Beer smells and tastes cidery/apple like

[h22lude]

So I just kegged my first all-grain (BIAB) beer. It was a Fat Tire clone. I kegged it about a week and a half ago. It has been in my keezer at 41 degrees with 10 to 12 psi of CO2. I tried some tonight and it tasted like cider or apples and smelt the same way.

I used WL001 with a 2L starter and I shook the hell out of the bucket before pitching. So I don't think it was due to overpitching or underaeration. The one thing it could have been is too high of a fermentation temp. I kept it in my coat closet and I would say the room temp could have gone as high as 69 or 70 some days. So I'm thinking I just need to get a better way to control temp.

With all that said, what can I do now to get rid of this flavor? I could wait and let it sit in my keezer with CO2 for a few more weeks. Or should I take it out of the keezer and leave it in my basement around 60*?

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

i think ya got it... too high a ferment temp, especially with english yeast, leads to cidery flavors.
i had an english ipa, 1098 yeast (same as 001) get way hot over the summer and it tasted cidery and was pretty disappointing. my wife cracked one last week and the cider like flavor had faded significantly and the beer's much better. not saying it'll fade in your beer, but if it was due to heat, it may lessen over time.

 

[badbrew]

I bet it was ferm temps. Did you measure? I'm starting to really dig my thermal leak detector. It measures temps all over the room to find hot spots.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

I bet it was ferm temps. Did you measure? I'm starting to really dig my thermal leak detector. It measures temps all over the room to find hot spots.

yah, those are great. when i first started i ran around the house with mine finding the best spots to ferment in. now i just use a 18 gal bucket of water to put my carboy in.... frozen bottles to keep cool, aquarium heater to keep warm. works like a charm.

 

[h22lude]

Unfortunately right now my temp control is basically my room thermostat. Now that my process is getting better and I'm moving into all grain, I think my next priority is getting some kind of fermentation chamber. Right now my basement is at 60 to 64 which I think would be good so for now I will be using my basement. Not sure what the temp will be like during Jan or Feb when it gets colder but with the heater/boiler down there, I don't see it going below mid to high 50s which would be great.

I did read the temp but I honestly don't remember what it was. I forgot to write it down. That is another thing I need to work on...taking better notes lol

Does that detector tell you the temp of the beer or the temp of the bucket? I don't know too much about those but I would think it would be reading the temp of an uninsulated plastic bucket which might be closer to ambient temp than beer temp. But again I don't know much about them and I could be completely wrong.

yah, those are great. when i first started i ran around the house with mine finding the best spots to ferment in. now i just use a 18 gal bucket of water to put my carboy in.... frozen bottles to keep cool, aquarium heater to keep warm. works like a charm.

Oh so you don't use it to measure beer temp.

I think that is what I will be doing for now. I was going to get a dorm fridge and build something but a bucket with water and a heater will work just as well and it is cheaper.

 

[NordeastBrewer77]

Unfortunately right now my temp control is basically my room thermostat. Now that my process is getting better and I'm moving into all grain, I think my next priority is getting some kind of fermentation chamber. Right now my basement is at 60 to 64 which I think would be good so for now I will be using my basement. Not sure what the temp will be like during Jan or Feb when it gets colder but with the heater/boiler down there, I don't see it going below mid to high 50s which would be great.

I did read the temp but I honestly don't remember what it was. I forgot to write it down. That is another thing I need to work on...taking better notes lol

Does that detector tell you the temp of the beer or the temp of the bucket? I don't know too much about those but I would think it would be reading the temp of an uninsulated plastic bucket which might be closer to ambient temp than beer temp. But again I don't know much about them and I could be completely wrong.



Oh so you don't use it to measure beer temp.

I think that is what I will be doing for now. I was going to get a dorm fridge and build something but a bucket with water and a heater will work just as well and it is cheaper.

mine's an OEM thermo. i wouldn't trust the accuracy reading the liquid inside the glass, i'd guess it would read the glass temp. i leave my fermenters in the most temp stable place in my house in a 18gal rubbermaid bucket of water. i use a floating thermometer inside the water bath surrounding the carboy. i pitch at desired fermenting temps, add water at that temp to the bucket surrounding the carboy, and heat or cool as/if needed. not 100% accurate by any means, but it works and i'm able to hold temps +/- a degree of desired temp.