What yeasts give off different flavors?

[grndslm]

A few times when I've drunk Coors Heavy (aka: "original" Coors), I've noticed a banana accent, or flavor, in the beer.

Now, just the other day I read something about British Ale yeasts, IIRC, giving off a hint of banana in the beer.

What other yeasts give off different flavors??

Clean yeasts need not apply!

 

[kh54s10]

All yeasts that are not the same strain from different companies will impart different characters. For instance a Belgian strain will have a different flavor than an English strain and different from various other strains.

Go to White Labs and Wyeast websites etc, to see descriptions of each yeast strain.

 

[BigFloyd]

Any yeast will produce off-flavors if fermented too warmly. English ale yeasts do have more of a tendency to produce fruity esters (sometimes desirable to a certain point) than say, a clean fermenting strain like WLP001/US-05.

However, so much depends on the temp at which you ferment a particular strain. For example. you can get a very clean, lager-like result fermenting with Nottingham in the upper 50's. Ferment that same yeast at 70-75*F and you'll get some real funk.

 

[grndslm]

Perhaps I should have rephrased the question.... I know that all yeasts that aren't clean won't give off different flavors. I think most homebrewers use clean yeasts and know what to expect from it, considering clean means "no added flavor".

What I'm asking is, are there any distinct flavors that any specific strain of yeast (not just geographic categories of yeast) will add / produce, and what are they?

 

[aiptasia]

Again, you'll have to go to the different yeast production websites and read the description for each strain of yeast for their characteristics. One of the greatest tours you can ever take is the White Labs yeast tour if you visit San Diego any time soon. There, they explain the different yeast strains and let you taste beers where the only change in the formula is the type of yeast used. You will get a clear picture of the different yeast flavors on that tour.

Each description of the yeast strains on the White Labs and Wyeast websites list the characteristics of that particular strain. For example, the description of Burton Ale Yeast (WLP023) has a description of esters that taste of apple, pear and clover honey. These are the flavors you can expect to pick up when brewing with this strain of yeast. So, when you choose your next strain, pay attention to the flavor characteristics and choose a yeast that you believe might compliment the style of beer you are brewing.

 

[Crito]

A lot of big breweries have their own strain. That strain produces a taste that will be different then most other breweries.

Also, yes. A perfect example of yeast strain giving a particular taste would be a banana bread beer.

A British yeast would give out a bready taste.

 

[WoodlandBrew]

WB-33 banana / cove
S-04 fruity / nutty
S-23 dark fruit

One thing I have found is that it only takes the smallest amount of bacteria to rip all the flavor out of a beer. I had a wonderful dunkel going, amazing banana clove flavors. I was doing cell counts every day tracking the progress. Then wham! The flavor dropped out and it was tasting thin like most commercial beers. Under the microscope I saw 5um x 20um rods.

Lesson learned: leave to beer alone. It doesn't like to be poked and prodded.

 

[tennesseean_87]

Any yeast will produce off-flavors if fermented too warmly. English ale yeasts do have more of a tendency to produce fruity esters (sometimes desirable to a certain point) than say, a clean fermenting strain like WLP001/US-05.

However, so much depends on the temp at which you ferment a particular strain. For example. you can get a very clean, lager-like result fermenting with Nottingham in the upper 50's. Ferment that same yeast at 70-75*F and you'll get some real funk.

For true. My October Ale last year was a (drinkable) disaster. Planned on low ferm with Notty followed by a month at 40ish. I pitched a big starter to compensate for cool ferm temps and pitched it at high krausen, which I usually don't do with single-step starters. The yeast took off before the temp dropped far enough in the chamber, so just a few initial hours at 75 made a huge difference before it spent most of its time at 58. I gave one to a pro brewer without mentioning the intended style--he thought I was shooting for a Dubbel. Weird funky yeast flavors.

 

[Yooper]

Perhaps I should have rephrased the question.... I know that all yeasts that aren't clean won't give off different flavors. I think most homebrewers use clean yeasts and know what to expect from it, considering clean means "no added flavor".

I would argue that most homebrewers don't necessarily use "clean" ale yeast. Sure, some do. But most of the brewers I know give as much thought to their yeast strain as they do the malt bill or the hops.

There are a few "clean" strains that are often used for American IPAs and APAs (I use WLP001 often for that) but many of us use yeast for character as well and look carefully for characteristics we want.

Some strains are "minerally", some are "fruity", some are "dry", some enhance malt flavor, some enhance hops flavor, some have hints of stone fruits, some have bubblegum aromas, etc. The yeast companies probably have over a hundred different strains to choose from, and that's why.
a
Dry yeast strains are far more limited, and while brewers might find them convenient they don't have the variety of those liquid yeast strains available.

I'm trying to answer your question- but it's like answering the question "What do spices taste like?" in a way. There are hundreds of spices, and they all have flavors and characteristics. The same is true of yeast strains- they are different in the flavor, mouthfeel, aroma, etc- so it's not really possible to give you a list unless we copy/paste from the websites.

Both White Labs and Wyeast have their strains listed, along with the flavor characteristics and attenuation levels. That would be a good start. Another good place to look is at recipes. if you see someone using, say, Wyeast 1450 Denny's Favorite, you could ask why. As an example, that strain is noted to enhance malt flavor and mouthfeel without being underattenuative (too sweet), and it gives almost a luscious mouthfeel to my oatmeal stout, with a "clean" malt flavor. No other strain is the same.

 

[grndslm]

Again, you'll have to go to the different yeast production websites and read the description for each strain of yeast for their characteristics. One of the greatest tours you can ever take is the White Labs yeast tour if you visit San Diego any time soon. There, they explain the different yeast strains and let you taste beers where the only change in the formula is the type of yeast used. You will get a clear picture of the different yeast flavors on that tour.

Each description of the yeast strains on the White Labs and Wyeast websites list the characteristics of that particular strain. For example, the description of Burton Ale Yeast (WLP023) has a description of esters that taste of apple, pear and clover honey. These are the flavors you can expect to pick up when brewing with this strain of yeast. So, when you choose your next strain, pay attention to the flavor characteristics and choose a yeast that you believe might compliment the style of beer you are brewing.

Awesome. I had no idea that White Labs gave such a yeast tour in San Diego. Next time I'm on the Left Coast, I'll be sure to go there!!