I got the butterscotch flavour ☹️

[nreed]

Just opened a bottle of my Hazy IPA and I’m getting a real butterscotch flavour from the beer. It’s drinkable but masking all the hop flavour.

So I’m guessing this is diacetyl..

Will this improve or get worse? I just want to know whether I need to chug or wait.

On an aside, I’m getting a little downbeat about always having some sort of issue with my brews. Can someone please tell me it gets better because after my grains run dry if I haven’t managed to some consistently good brews I think I’ll be giving up.

 

[VikeMan]

Assuming it's diacetyl as a byproduct of fermentation, it will probably improve. Keeping the beer at room temp until then should help. OTOH, if it's diacetyl resulting from microbial contamination, it's probably likely to get worse. Luckily, the latter isn't as common as the former.

On an aside, I’m getting a little downbeat about always having some sort of issue with my brews. Can someone please tell me it gets better because after my grains run dry if I haven’t managed to some consistently good brews I think I’ll be giving up.

Assuming you improve the processes that are currently allowing the issues you're having, it will get better.

 

[nreed]

Assuming you improve the processes that are currently allowing the issues you're having, it will get better.

I feel like I’m doing everything I’m supposed to.

I’m hot on sanitation, I use campden tablets and adjust the water chemistry, I check and adjust ph, I control the mash temps, i pitch at the right temps, I control fermentation temperature, IF I dry hop I do it at high Krausen otherwise i don’t lift the lid, i bottle carefully, cap the bottles 1 by 1...

I think I’m 8 batches in now and I’ve made one real good one (#5) and 1 that would have been great if it carbed properly (#6). The rest have all had issues of some sort, including 1 where I’ve had to tip (#3). The butterscotch is #7.

 

[VikeMan]

The butterscotch is #7.

Some tips to avoid fermentation derived diacetyl in the packaged beer:

- Allow enough time in fermenter (including after dry hopping (hop creep)) before crashing yeast
- Diacetyl rest can accelerate production and absorption
- Appropriate nutrient levels
- Forced diacetyl test

 

[Tobor_8thMan]

@VikeMan gives good advice. Also consider the following.

How to Avoid:
Taking the following steps will help yeast to properly reabsorb diacetyl in wort: Yeast that is highly flocculant may fall out of suspension before it gets a chance to absorb the diacetyl, using medium flocculation yeast should give the yeast a good chance to absorb diacetyl. Always use high quality yeast and avoid weak or possibly mutated
strands that may be incapable of handling diacetyl properly. Allow yeast to begin initial growth with the use of a yeast starter. Supply sufficient oxygen for yeast growth, but avoid over oxygenating especially after pitching yeast. Allow enough time for yeast to fully ferment at appropriate temperatures.

 

[ReaperOnefour]

It sounds like diacetyl to me. If your making an ipa i highly recommend using US-05. It's a quick & clean fermenting yeast that imparts no flavors. What is your pitching temp? I've found that by pitching around 67-69 degrees fahrenheit helps reduce the off flavors. I usually pitch at 68. during fermentation the temp will shoot up to around 70-73, then drop back down to high 60s after fermentation. ( i only brew during the winter months.) Total time in primary is 2 weeks. So i recommend pitching at a lower temp, & let it sit in primary for two full weeks. Do not pitch at lower that 67 degrees, or the yeast will do dormant. I hope this helps.

 

[Surly]

...
On an aside, I’m getting a little downbeat about always having some sort of issue with my brews. Can someone please tell me it gets better because after my grains run dry if I haven’t managed to some consistently good brews I think I’ll be giving up.

Having issues with brews is very common especially for newer brewers. Maybe take a look at how you approach brewing. Is it a hobby for you? Do you just want to drink beer? Do you consider brewing a challenge that you will master? If you continued to brew what might your brewery look like in one year? Three years? How large will your brewery be?

I ask because as we each seek to examine what we want to benefit from this hobby we find new paths to take to meet our goals.