Yeasty aftertaste to my first lager. Is there a fix for this?

[msa8967]

Made my first lager using AHS Grain Belt kit with WL pilsner yeast. I hade this ferment for 8 weeks at 45 F and then transferred to a secondary to lager for an additional 12 weeks. It has been kegged and under CO2 pressure for 3 weeks now and I still get a yeasty after taste for this beer. Is there anything I can add to the keg (like perhaps gelatin) to help fix this problem? I don't really know what I did wrong that may have contributed to this effect. Love to hear any ideas anyone has.

 

[ghpeel]

What was the gravity and what temp did you lager at? How many pints have you pulled from this keg?

 

[msa8967]

I have pulled 3 pints from the keg and also sampled some of the bottled version of this beer. The bottled is slightly better but still has too much yeast taste for what I think a lager should have. My OG was 1.052 and FG was 1.010. I fermented the beer around 45 F and then lagered it after transfer at 38-40 F.

 

[ghpeel]

Hmm yeah I'm not sure what to tell you, other than maybe it's just clearing very slowly and it needs a few more weeks? You'd think a 1.052 lager would have cleared by now, but I lager at about 32-34F.

Gelatin or other finings aren't a bad idea to try to pull some of that stuff out of suspension. I did just finish a keg of Vienna lager that was VERY sensitive to movement too, and would kick up a yeast haze when the keg was moved even slightly. I guess I didn't secondary it for long enough before kegging.

 

[helibrewer]

Is the beer hazy or did it clear well? Did you do a diacetyl rest?

 

[pjj2ba]

If the beer pours clear, then my guess is what you are tasting is the result of sitting on the yeast for so long. That flavor is much easier to discern in lighter styles of beer.

Not intending to open a can of worms, but this is the flavor one gets from the normal autolysis of yeast. The normal breakdown of yeast does not lead to the strong off-flavors. It is much more subtle than that.

Wine makers are well aware of this, and some of the flavors in good chardonnays and champagne are from leaving the wine on the bulk of the yeast for extra time.

Leaving the wine/beer on the yeast for extra time can be a good thing for some styles, but I'm afraid, as you have found out, not so good for other styles.

 

[msa8967]

If the beer pours clear, then my guess is what you are tasting is the result of sitting on the yeast for so long. That flavor is much easier to discern in lighter styles of beer.

Not intending to open a can of worms, but this is the flavor one gets from the normal autolysis of yeast. The normal breakdown of yeast does not lead to the strong off-flavors. It is much more subtle than that.

Wine makers are well aware of this, and some of the flavors in good chardonnays and champagne are from leaving the wine on the bulk of the yeast for extra time.

Leaving the wine/beer on the yeast for extra time can be a good thing for some styles, but I'm afraid, as you have found out, not so good for other styles.

The yeast taste is slowly fading but is still there so this beer does not have the crisp taste of a traditional lager. From what you mentioned I do agree that the beer may have been in the primary far too long (perhaps 4 weeks would be better than 8 weeks) and I will look into how long it is ideal to be in the primary inside the lager fridge. Your reply now makes me want to try doing this again instead of avoiding brewing a lager.

 

[pjj2ba]

The yeast taste is slowly fading but is still there so this beer does not have the crisp taste of a traditional lager. From what you mentioned I do agree that the beer may have been in the primary far too long (perhaps 4 weeks would be better than 8 weeks) and I will look into how long it is ideal to be in the primary inside the lager fridge. Your reply now makes me want to try doing this again instead of avoiding brewing a lager.

Good for you! Besides the fact that I love to drink lagers, one of the appeals to brewing them is that it really helped me identify where I needed to make improvements in my recipes/process. As they always say, in pale lagers, there is nowhere to hide. Any flaws are more obvious. So now I take what I've learned brewing lagers, and apply that to all of my beers, and the quality of all of them has gone up.

I like to go 2-3 weeks for my lagers in primary for my lagers , then straight to a keg. 4 weeks tops if I get busy and distracted.

 

[ghpeel]

I missed the point about the 8 week primary. I'm not an expert, but I do agree that this might be the issue. Any kind of 'meaty' or 'brothy' off-flavor would probabably muddy up the crispness you want in that lager too.

Don't feel bad, I'm thinking my Bohemian Pilsner in primary now is infected, so you aren't the only one with lager woes!

 

[pjj2ba]

Any kind of 'meaty' or 'brothy' off-flavor would probabably muddy up the crispness you want in that lager too.

When I hear someone say meaty or brothy, this to me says that the yeast have been subject to some kind of abuse, probably way to warm (after fermentation has ceased). The normal flavors from autolysis are as the OP has run into, and aren't per se off- flavors, just not ideal. The strong off-flavors come from yeast abuse, and often that combined with an infection. The really bad smell are from anaerobic bacteria munching on dead yeast