I often hear descriptions of beers or yeasts (particularly Belgian styles) that have "ester" character. I'm a few years removed from college chemistry nowand it was never my fortébut aren't esters a pretty large, diverse group of chemicals? Even the odiferous esters common to "essential oils" are responsible for a wide gamut of smells, from raisins to wood glue.
I'm a little confused what people mean when they refer to the "ester" flavors of certain fermentations. Is this shorthand for a certain, specific family of esters? Or some different piece of vernacular that stuck for whatever reason?
I'm a little confused what people mean when they refer to the "ester" flavors of certain fermentations. Is this shorthand for a certain, specific family of esters? Or some different piece of vernacular that stuck for whatever reason?