My beers taste like yeast

[UnderPressure]

I have 6 or 7 brews under my belt. Mostly amber or pale ales, mostly using Wyeast 1056 or Safale 05. Mostly using ingredients kits from Northern Brewer. There are several variations among these brews, but they all have one thing in common. An apparent yeasty flavor. Like, if you have ever smelled a smack pack before you dumped it into your fermenter. Don't get me wrong. The beers taste pretty good, and I'm satisfied enough to keep brewing. But, am I doing something wrong? Is there any way I can let the flavor of my beer shine through this yeast taste?

 

[Bobby_M]

4-weeks in the primary, last week keep it cold. Then package it.

 

[wyzazz]

+1 to the above, and are you decanting your beer out of the bottles? If not you're dumping that yeast slug at the bottom of the bottle right in to your beer.

 

[UnderPressure]

+1 to the above, and are you decanting your beer out of the bottles? If not you're dumping that yeast slug at the bottom of the bottle right in to your beer.

Yeah, I try to leave that yeast layer behind in the bottle when I pour. I'll try 4 weeks in the primary. Typically, I do 3 weeks. I'll start moving the fermenter into my garage for the last week during the winter. It's worth a try. Thanks.

 

[jfr1111]

Also, once carbonation is achived, place your beers upright in the fridge for a few days before drinking them. Even with a long primary, judicious bottle conditionning and good pouring technique, you'll get more of the yeast out of suspension if you chill ahead of time (altough it might be negligeable). Sometimes it's really not possible, but when you can achieve it, it can't hurt to do it.

 

[Banjoman76]

From the BJCP Beer Faults list.

http://www.bjcp.org/faults.php

Use a more flocculent yeast strain. Allow yeast sufficient time to flocculate. Filter beer or use clarifying agents. Avoid carrying over as much yeast. Age the beer longer. Try another yeast strain.

 

[wyzazz]

S-04 flocs like a ton of bricks!

 

[pjj2ba]

I know the prevailing trend is for long primaries these days, but if the beer sits too long on the yeast cake under unfavorable conditions, this can cause a yeasty flavor, particularly in lighter beer styles. When I first started brewing many years ago. I had a lot of beers that had a slight yeasty taste. This was in well aged and carefully poured beers. Once I developed better temperature control during fermentation the yeasty flavors went away. Some wine makers (particularly chardonnay and champagne) will leave the wine on the yeast for extra time, even stirring it up, to promote yeasty/bready flavors.

I just kegged an Irish Red yesterday. Brewed 3 weeks ago (high flocculating yeast strain). NO hint of yeast flavors in the hydrometer sample.

 

[gregiscool]

Me too man, 3 beers from NB and they all taste like the smack pack i pitched, the first of the 3(in the bottles for 3 months now or so) tastes OK at best, but nothing u could drink all night. the second is just pure yeast taste, the third not as much but it also had a 5 week primary, sure that helped, just needs to age more but for the most part the main flavor is the smack pack.

 

[drkaeppel]

I know the prevailing trend is for long primaries these days, but if the beer sits too long on the yeast cake under unfavorable conditions, this can cause a yeasty flavor, particularly in lighter beer styles. When I first started brewing many years ago. I had a lot of beers that had a slight yeasty taste. This was in well aged and carefully poured beers. Once I developed better temperature control during fermentation the yeasty flavors went away. Some wine makers (particularly chardonnay and champagne) will leave the wine on the yeast for extra time, even stirring it up, to promote yeasty/bready flavors.

I just kegged an Irish Red yesterday. Brewed 3 weeks ago (high flocculating yeast strain). NO hint of yeast flavors in the hydrometer sample.

Good info! I bottled some of EdWort's Haus PA a week ago and there was a very prominent yeast aroma when I cracked one open this evening. Since it's still young, I'm hoping it will settle out in a few weeks and I know that time will heal most brewing boo boos. However, I am curious if my fermentation temps are playing a part in this. For most of the 3 weeks in primary, it was at about 70-71 degrees (which is a little high..recommended temp for this ale is 68). Temps got hot the last couple days in primary, though. When I racked to the bottling bucket, temp was at almost 77.

I plan to put my next batch in a water bath with ice packs during primary.

 

[weirdboy]

I have not had trouble with S-05 floccing out. You just have to be patient with it.

 

[Yambor44]

3 weeks with US-05 in the primary or combination of primary and secondary has always been sufficient for me.

Dave, probably a little on the high side (maybe a lot) try to keep your ambient temps in the low 60's if possible during active fermentation as your wort temp could be a up to 5 degrees warmer on average.

 

[lamppa]

S-04 flocs like a ton of bricks!

yeah, but it attenuates 68%

 

[Yambor44]

yeah, but it attenuates 68%

...and to me, US-04 tastes "bready" itself (English).

 

[drkaeppel]

I have not had trouble with S-05 floccing out. You just have to be patient with it.

Just an update on my previous post:

You were right. After another week or so in the bottle, it flocced out very well. My pale ale is clear with none of the previous bready// yeasty taste. I'm pretty happy with this brew. Definitely worth doing again.