Off flavor

[Poppajim]

I'm a new Brewer. My latest batch has an off flavor like sour apples. I researched the problem and believe it to be the wort being too hot when I pitched the yeast. My question is will the fruity flavor go away in time or am I stuck with an awful tasting beer?

 

[Yooper]

I'm a new Brewer. My latest batch has an off flavor like sour apples. I researched the problem and believe it to be the wort being too hot when I pitched the yeast. My question is will the fruity flavor go away in time or am I stuck with an awful tasting beer?

If it's due to fermentation temperatures and not an immature beer, then it won't get better. If it's due to it being a young beer (a "green apple" flavor may be), then it will get better with a little bit of age.

 

[Poppajim]

If it's due to fermentation temperatures and not an immature beer, then it won't get better. If it's due to it being a young beer (a "green apple" flavor may be), then it will get better with a little bit of age.

It wasn't the ferment temp, but the temp at the time I added the dry yeast. The beer just finished carbonating, so I'm guessing that would be a young beer. I think I'll let it sit at room temp for awhile and see what happens. Thanks

 

[lumpher]

That's what Yooper is talking about - the temp you pitched at. The first few hours after you pitch determine if the yeast is gonna stress or not. If you pitch and it stays warm for the next few hours, you're stuck with it.

 

[joshesmusica]

so did you have temperature control during the fermentation? if so what were the temps in the fermenter (not ambient temps)?

usually the green apple flavor is associated with acetaldehyde. If you've bottled it, this is likely not a flavor that's going to go away. for future batches, you want to make sure that it's reached final gravity by checking it a couple of times over three days, and also taste to make sure there are no off-flavors. if it meets those two requirements, then, and only then, is it ready to be bottled. if not just let it sit for another week and try again. speaking of, how long was it in the fermentor?

 

[Poppajim]

so did you have temperature control during the fermentation? if so what were the temps in the fermenter (not ambient temps)?

usually the green apple flavor is associated with acetaldehyde. If you've bottled it, this is likely not a flavor that's going to go away. for future batches, you want to make sure that it's reached final gravity by checking it a couple of times over three days, and also taste to make sure there are no off-flavors. if it meets those two requirements, then, and only then, is it ready to be bottled. if not just let it sit for another week and try again. speaking of, how long was it in the fermentor?

The temp in the fermenter was at 68. It's been bottled. I did check the FG, but didn't taste it. I will be from now on. It was in the fermenter for 19 days. Thanks for the great info.

 

[joshesmusica]

19 days seems like sufficient time for the resorption of acetaldehyde by the yeast. Though if you didn't properly aerate, and under-pitched by quite a bit, this could've led to stressed out yeast, which means that they wouldn't have done a proper job of reabsorbing the acetaldehyde at the end of fermentation (This compound is produced in every fermentation. It's a precursor to the formation of ethanol. It's just that under the proper circumstances, the yeast will reabsorb much of it at the end of fermentation to below the taste threshold.).

Temperature shouldn't affect this really, unless the temp dropped too cool before fermentation was complete, which led to the yeast flocculating out before they had finished everything. This is why a lot of people now combat that by going the opposite way, and raising temps after the most vigorous part of fermentation has started to slow down.

 

[Poppajim]

19 days seems like sufficient time for the resorption of acetaldehyde by the yeast. Though if you didn't properly aerate, and under-pitched by quite a bit, this could've led to stressed out yeast, which means that they wouldn't have done a proper job of reabsorbing the acetaldehyde at the end of fermentation (This compound is produced in every fermentation. It's a precursor to the formation of ethanol. It's just that under the proper circumstances, the yeast will reabsorb much of it at the end of fermentation to below the taste threshold.).

Temperature shouldn't affect this really, unless the temp dropped too cool before fermentation was complete, which led to the yeast flocculating out before they had finished everything. This is why a lot of people now combat that by going the opposite way, and raising temps after the most vigorous part of fermentation has started to slow down.

Under-pitched? Do you mean not enough yeast?

 

[Poppajim]

19 days seems like sufficient time for the resorption of acetaldehyde by the yeast. Though if you didn't properly aerate, and under-pitched by quite a bit, this could've led to stressed out yeast, which means that they wouldn't have done a proper job of reabsorbing the acetaldehyde at the end of fermentation (This compound is produced in every fermentation. It's a precursor to the formation of ethanol. It's just that under the proper circumstances, the yeast will reabsorb much of it at the end of fermentation to below the taste threshold.).

Temperature shouldn't affect this really, unless the temp dropped too cool before fermentation was complete, which led to the yeast flocculating out before they had finished everything. This is why a lot of people now combat that by going the opposite way, and raising temps after the most vigorous part of fermentation has started to slow down.

Under-pitched? Does that mean not enough yeast?

 

[Poppajim]

Sorry for the double post

 

[joshesmusica]

Yes I mean not enough yeast.

 

[Poppajim]

If it's due to fermentation temperatures and not an immature beer, then it won't get better. If it's due to it being a young beer (a "green apple" flavor may be), then it will get better with a little bit of age.

Yooper, I let both batches sit since You answered. Both cleared up, no off flavor so. Thanks for the help.