Apples? What the heck?

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shecky

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Just took a sample on a Dead Guy clone to determine whether it's ready for bottling. Slightly less attenuated than I had hoped -- 1.022, was hoping for 1.020 but oh well. Problem is, it has a pronounced apple taste and little hop character.

It's been awhile since I asked a dumb question so here goes: Any idea where the apple might have come from?
 
Forget I asked this question. I should have known better but in my travels and having not had a day off in about two months, I failed.

It is not green apple, much more sweet. Nice but not what I was expecting. Problem is, I had forgotten that I used Windsor yeast because that's all I had available at the time when I had intended to go with 05.

See, work too much and your brain turns to mush. It wasn't Revvy's fault. Just mine for having forgotten what yeast I actually did use.

Go back to ignoring me.:D
 
Well 9 weeks in a really long time to be in the primary. If it's in the primary on the yeast cake for more than 3 weeks you'll start to get off flavors from dying yeast.. though im not sure those flavors are sweet necessarily.

This is why alot of homebrewers use a secondary fermenter.. because they want to rack it off the yeast cake.
 
Well 9 weeks in a really long time to be in the primary. If it's in the primary on the yeast cake for more than 3 weeks you'll start to get off flavors from dying yeast.

Do you have a reference for this? I've been leaving all my beers on the primary for about a month.

Shecky, could it be acetylaldehyde?

B
 
Well 9 weeks in a really long time to be in the primary. If it's in the primary on the yeast cake for more than 3 weeks you'll start to get off flavors from dying yeast.. though im not sure those flavors are sweet necessarily.

This is why alot of homebrewers use a secondary fermenter.. because they want to rack it off the yeast cake.
I never planned on a secondary, but circumstances prevented me from bottling when I would have liked.
Shecky, could it be acetylaldehyde?

B
I don't think so. It's not an off-putting taste. It's actually sort of pleasant. I might secondary it tomorrow just to get it off the cake or see if I can throw some bottles together quickly and bottle it.

Time will tell.

However, what if it is? How would I know? And how would I get rid of it? I've heard adding a couple quarts of fermenting beer will help, but I don't have anything going at the moment.
 
This is a silly question BUT was this the same fermenter you may have made a batch of apfelwein in and didn't rinse well?

Some belgian yeasts can produce a noticeable apple ester...the Brouwerij Van Steenberge (makers of Piraat) tend to have a noticeable apple character.

I'm drinking my dead guy lagered and trying to detect a hint that could be from the grainbill and am not getting anything....

hmmm....dunno

Here's the info on Acetaldehyde

Acetaldehyde – This is an intermediate compound in the formation of ethanol. If beer is not given ample time to age and condition, it develops the flavor profile of green apples or farm-fresh pumpkin. If the ethanol oxidizes or becomes contaminated with bacteria, it moves one step further, and takes on a more cidery taste. These cidery flavors may also be caused by too much cane or corn sugar in a recipe. Usual cure: longer cold storage. Note: acceptable flavor in Budweiser, EKU-28, Ephemere

Does that seem like it fits the bill in any way???
 
Revvy, nope, nothing fits that bill. I've never made apfelwein, and the taste is not cidery.

Denny, ferm temp was about 62, so actually on the low side. Might be the yeast, might be too long on the cake. Maybe the CO2 in the bottling will force it out. Yes, no?
 
Revvy, nope, nothing fits that bill. I've never made apfelwein, and the taste is not cidery.

Denny, ferm temp was about 62, so actually on the low side. Might be the yeast, might be too long on the cake. Maybe the CO2 in the bottling will force it out. Yes, no?

No. But the aging might improve it. Keep your fingers crossed!
 
Revvy, nope, nothing fits that bill. I've never made apfelwein, and the taste is not cidery.

Denny, ferm temp was about 62, so actually on the low side. Might be the yeast, might be too long on the cake. Maybe the CO2 in the bottling will force it out. Yes, no?

Well it could also be from mutant yeast or under pitching.

Anyway, time heals....
 
I think I've had the same thing in some of my early brews. One of my freinds commented that one of my beers tasted "kind of like...juice...apple juice". I'm pretty sure thats what you are describing. Its kind of sweet, not cidery or green apple. That was also before I started making starters. I concluded it was esters. I didn't control my fermentation temps OR make starters then.

Another idea that just popped into my head is that you fermented too cold for the yeast. When I tasted my Kolsch after 3 weeks of fermentation at ~58, it tasted very estery/funky. I gave it a "diacetyl rest" (warmed it to room temp). After that it tasted incredible.

Hopefully this might help.

EDIT:

For those of you who said that autolysis can contribute off flavors after 3 weeks, just do a search. I think we have pretty much debunked that myth.
 
Is this the twilight zone thread?!? I still have not stopped laughing... this whole thing seems to be in some weird alternate universe. "there is this thing called a secondary... you should search it shecky" stop! my sides hurt!

I am with zac... it was the mailman... on a dead horse... on April Fools!

It is obviously time for me to go over to DRMM

I have seen it all today.... the mad gunny seargent, coastarine getting lectured, Shecky getting told to secondary.... I am done!
 
yuppers... going to drink a PBR and watch fast and the furious... and hell to top it off.... I am in Duluth... MINNESOTA
 
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