Bottle Conditioning with Englis Ale Yeast

[4D_Glenn]

Hello

I have been having issues when bottling with English Ale yeast. I have used several varieties (Nottingham, and several English varieties of white labs products). The un-carbonated wort always taste just fine before bottling, but after bottle conditioning I get am unwanted sour flavor. This flavor fades after a few weeks, but is not completely gone by any means. Even after 4 months I can still detect this off flavor.

At first I though this was a sanitation issue during bottling, but anything I brew with California Ale yeast does not suffer from this same off flavor and I use the same equipment and process. Same can be said for Belgian Ale yeasts.

I've read a few posts that have suggested to not add any sugar after FG has been achieved. Is there anything I can do to resolve this unwanted flavor in my bottle conditioned English ales? I've always primed with DME (american light pilsen). I'm open to priming with another sugar, but I've read that the same problem occurs with corn sugar. I've also read some suggestions to bottle without priming sugar just before FG is achieved.

Has anyone had success in bottle conditioning English ales? Any info you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance.

 

[4D_Glenn]

Good morning. Any of you bottle conditioning folks out there?

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

You might try priming with something different....it doesn't sound like your using too much/too little or you would have bottle bombs or flat beer....perhaps try sugar or honey next time? Of course it all needs to be boiled (and cooled) before being used...

 

[badlee]

I have bottled using Notty,Windsor and s-04 without any problems at all. And that is drinking on day 17-18.
But I do tend to hop the living crap out of my beers.
Maybe you are using too much carb sugar. I use table sugar at about 4gr per 630ml bottle.

Sent from my GT-I8552B using Home Brew mobile app

 

[Yooper]

English ale yeast strains for the most part tend to have a distinct "fruity" flavor to them, and s04 can be particularly tart if fermented over about 64 degrees.

Could it be the character of the English yeast strains you don't care for? If you are fermenting them at the higher end of the strain's optimum strain, usually 68 degrees, most of those strains will be tart and fruity. If you ferment them lower, like s04 at 62 degrees, they are much "cleaner".

 

[4D_Glenn]

Thanks for the replies. I hadn't thought too much about the temp at bottling. My primary fermentation occurs on the lower side. I may be bottle conditioning a bit too warm.

 

[Puddlethumper]

Thanks for the replies. I hadn't thought too much about the temp at bottling. My primary fermentation occurs on the lower side. I may be bottle conditioning a bit too warm.

I have used all the yeasts you mentioned and have had no issues with flavor after aging in the bottle or the keg. When bottling I've used simple corn sugar. In the keg, what else but co2? Could you have a water issue or is it possible, as Yooper suggested, that there is something in the English beers that just doesn't suit your palette?