Slight solvent flavour - Wyeast 3787

[WelshPaul]

I popped open a bottle of a Belgian style beer I made in February, mainly to test the carbonation. Since it was OK I decided to do a taste test rather than to recap the bottle and the flavour was OK, but there was a notable aftertaste of solvents - too much ester production?

For some background info, the beer was brewed on 9th of February, bottled on the 28th at 12% ABV, and has been stored in bottles away from the sunlight since then at room temperature.
Is this simply a case of giving the beer more time? I'm planning on opening the batch properly at the end of summer so there's still plenty of time for the beer to mature.

 

[PD]

Not an expert by any means but beers can give off some very funny smells and have odd flavors when new.
If you have mashed and fermented at a high temp you will encourage these things.

Give the beer time ( especially before bottling ) and they usually go.

 

[graysalchemy]

[quote="WelshPaul"but there was a notable aftertaste of solvents - too much ester production?

[/quote]

Too much ester, too much fusel alcohol more like though they are related. What temp did you brew at?

1 month is a little to soon for such a big beer, but unfortunately solventy taste sounds more like fusel alcohol which is usually due to high fermentation temps especially at the growth phase.

I would give it 6 months before you get stuck into them the solvent taste may disipate as other flavours develope. I had a bitter which was a little solventy and nearly 8 months later it is not as prominent but unfortunately still there.

:thumb:

 

[WelshPaul]

I brewed in a classic three-stage decoction:
35°C acid rest
54°C protein rest
67°C saccrification rest
75°C sparge

I am going to repeat the recipe in April as I over-boiled this one (I was aiming for 9% ABV), and I may well try it in a single step mash this time.

 

[joe1002]

I think GA means what temp did you ferment at?

 

[graysalchemy]

what temps did you ferment at?

 

[WelshPaul]

Oh, sorry.
I very much doubt that it was caused by overly high temperatures. Even with the heating on in the house, it has not exceeded 18°C.

 

[graysalchemy]

Its not the temp of the house but of the wort, fermentation is exothermic so though heat is needed an ambient air temp of 21c may produce beer temps of 22-23c.

Solvent flavours are mainly caused by high temps in the growth phase or I think I am right in saying stressing the yeast ie by under pitching and high gravity's.

Either way it sounds like Fusels no matter how they were produced.

 

[WelshPaul]

That's annoying. The OG was rather high so I made a starter for the yeasts some 48 hours earlier to avoid stressing the yeasts.
I'll give it another few months and try another to see how it's getting along: hopefully time will settle things out.

 

[graysalchemy]

For a beer of that gravity you should have made a starter up probably a week before and made it up to a large volume or better still pitched the starter onto a small beer and then used the yeast cake. :thumb:

 

[WelshPaul]

For a beer of that gravity you should have made a starter up probably a week before and made it up to a large volume or better still pitched the starter onto a small beer and then used the yeast cake. :thumb:

Interesting idea - what would constitute a large volume for a starter and what would stop the yeast using up all of the sugar in that time?

 

[graysalchemy]

LArge volume would be a gallon. As for what

what would stop the yeast using up all of the sugar in that time?

I don't understand the question. Basically you let the starter ferment out take of the resulting beer and pitch just the yeast.

 

[WelshPaul]

Ah, I see - just like adding fresh wort to the yeast bed of a previous beer, yes?
Could I also bottle the fermented starter as an experiment? :)

 

[wilsoa1111]

interesting stuff, im still bottle carbing my 9.3% dark belgain with 3787 (but bottling suggested good things)

, tbh at 12% im not surprised its solventy but after a year i would expect it to be much better- probably best to leave somewhere warmish so yeast keeps working

i found it was ridiculously exothermic- one of few yeasts i actively have to keep spooning off yeast to stop it blocking and pressurising f.v (then talking them down is always scary stuff, have painted the ceiling once already lol) and keeping downstairs with cooling wet blankets (had to do this after each main ferment for a few hours)

best bet is to pitch big and cold- 18 degrees max and let build up a bit - when chilling however u most not overchill, this is as big an issue than overheating as the beer tends to stall out- adding champers yeast may help here

beersmith reckoned a 8l starter from the original SO its easier to brew a farmhouse style beer to 20l odd at 4% ish- usually turn out better than u expect for a starter, also the yeast flocs better the second time in my exp due to natural selection

i also stepped the ferment adding my diy candi syrup when fermentation got more chilled

been reading up on how to brew like a monk- interestingly provided fermentation doesnt go above 28 degrees and u leave it to finish in the primry a week longer (for us guys) so 2weeks min- 12% prob more like 3wks min u should avoid most solvent flavours

summery,
pitch big
start cool get and keep warm but not hot
if pos step sugar additions (without sugars will rarely attnuate without needing alot of heat and making a solventy mess)
take time

 

[WelshPaul]

Another interesting idea. I'll be repeating this recipe so I may try adding the candi sugar directly to the FV a few days after pitching.