Right temp but still going "bananas"

[beerhound28]

Hello everyone
I am 4 days into fermentaion of my 1.077 belgian ale..i used wyeast 1388 belgian strong ale yeast..I keep the fermentation temps at 64-68 degrees and the airlock still bubbling so i know its still doing its thing ..but im a little concerned about the smell of this batch..it has the "banana" smell and the temps are not too high which usually produce these esters i keep it in the middle of this yeast temp range cause its a belgian so i am looking for esters to come thru, but this is beyond esters its more like a banana taffy factory..I think i made the mistake of doing a full boil partial extract started with 5 gallons and yielded 4 gallons of wort..Im starting to think that it might be too concentrated and the yeast is working overtime hence the banana esters but then again im just quessing..does anybody have any input on this topic?I hope its just green and not going to stay like this or worst comes to worse something i can condition out..Any dvice would be appriecited..take care CHEERS

 

[Yooper]

Hello everyone
I am 4 days into fermentaion of my 1.077 belgian ale..i used wyeast 1388 belgian strong ale yeast..I keep the fermentation temps at 64-68 degrees and the airlock still bubbling so i know its still doing its thing ..but im a little concerned about the smell of this batch..it has the "banana" smell and the temps are not too high which usually produce these esters i keep it in the middle of this yeast temp range cause its a belgian so i am looking for esters to come thru, but this is beyond esters its more like a banana taffy factory..I think i made the mistake of doing a full boil partial extract started with 5 gallons and yielded 4 gallons of wort..Im starting to think that it might be too concentrated and the yeast is working overtime hence the banana esters but then again im just quessing..does anybody have any input on this topic?I hope its just green and not going to stay like this or worst comes to worse something i can condition out..Any dvice would be appriecited..take care CHEERS

How big was your starter? Oh, and is the fermentation temp of 64-68 degrees the actual temperature of the fermenting beer, or the room? If you have an actual beer temperature, what is it?

 

[beerhound28]

64-68 ambient room temp so i m quessing the beer itself is probably 70-71 the side of the fermenter id cool to the touch..i did a half gallon starter..im starting to think i under pitched cause i only used one smack pack for the starter but i had a serious cake at the bottom of the growler if i had to take a quess i would say 200 billion cell count..Its only 4 days into a month long fermentation so do you think it might even out after awile?I am pretty new to brewing only 4 successful batches but i never came across this banana smell..thank you

 

[Yooper]

64-68 ambient room temp so i m quessing the beer itself is probably 70-71 the side of the fermenter id cool to the touch..i did a half gallon starter..im starting to think i under pitched cause i only used one smack pack for the starter but i had a serious cake at the bottom of the growler if i had to take a quess i would say 200 billion cell count..Its only 4 days into a month long fermentation so do you think it might even out after awile?I am pretty new to brewing only 4 successful batches but i never came across this banana smell..thank you

If it's fermenting actively in a 68 degree room, the beer could easily be 78 degrees or so. That's probably the issue. Underpitching would be the second.

 

[beerhound28]

so if i was able to lower the ambient temp 10 degrees or so now would it be too late?

 

[Yooper]

so if i was able to lower the ambient temp 10 degrees or so now would it be too late?

I don't know if it's ever too late exactly, but off-flavors like esters and phenols are created mostly in the first 24-48 hours.

But remember that fermentation makes all kinds of odors during active phases, so don't worry that you're stuck with a banana bomb. It may not be bad at all!

 

[insubordinateK]

You are making a Belgian Ale. It is supposed to have a little flavor from the yeast. You pitched plenty of yeast from your description. Chill out and let it do it's thing. 64-68 ambient is fine.

You don't want to crank down the temperature when the yeast are slowing down. You might stall fermentation. Steady as she goes...

 

[insubordinateK]

Redundant...

 

[beerhound28]

yeah your right ...im just gonna let it go and see what happens...Thanks alot cheers

 

[beerhound28]

whats redundant? lowering the temp?

 

[beerhound28]

yeah a belgian should have a little yeast flavor but i just never smelled such a heavy banana scent from my homebrew before then again im a beginner that why im here on the forum to try and learn more..but your 100% right im gonna chill out and let it do its thing..thank you

 

[insubordinateK]

I love Belgian yeast strains, and they can have a lot of flavor. Once you go Belgian, you won't want to go back.

Enjoy the beer!

 

[ghpeel]

You should definitely get that beer down to 65-68 now, so drop the ambient temps down to 50 if you have too. A 1.077 belgian ale fermented too high is going to taste pretty EEXXXTRREEEMMEEE. So if you LUUUVVV Belgians then it will probably be ok, but a lot of people won't be able to drink it. it will taste like fruity banana booze. I'm getting an "ugh" just thinking about it, but I can't stand Belgians anymore (except for Sours).