lhommedieu]

Thanks for your reply. Yeasty beer is currently the least of my problems. See my post about leaky kegs, lol...

The thought that I have is that if I use a hydrometer to monitor when fermentation ends, and use a carboy so that I can see when the yeast starts to fall and the beer begins to clear, then I have a good idea of when primary fermentation is over and when I should rack to start conditioning my beer.

Best,

Steve

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for your reply. Yeasty beer is currently the least of my problems. See my post about leaky kegs, lol...

The thought that I have is that if I use a hydrometer to monitor when fermentation ends, and use a carboy so that I can see when the yeast starts to fall and the beer begins to clear, then I have a good idea of when primary fermentation is over and when I should rack to start conditioning my beer.

Best,

Steve

I don't use a carboy very often. It's pretty apparent when fermentation ends, and of course if you check the SG a few days later, you can see the clarity in the sample. It's like one of the forum members around here always says, "This ain't rocket surgery!" Often, you just get a feel for it after doing it a few times.

 

[tre9er]

I rarely have left a beer in the fermenter for three weeks, and never on purpose! I've never gone "at least three weeks", ever.

A well made beer doesn't need all that long to be ready. The keys are good fermentation temperature control, proper yeast pitching (temperature and amount) and a good recipe. If you don't create off-flavors in the first place, they don't need time to age out. Once the beer is finished fermenting, the yeast do go back and "clean up" some of their byproducts like diacetyl. But that happens in about 24 hours after fermentation ends. So I would suggest waiting at least three days after fermentation ends before doing anything.

I normally wait until the beer has finished (again, been done for three days or so at least) and then package it when it is clear. That is usually around day 10-14. If I'm dryhopping, I will wait until the beer is clear, add the dryhops, and package 5 days later.

Typically, I keg on day 10-14 for most ales.

This is what I do, almost to a tee. I also make appropriate-sized starters and control ferm temps via probe/controller and take gravity readings after krausen falls for a few days.