Hefeweizen taste alcohol

[pokerloict]

Hello,

I fermented a hefeweizen. I opened the batch today to keg it, and there is a strong smell of rubbing alcohol. Beer also tastes like alcohol.

This is the 2nd time that I have made this recipe under the same conditions, and I get the same result

The temperature in the room was 71-72.

I had another beer in the same room which doesn't taste bad.

Would that be fusel alcohol? I would love to buy myself a refrigerator to ferment, but I want to make sure this is the cause of the problem before

 

[jcav]

Just so you know the temperature once the beer gets into active fermentation can get 5 or more degrees higher than the ambient room temperature. The best thing you can do to make quality beer along with sanitation is to control the fermentation temperature. The higher the temp the more fusel alcohol and other off flavors will be in your beer. Get a way to keep the temp in the 60's and your yeast will be very happy and make great beer. You make the sugar water the yeast make the beer. Get a refrigerator, chest or upright freezer, etc. and you will see a huge difference. Oh yea and a temp controller to turn on the fridge when the beer rises past the set point you set to keep the temp in the correct range.


John

 

[jschein]

Yes fusel from too high of a temperature. If yo can’t afford temperature control with a refrigerator make a swamp cooler. Always check the yeast temperature guidance as to temperature

 

[mashpaddled]

A lot of literature and discussion around hefeweizen talks about warm ferments but most of the time these beers are starting in the 60s and rising into the low to mid 70s as fermentation winds down. Your best case scenario fermenting in the mid-upper 70s is a beer that tastes like juicy fruit (banana + strawberry) but more likely to give you these fusel alcohol ferments. As mentioned above, fermentation runs warmer than the ambient temperature especially with a voracious yeast like hefe strains. You need some type of temperature control on these ferments whether it is a fridge, a water bath, fermentation space cooler than your desired fermentation temperature.

 

[pokerloict]

Thank all! I will try to brew three batches in my kegerator when my keg will be empty. If taste is better, I will buy a fermentation regrigirator

 

[Gray Matter]

71-72 still seems too low to create debilitating fusel alcohol flavor in a Hefe. I've purposefully fermented at at 73-74 multiple times to really ramp up the banana and clove flavors.

Maybe pitching temp was too high? Also, you mentioned this is your 2nd time, are you reusing yeast?