Yeast starter temp causing off flavors?

[klamz]

Will a yeast starter that fermented too warm give some strange flavors to my ESB? I sampled my ESB while i was bottling it and it came out excellent with no detectable off flavors. After 3 weeks of bottle conditioning i noticed a strange flavor develope. It's almost like a crystal malt twang or something and I taste something strange when I burp. It's very suttle and hard to detect but i know its there. I'm wondering if it's the yeast because the carbonation brings the flavor out. Maybe the esters from stressed yeast are causing this? I cant seem to pinpoint the issue.

My primary fermentation temps were dead on and i rack directly from primary to bottling bucket. Perhaps it's the priming sugar? I boil my priming sugar water for 5 minutes let it cool for another 5 minutes and then add the sugar. Is this a bad process for priming?

 

[SilverZero]

After 5 minutes your sugar is still pretty darn hot, I imagine. It should be at the same temp as the beer, ideally. But I'm not sure that would really cause any problems like what you're describing. How warm was your starter? I'd be more inclined to say it's something about the way it's conditioning, as you'd have tasted the off-flavors from the yeast by the time you bottled. (Right?)

 

[klamz]

After 5 minutes your sugar is still pretty darn hot, I imagine. It should be at the same temp as the beer, ideally. But I'm not sure that would really cause any problems like what you're describing. How warm was your starter? I'd be more inclined to say it's something about the way it's conditioning, as you'd have tasted the off-flavors from the yeast by the time you bottled. (Right?)

Sorry I wasnt clear. I wait a few minutes after boiling the priming water then I add the sugar to disolve it. The temp of the priming sugar solution is near 80-90f when I throw it in the bottling bucket. My yeast starter temps have gone as high ast 77f and sometimes I shake it at high krausen. I taste the off flavors only after the beer is fully carbed up.

 

[SilverZero]

Well sir, as the tree said to the lumberjack: "I'm stumped!"

You'll have to send a few my way so I can taste it for myself.

 

[klamz]

Well sir, as the tree said to the lumberjack: "I'm stumped!"

You'll have to send a few my way so I can taste it for myself.

I just opened another one and it actually has gotten worse. It tastes like flavorless bitter water. Maybe it's an infection? That malty profile and sweetness is completely gone now. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

[apratsunrthd]

Yeah, if it's getting worse, something definitely isn't right. I'm always leery of using the word 'infection' because I truly believe that single word has deprived the beer community (as a whole) of many 'coulda been' great brewers. All that said, it could be an infection. Regardless, I always tell new(er) brewers that the very first thing they should investigate is sanitation. And then they should investigate it again. Whatever you do, DON'T QUIT. Keep brewing and learn about all the intricacies of this art/science we all live for!

 

[harrydrez]

I have heard something about certain British ale yeasts "cleaning up too much" if you let them.