Yeast bite or something else?

[Erik the Anglophile]

I have a porter fermenting right now, pitched and put away in my FC sunday afternoon, and at monday morning it was full activity in the bucket, guess it started sometime early during the night to monday. At wednesday morning it looked like the primary stage was pretty much done, so I raised the temp to 20c from 19 and took a sample/gravity reading in the morning today, and it had a bit "hot", boozy alchol taste and a slight bitter/acrid off flavor, kinda like yeast smells. It is a 1.058 porter that has gone down to 1.012 with 79% aa and about 6%abv wich might explain the boozy taste. Might the yeast bite be because it is so green and likely has a fair bit of yeast still in suspension? Should I be worried or just give it some time, both in fermenter and bottles?

 

[Dgallo]

A 6% beer usually will not taste boozy. What temperature was the beer during fermentation?

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

A 6% beer usually will not taste boozy. What temperature was the beer during fermentation?

19c, fermented with mangrove jacks m42, there doesn't seem to be anything funky going on inside the bucket.
Boozy was just what came to my mind first, it might be just the yeast giving that taste. And it is the first sample of a beer that is just 6 days old, wich is why I suspected that the sharp off taste could be yeast still in suspension.

 

[Dgallo]

Thats clean fermenting yeast and your in a good temp zone for it. It’s most likely that your tasting yeast tht still in suspension. Just let it condition warmer at 22c. It will give the yeast time to clean up

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

My plan was to take another test tuesday or wednesday to confirm stable FG and then waiting a further couple days and bottle towards next weekend. I'll taste it in a couple days when I take the gravity reading and see if the yeast has settled and taste is smoother. Hopefully it was just yeasties, I got a little farty after a few sips out of the tube so my hopes are up.

 

[VikeMan]

At wednesday morning it looked like the primary stage was pretty much done, so I raised the temp to 20c from 19 and took a sample/gravity reading in the morning today, and it had a bit "hot", boozy alchol taste and a slight bitter/acrid off flavor, kinda like yeast smells.

Are these ambient temps or wort/beer temps?

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

Are these ambient temps or wort/beer temps?

It is the temperature of the beer, I have a temp controlled FC and tape the thermostat node to the bucket with some insulation over it.

 

[VikeMan]

Would "solventy" fit just as well as boozy? If so, I would suspect acetaldehyde, which the yeast will normally clean up with time.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I'll let it sit and take a sample later in the week when I check if the FG has stabilized. Hopefully the yeast has cleaned up a bit and dropped out if suspension by then.

 

[Vale71]

Would "solventy" fit just as well as boozy? If so, I would suspect acetaldehyde, which the yeast will normally clean up with time.

Solventy is ethyl-acetate and unfortunately that does not clean up with time...

 

[VikeMan]

Solventy is ethyl-acetate and unfortunately that does not clean up with time...

Yep, I am aware that ethyl acetate is solventy. And it's possible @Erik the Anglophile's beer has high levels of ethyl acetate,. I didn't go there because his ferm temps didn't seem to point to it.

But acetaldehyde can also come across as solventy, in addition to the "green apple" everyone likes to talk about.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

I wouldn't describe it as "solventy" more like harsh bitter/acrid, tasted kinda like the yeast cake smells after you empty out the wort. I will let it sit until tuesday or wednesday and taste when I check to see if I have a stable FG. Hopefully it's just yeast and maybe acetaldehyde I tasted.

 

[Saunassa]

Don't be in a rush to bottle or keg it, give it at least a few weeks, I have found that 3 weeks works best for my stouts and porters. Gives time for yeast to finish their job and start dropping out.

 

[Erik the Anglophile]

A little update: took gravity reading number 2 today, and it looks like I have a stable FG. Tasted a bit also, and it tastes much cleaner now, a little ester taste shining through but I used an english style yeast and brewed an english style porter so that's just how I want it.
Still a little yeasty but more a subtle doughy/bready yeasty. No sharp bite at all. The brown malt is already showing that typical english smooth chocolatey roastiness, with a month or so in bottles I think this will be really tasty.