Very noticeable Yeast off-flavor

[Leahybrew]

I recently brewed a batch of cream ale and added some yeast I had recycled from a lighter beer that was about 4.5-5% abv. I pitched this recycled yeast which was wyeast american ale. once bottled it smelled very yeasty, and i figured i'd let it age to see if that would work. It has been about a month and still has the overpowering yeasty taste. I also would like to note it was the most explosive fermentation I have seen yet. So I am wondering what caused this, and what I did wrong???


I have run into this taste before sadly, but due to the homebrew store error which sold me a wyeast packet that had been expired for about 1.5 years….needless to say I don't go there anymore and check the expiration date.


I have been brewing for a while and always use this forum to answer all my questions, and for that I thank this community.However I have recently run across a problem I have not been able to find the answer to.So i made this thread.

 

[Stauffbier]

Give us more information..
- What was the recipe?
- What fermentation temp?
- How long was your primary?
- Did you do secondary? If so, how long?
- Do you use finings or cold crash?

 

[Leahybrew]

Recipe
8lbs 2-row
1lb honey malt
.25 lbs biscuit malt

fermentation temp.
65 F

primary 2 weeks secondary 2 weeks

no finings or cold crash

 

[Stauffbier]

I'm not sure why you are picking up a yeasty flavor. That yeast is typically pretty clean. Especially when fermented at 65. Are you sure it's yeast flavor you're picking up? How old was the harvested yeast that you used?

 

[helibrewer]

Sounds like the re-pitched yeast was less than ideal. If it was older than a few weeks, I wouldn't trust it.

 

[Leahybrew]

Yes it was about 3-4weeks old. And what is a safe margin of keeping recycled yeast in the refrigerator?

 

[helibrewer]

Yes it was about 3-4weeks old. And what is a safe margin of keeping recycled yeast in the refrigerator?

3-4 weeks is the max I would keep it without checking it for contamination and viability.

 

[Stauffbier]

You can keep yeast much longer than 3-4 weeks in the fridge if you store it properly. You would want to make a starter with it at that point, though.. I use yeast that is much older than that with no ill effects.

 

[stpug]

Recipe
8lbs 2-row
1lb honey malt
.25 lbs biscuit malt

fermentation temp.
65 F

primary 2 weeks secondary 2 weeks

no finings or cold crash

Are you certain you're dealing with a yeast characteristic? Honey malt in large amounts has a very off-flavor characteristic to me and you've got a pound in a "cream ale".

 

[Stauffbier]

Are you certain you're dealing with a yeast characteristic? Honey malt in large amounts has a very off-flavor characteristic to me and you've got a pound in a "cream ale".

That crossed my mind, too.. But when I have over used honey malt I just ended up with too much sweetness. Not so much anything I would consider "yeasty".. You never know, though.

 

[Leahybrew]

Yeah it definetly a yeast issue, perhaps I added to much if that is possible?

However i have just tried a bottle of the cream ale after letting it sit for 3 weeks and it has definitely mellowed out. So i am going to let it keep sitting and see what happens.

 

[podz]

Define "recycled".

 

[Leahybrew]

I tried a bottle tonight and the yeast taste has definitely mellowed out after sitting for 3 weeks, but is still there.

Is it possible I used far to much yeast? and my starter wasn't well done I kind of rushed it.

 

[Stauffbier]

It's not likely an over pitching issue. Give it another week or two, and see if it mellows some more. I'm betting there's a good chance it will.

 

[Leahybrew]

Oops just realized I posted the same thing twice.

And for recycled I just mean washed yeast.

 

[william_shakes_beer]

If you reused an entire yeast cake you most likely overpitched. Next time try scooping out and discarding half the yeast cake.

 

[cjgenever]

You may have picked up more of a top layer of yeast rather than a good cross-section. That yeast would be more attenuative and less flocculant. Perhaps this is the case and it is staying in suspension longer.

 

[Leahybrew]

cjgenever,I think you may be right about the top layer, because I separated them into separate jars, and recall accidentally pouring in a lot of the top layer of the yeast cake into one jar, and then mixing it up with the others before I could discard it.

I also just realized I didn't wash the yeast correctly, forgot to put it in a large jar initially to separate the good and bad, then break it down into smaller ones… "bangs head against wall" thank you everyone and the ale has been salvaged so I am happy it managed to work out!