Taste testing yeast

[HisDudeness]

Does anyone else sample the wort from yeast starters/cultures that have fermented out? I have had a little taste test from 3 strains I have recently cultured and it's been quite revealing in terms of the flavour/ester characters of the different yeasts. Without hops and more complex grain involved it seems like you get a much clearer profile of the yeast on its own and the differences between them. The strains I have tried are Adnams, Fullers and Shepherd Neame which were all quite different, I would describe them as follows:

Adnams - quite tart fruitiness slightly vinegary, very Apple like and reminded me of cider a bit with a little spice

Fullers - didn't really get as much fruity flavour, much more malty taste and sweeter than the others. It immediately reminded of the malty background flavour from London Pride

Shepherd Neame - a bit tart as well but darker fruit flavours that then have a background of a sort of old leather and wood, again this immediately reminded me of one of the tastes I get from spitfire

It's interesting how some of these flavours seem to remain prominent while others blend in and are not as obvious in finished beers, I think I might be getting a bit yeast obsessed!

 

[clibit]

Yes I've been tasting my yeast starters, it's a great way to find out what the yeast does with no hops or strongly flavoured grains present. Interesting descriptions there dude, make perfect sense.

 

[rodabod]

Adnams - quite tart fruitiness slightly vinegary, very Apple like and reminded me of cider a bit with a little spice

Could this have been acetaldehyde? Perhaps the fruitiness may have subsided with time.

 

[rodabod]

Oh, and great way to taste yeasts in isolation. I wouldn't have thought of doing that.

 

[HisDudeness]

Could this have been acetaldehyde? Perhaps the fruitiness may have subsided with time.

That was my initial thought on this one as well but I left it for a while and this flavour remained quite prominent. I have just had a look at the Whitelabs description for this yeast and its not too far from what I tasted.

This yeast produces complex fruit, citrus, and spicy flavors

 

[rodabod]

I've had some cask ales which have shown this character before. I always assumed it was a fault, but maybe it is indeed the yeast. I have to say though, I don't really like it.

 

[HisDudeness]

I've had some cask ales which have shown this character before. I always assumed it was a fault, but maybe it is indeed the yeast. I have to say though, I don't really like it.

I wouldn't say its a prominent flavour in finished beers with this yeast though, for whatever reason it does seem to mellow into a more general fruitiness when used in a proper recipe. I think this character does work particularly well for citrus/citra themed beers like Ghost Ship where the yeast seems to emphasise the lemony grapefruit flavours from the hops.
Perhaps some yeasts that taste slightly off putting on there own are quite complimentary of other tastes once they are hopped etc?
(Must get hold of that book on yeast and read up more!)