Fixing Green Apple

[traviswalken]

I have good sanitation, healthy yeast, plenty of yeast, and controlled fermentation temps. I got impatient and moved my 1.072 OG beer off of primary too quickly. 10 days at 65, cold crash 1 day, gelatin 2 days, transferred to keg. I should have tasted it before crashing it, but I didn't.

Hopefully I haven't ruined it. What temp should I store the beer to allow the yeast that's left to clean up after my mistake? I have it at 60F right now.

Thanks.

 

[IL1kebeer]

What temp should I store the beer to allow the yeast that's left to clean up after my mistake?

I'd keep it at 70F for a week or 2 and see how it goes.

However, if everything that you said that you did was done then 10 days should have been enough for the yeast to clean up for most ales. If something wasn't done correctly then 10 days may have been too little. We need more specific info about your fermentation process.

Dry or liquid yeast and what strain?
Rehydrate?
Starter?
Exact pitch rate?
OG of beer?
Pitch temp?
How exactly do you control your ferm temps?
Yeast nutrient?
How do you oxygenate/aerate?

 

[boydster]

That taste is acetaldehyde. At this point, you want it warm and you want to rouse the yeast in the bottles often to keep it in suspension. Ideally, this beer would have sat on the yeast cake a little longer and the taste would clear up the quickest. Leave it warm (70-80 if possible) for an extra week than planned, then try one. If the taste is still there, wait another week. Keep rousing the yeast though.

Edit: sorry, forgot you said keg. Everything still applies, but you have the benefit of taking smaller samples to taste test.

 

[traviswalken]

I'd keep it at 70F for a week or 2 and see how it goes.

However, if everything that you said that you did was done then 10 days should have been enough for the yeast to clean up for most ales. If something wasn't done correctly then 10 days may have been too little. We need more specific info about your fermentation process.

Dry or liquid yeast and what strain?
Rehydrate?
Starter?
Exact pitch rate?
OG of beer?
Pitch temp?
How exactly do you control your ferm temps?
Yeast nutrient?
How do you oxygenate/aerate?

Good questions. This beer was a bit of an experiment. I am an all grain brewer, but wanted to see how short I could get my brew day, so I did some things I don't normally do. I did a short boil and then no chill.

This was a bigish wort pitched on to the yeast cake of a smaller beer. So a it was over pitched. OG was 1.072. Pitched at about 64F. Controlled fermentation temps in freezer w/temp controller. I might have forgotten the nutrient. I oxygenate with o2 and a stone...about 1 minute.

 

[traviswalken]

Based on your advice, dialing up the fermentation temp to 70F this morning.

Thanks.

 

[IL1kebeer]

Controlled fermentation temps in freezer w/temp controller

Are you controlling the ambient temp of the freezer? Or you controlling the actual temp of the wort via a thermowell or by taping the probe to the carboy and insulating it? If you are only controlling ambient then your wort temps are still going to be higher than your freezer temps during the active part of fermentation. This could stress the yeast and cause them to produce more undesirable byproducts.

 

[traviswalken]

Are you controlling the ambient temp of the freezer? Or you controlling the actual temp of the wort via a thermowell or by taping the probe to the carboy and insulating it? If you are only controlling ambient then your wort temps are still going to be higher than your freezer temps during the active part of fermentation. This could stress the yeast and cause them to produce more undesirable byproducts.

I normally tape some insulation to the fermenter and put the probe against the fermenter. I didn't this time. I assumed the fermenter would be 3-4 degrees above ambient and kept the ambient temp at 64F.

I probably cut too many corners on this beer, but I hope I can salvage it. If not, it was an experiment anyway.

 

[IL1kebeer]

I normally tape some insulation to the fermenter and put the probe against the fermenter. I didn't this time. I assumed the fermenter would be 3-4 degrees above ambient and kept the ambient temp at 64F. I probably cut too many corners on this beer, but I hope I can salvage it. If not, it was an experiment anyway.

I've never had acetaldehyde problems but so I can't speak from experience, but I've heard that it usually conditions out.