I've brewed the All Amarillo APA twice now, and both batches have come out with way more apricot than I like. I've confirmed this by asking my professional tasters, and they agree that apricot is the dominant flavor. I know they are pros because they require payment in beer.
Is this taste profile a function of the hops, the grain bill, or perhaps the yeast?
If I were to stick with the grain bill and change the hops to eliminate or modify the apricot flavor, how would I go about changing the recipe? Or, would I be better off to ditch this recipe and try another, tweaking it as I go?
Post #2 made 9 years ago
was it US05 or equivalents?
I have no personal experience but have read of others complaining about US05 and apricot flavours (I think when fermented cool)?
I have no personal experience but have read of others complaining about US05 and apricot flavours (I think when fermented cool)?
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
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Post #3 made 9 years ago
Yep, US 05. I think I'll switch out to a different yeast and try another batch this weekend. Any suggestions?
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Post #4 made 9 years ago
There are lots of good yeasts to try, each that give a slightly different final beer... Feel free to experiment. 
I have used WLP051 and it is a good one. Also Wyeast 1332 NW Ale Yeast, which made a great fresh hop pale last year (and am fermenting with it right now for the same), but I wasn't as wild about it later for regular pale ale - but that may have been the interplay of that yeast and Great Western 2-row... (?)
But the fresh hop pale used the same 2-row - with fresh hops for flavor, and it was everyone's favorite. Figured I may give it a shot later with Maris Otter malt...see if that mix produces a more enjoyable final beer. I've had good luck with American Ale Yeast overall, but it didn't seem to do as well with the fresh hop pale ale last year. The point is, it's fun to experiment and you can get some cool surprises. 
There are a bunch of interesting yeasts to try. Heck, if able to ferment two batches at same time try two yeasts and do an experiment... I did it last year with the fresh hop APA (same brew, two yeasts fermented separately) and am trying it again this year to confirm my initial thoughts...
I have used WLP051 and it is a good one. Also Wyeast 1332 NW Ale Yeast, which made a great fresh hop pale last year (and am fermenting with it right now for the same), but I wasn't as wild about it later for regular pale ale - but that may have been the interplay of that yeast and Great Western 2-row... (?)
But the fresh hop pale used the same 2-row - with fresh hops for flavor, and it was everyone's favorite. Figured I may give it a shot later with Maris Otter malt...see if that mix produces a more enjoyable final beer. I've had good luck with American Ale Yeast overall, but it didn't seem to do as well with the fresh hop pale ale last year. The point is, it's fun to experiment and you can get some cool surprises. There are a bunch of interesting yeasts to try. Heck, if able to ferment two batches at same time try two yeasts and do an experiment... I did it last year with the fresh hop APA (same brew, two yeasts fermented separately) and am trying it again this year to confirm my initial thoughts...
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Post #5 made 9 years ago
Just a thought here, but it could very well be the hops too...
https://ychhops.com/varieties/amarillo-brand-vgxp01
https://ychhops.com/varieties/amarillo-brand-vgxp01
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Post #6 made 9 years ago
I do not understand your point, or thought... Spell it out please.
EDIT: Nevermind, I get it. Hop variety could have caused the flavor issue... Yeah, could be any input variable... Yeast, hops, malt base, etc.
EDIT: Nevermind, I get it. Hop variety could have caused the flavor issue... Yeah, could be any input variable... Yeast, hops, malt base, etc.
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Post #7 made 9 years ago
If you follow the link I posted and read the description, one of the flavours they specify is apricot. Amarillo is one of the only hops I know of that is described to have apricot flavours. That was my point. 
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Post #8 made 9 years ago
For me, this is a great conversation and I appreciate the feedback. I too am suspicious that the hops are contributing to the apricot taste, and the taste is really quite dominant. I would like to ameliorate that dominance, not necessarily eliminate the taste altogether. Since I'm new to AG brewing and this is all a big experiment for me, the question (and I know this is simplistic) is what one ingredient do I change to affect that taste dominance? Rather than change a primary element of the recipe, I'd rather see what happens if I first modify a secondary element - in this case the yeast.
I'm brewing the modified recipe tomorrow and will post the results.
Again, thanks you all for your guidance and input. What a great forum!
I'm brewing the modified recipe tomorrow and will post the results.
Again, thanks you all for your guidance and input. What a great forum!
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Post #9 made 9 years ago
If we lived close I would give you a few ounces of Cascade and say give it a shot. It's the #1 selling hop for microbreweries in North America and a natural classic for APA. I just packaged 25 dried ounces, harvested from my backyard hop bines.
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Post #10 made 9 years ago
Well this was an interesting brew; I'm not sure if I'll actually be able to compare my previous batches to this one. First, this time I was talking with the owner of the store rather than a hired hand to fill the grain and hop bills.
The supply store was out of Munich 1, so at their suggestion we substituted Munich 2. Then I found out they don't carry Caraamber, so we substituted Breiss C-30. Evidently they've been substituting something for the Caraamber for the last 2 batches without telling me. I don't know what they gave me the first two times. I'll have a discussion with the salesman next week about that.
Then it turns out that they can't get White Labs yeast, so instead of WLP090 we went with Wyeast 1272 American Ale 2.
So, the brew went pretty well, but based on my figures I don't think I had a big enough boil going. My VIB was slightly higher than calculated, but my GIB was also slightly higher than calculated. I overshot VFO and consequently VAW by a fair amount - hence my assumption that my boil wasn't robust enough. I missed my OG by a bit. And, I don't think I let things settle out enough after cooling and before transferring into the fermenter, as there was a lot of trub.
All in all kind of frustrating. I really wanted to compare batches based on changing the yeast. What do you all think, will the substitution of 2 of the malts make such a difference as to skew any changes between previous brews, vs, or in combination with a change in yeast?
Scott, thanks for the offer. I'd love to try real hops at some point.
Here's the Biabacus
The supply store was out of Munich 1, so at their suggestion we substituted Munich 2. Then I found out they don't carry Caraamber, so we substituted Breiss C-30. Evidently they've been substituting something for the Caraamber for the last 2 batches without telling me. I don't know what they gave me the first two times. I'll have a discussion with the salesman next week about that.
Then it turns out that they can't get White Labs yeast, so instead of WLP090 we went with Wyeast 1272 American Ale 2.
So, the brew went pretty well, but based on my figures I don't think I had a big enough boil going. My VIB was slightly higher than calculated, but my GIB was also slightly higher than calculated. I overshot VFO and consequently VAW by a fair amount - hence my assumption that my boil wasn't robust enough. I missed my OG by a bit. And, I don't think I let things settle out enough after cooling and before transferring into the fermenter, as there was a lot of trub.
All in all kind of frustrating. I really wanted to compare batches based on changing the yeast. What do you all think, will the substitution of 2 of the malts make such a difference as to skew any changes between previous brews, vs, or in combination with a change in yeast?
Scott, thanks for the offer. I'd love to try real hops at some point.
Here's the Biabacus
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by Streamer on 04 Sep 2016, 08:10, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #11 made 9 years ago
The Munich 2 may make it very slightly darker, otherwise probly not a whole lot of difference I wouldn't think. I can't remember the colour specs for caraamber of the top of my head and can't view the file on my phone here but im guessing the differences in malt won't have a huge impact on flavour in this case. Be interesting to hear if the yeast change will have an effect on the apricot flavour, I have never heard of us05 causing apricot flavours, it's pretty much one of the cleanest yeasts available...
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Post #12 made 9 years ago
The person helping me was pretty much of the same opinion regarding Munich 1 vs 2, and switching out the Caraamber for Breiss. I wasn't aware that US05 was clean, but I don't know much. I'll know more in 3 - 4 weeks when I first taste the product. I'll re-post then.goulaigan wrote:The Munich 2 may make it very slightly darker, otherwise probly not a whole lot of difference I wouldn't think. I can't remember the colour specs for caraamber of the top of my head and can't view the file on my phone here but im guessing the differences in malt won't have a huge impact on flavour in this case. Be interesting to hear if the yeast change will have an effect on the apricot flavour, I have never heard of us05 causing apricot flavours, it's pretty much one of the cleanest yeasts available...
Last edited by Streamer on 04 Sep 2016, 10:18, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #13 made 9 years ago
A few more comments to add to goulaigan's. And by the way, I think he's right about the apricot flavor most likely coming from the hops.
Wyeast 1272 - believe this is the same as WLP051. It's a good yeast, similar to WLP001 (aka US05 and Wyeast 1056) - only finishes a little bigger bodied and a tad sweeter. I've brewed with it before, and it's good.
You are getting your process dialed in, so don't be discouraged by minor issues like not enough evaporation on this batch. (I had one propane tank that somehow did not let my burner burn hot enough and not enough evaporation, and the other very hot! Some batches too much evaporation and others not enough...have since replaced the tank.) Instead of 1.056 you got 1.052, so likely instead of a final ABV of 5.6% you'll be in the 5.2% range. Just pay attention to your situation and improve next time, but don't worry about it too much. You've already learned a lot, and will learn more as you keep going!
Remind me - do you bottle or keg? And are you able to cold crash? Letting the pot sit for 30 minutes or so can help you reduce a good amount of trub. But there are some brews that can be more problematic than others. I'm also wondering, if a non-vigorous boil can cause more problems with trub suspended in the wort. (???) We had some big debate and discussion about this some months earlier, but if able to cold crash after fermentation that will be HUGE in ability to settle trub prior to Kegging. And you had a ton of volume (about 1.5 gallons) lost between the brew pot and the fermenter. Did you stop transferring because of the debris suspended in the wort? I'm thinking "yes"...and remember doing that myself on a batch early on.
Wyeast 1272 - believe this is the same as WLP051. It's a good yeast, similar to WLP001 (aka US05 and Wyeast 1056) - only finishes a little bigger bodied and a tad sweeter. I've brewed with it before, and it's good.
You are getting your process dialed in, so don't be discouraged by minor issues like not enough evaporation on this batch. (I had one propane tank that somehow did not let my burner burn hot enough and not enough evaporation, and the other very hot! Some batches too much evaporation and others not enough...have since replaced the tank.) Instead of 1.056 you got 1.052, so likely instead of a final ABV of 5.6% you'll be in the 5.2% range. Just pay attention to your situation and improve next time, but don't worry about it too much. You've already learned a lot, and will learn more as you keep going!
Remind me - do you bottle or keg? And are you able to cold crash? Letting the pot sit for 30 minutes or so can help you reduce a good amount of trub. But there are some brews that can be more problematic than others. I'm also wondering, if a non-vigorous boil can cause more problems with trub suspended in the wort. (???) We had some big debate and discussion about this some months earlier, but if able to cold crash after fermentation that will be HUGE in ability to settle trub prior to Kegging. And you had a ton of volume (about 1.5 gallons) lost between the brew pot and the fermenter. Did you stop transferring because of the debris suspended in the wort? I'm thinking "yes"...and remember doing that myself on a batch early on.
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Post #14 made 9 years ago
Remind me - do you bottle or keg? And are you able to cold crash? Letting the pot sit for 30 minutes or so can help you reduce a good amount of trub. But there are some brews that can be more problematic than others. I'm also wondering, if a non-vigorous boil can cause more problems with trub suspended in the wort. (???) We had some big debate and discussion about this some months earlier, but if able to cold crash after fermentation that will be HUGE in ability to settle trub prior to Kegging. And you had a ton of volume (about 1.5 gallons) lost between the brew pot and the fermenter. Did you stop transferring because of the debris suspended in the wort? I'm thinking "yes"...and remember doing that myself on a batch early on.
Yes, I do bottle. I don't have the ability to cold crash. And yes, I did stop transferring because of the debris. I debated with myself (a long and not very fruitful conversation) about just transferring a lot of trub into the fermenter. In the end, I transferred quite a bit, but not nearly all. I think next time I'll let it settle longer and not worry so much about getting trub into the fermenter. I do think a lot of the issues I had with this batch revolved around not having a big enough boil. Yep, I'm learning, so this is a good thing. I know this batch will be beer, and because of my mistakes, my next batch will be even better.
Thanks to you Scott and to you Goulaigan for watching this thread - I do so appreciate your help!
Yes, I do bottle. I don't have the ability to cold crash. And yes, I did stop transferring because of the debris. I debated with myself (a long and not very fruitful conversation) about just transferring a lot of trub into the fermenter. In the end, I transferred quite a bit, but not nearly all. I think next time I'll let it settle longer and not worry so much about getting trub into the fermenter. I do think a lot of the issues I had with this batch revolved around not having a big enough boil. Yep, I'm learning, so this is a good thing. I know this batch will be beer, and because of my mistakes, my next batch will be even better.
Thanks to you Scott and to you Goulaigan for watching this thread - I do so appreciate your help!
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Post #15 made 9 years ago
Goulaigan, just google "US05 apricot" and you will see a lot of hits about it. I have no personal experience but others are commenting about an apricot flavoured ester that appears when fermenting cool.goulaigan wrote:I have never heard of us05 causing apricot flavours, it's pretty much one of the cleanest yeasts available...
Streamer - If you are able to I would recommend splitting your wort into 2 and and pitching US05 in one and whatever other yeast you have in the other.
Either recipe or ingredients will give an indication of the "suspect". i.e. if the apricot is from the hops it will be in both beers. If you have changed the hops (not Amarillo) and you get the flavour in US05 then you know it is the yeast.
Last edited by mally on 05 Sep 2016, 14:57, edited 1 time in total.
G B
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
I spent lots of money on booze, birds and fast cars. The rest I squandered
I've stopped drinking, but only when I'm asleep
I ONCE gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life
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Post #16 made 9 years ago
Mally, I did Google it after your previous comment, and the few results I found were as you said when fermented cold some people had a slight hint of apricot. I have used it many times and never experienced this, however I have gotten apricot flavours from Amarillo hops, and the company that created them describes them to have apricot flavours. Could be either one or a combo of both, I'm still leaning towards the hops but it's all really just guessing until streamer gets back to us with results from this batch with different yeast.
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Post #17 made 9 years ago
My FG has stabilized at 1.010, so I'm ready to bottle tomorrow. Tasting the still beer that I've pulled to check FG, I'm amazed at how different this brew tastes, and the main difference is the yeast. The current batch has no forward apricot flavor, unlike the last two batches. This is a very different beer. I'll bottle tomorrow and let it condition for two or more weeks, then report back.
For now though, it certainly appears that just by changing yeasts - from US05 to Wyeast 1272 - the apricot taste is gone. I'm very surprised as I had expected the issue to be with the hops.
To be consistent, I'll brew this recipe one more time with the Wyeast and see how it performs.
For now though, it certainly appears that just by changing yeasts - from US05 to Wyeast 1272 - the apricot taste is gone. I'm very surprised as I had expected the issue to be with the hops.
To be consistent, I'll brew this recipe one more time with the Wyeast and see how it performs.
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Post #18 made 9 years ago
Well i'll be damned... In any case, if that solved it then that's great!
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Post #19 made 9 years ago
Yeah I'm a little surprised as well...
Streamer - sounds like you found your new "house strain" of yeast. Ought to save it for a future brew (sloppy slurry) - if not thrown out anyway.
Streamer - sounds like you found your new "house strain" of yeast. Ought to save it for a future brew (sloppy slurry) - if not thrown out anyway.
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Post #20 made 9 years ago
I threw it out because I don't know yet how to save the yeast for future brews.I need to research on this forum. Can you point me in the right direction? It seems I'll be brewing about every 3 weeks + or -, so saving a yeast strain might be a good thing. Plus I understand that it's a way to have more cells for better fermentation.Scott wrote:Yeah I'm a little surprised as well...
Streamer - sounds like you found your new "house strain" of yeast. Ought to save it for a future brew (sloppy slurry) - if not thrown out anyway.
I'm pretty excited about this batch - it'll be really interesting to compare 2 batches.
Last edited by Streamer on 19 Sep 2016, 13:33, edited 1 time in total.
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Post #21 made 9 years ago
There are many ways to save/reuse yeast. Good sanitation is very important no matter how you do it. If you will be re-using within a week or so you can just save some of the slurry from the bottom of the fermenter, put in a sanitized container and keep in the fridge until ready to use.
If you want to save for longer look into yeast washing, or I think the better way to go is to double your starter and save half for next time. This is what I do now, I used to wash but I find the double starter method is much cleaner, easier and less time consuming. The method I use is pretty simple, rather than making a 1 liter starter,(amount depending on the beer) I divide the yeast into two 1 liter starters in separate containers. One goes in the beer, the other I let sit until finished fermenting and top liquid portion is clear. I then transfer to a small jar, pouring out most of the clear liquid on top so I have just enough left to fill my small jar completely. Seal it up, put it in the fridge, and use up to 6 months later, (I have gone longer) as long as it still smells good (and doesn't look like peanut butter ). As I said, sanitation is key here.
If you want to save for longer look into yeast washing, or I think the better way to go is to double your starter and save half for next time. This is what I do now, I used to wash but I find the double starter method is much cleaner, easier and less time consuming. The method I use is pretty simple, rather than making a 1 liter starter,(amount depending on the beer) I divide the yeast into two 1 liter starters in separate containers. One goes in the beer, the other I let sit until finished fermenting and top liquid portion is clear. I then transfer to a small jar, pouring out most of the clear liquid on top so I have just enough left to fill my small jar completely. Seal it up, put it in the fridge, and use up to 6 months later, (I have gone longer) as long as it still smells good (and doesn't look like peanut butter
). As I said, sanitation is key here.-
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Post #22 made 9 years ago
Agree totally about sanitization and cleanliness being HUGE!!!
Have different containers, jars etc with good leads. Clean sometimes with brew cleaner solution - sometimes wash in dishwasher - then sanitize them and all surfaces. Make sure no soap residue for sure, before sanitizing. Make sure container is filled to the top with slurry, beer, trub so less potential for oxidation, etc. I've saved up to 6 months and been able to make starter and get yeast going again. More frequent brews, less / no need for starter.
Some time (several months) ago I posted info about this with pictures... Don't have time right now to look for it. Sorry.
Have different containers, jars etc with good leads. Clean sometimes with brew cleaner solution - sometimes wash in dishwasher - then sanitize them and all surfaces. Make sure no soap residue for sure, before sanitizing. Make sure container is filled to the top with slurry, beer, trub so less potential for oxidation, etc. I've saved up to 6 months and been able to make starter and get yeast going again. More frequent brews, less / no need for starter.
Some time (several months) ago I posted info about this with pictures... Don't have time right now to look for it. Sorry.
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Post #23 made 9 years ago
Hi Streamer,
Below is a link from Wadey82's post about "managing trub". We had a debate back & forth about it, but I believe my points were valid... And showed picture of my beer fridge, and some of the containers I have for "sloppy slurry".
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php ... ter#p53846
And I try to get the level in the container as high as possible. Hopefully no room for air space. Got that tip from Joshua actually, and he's dead right. The container in the picture (you see in the link) actually had a tad of air space.
A note that I had to throw away a couple batches of "sloppy slurry" recently. Pale ales of different yeast types. One was in some sort of "canning jar", as I didn't / hadn't saved another suitable container. Other didn't smell right so threw it out. So its not 100%. But if you manage the container right; proper container, cleaned & sanitized, fill to the top - I think you'll be 90-95% good to go.
When I go to repitch yeast from the "sloppy slurry", you are supposed to "pour away" the beer in the top (down the drain). Provided I've filled my container all the way up (no air space) - and its okay if you have to add trub from your fermenter into the container with sloppy slurry (it will go to the bottom - just need to have no air space. Point is - POUR THE BEER INTO A GLASS and drink it. Free beer. And there always seems to be enough residual carbonation for a lightly carbonated beer.
Below is a link from Wadey82's post about "managing trub". We had a debate back & forth about it, but I believe my points were valid... And showed picture of my beer fridge, and some of the containers I have for "sloppy slurry".
http://www.biabrewer.info/viewtopic.php ... ter#p53846
And I try to get the level in the container as high as possible. Hopefully no room for air space. Got that tip from Joshua actually, and he's dead right. The container in the picture (you see in the link) actually had a tad of air space.
A note that I had to throw away a couple batches of "sloppy slurry" recently. Pale ales of different yeast types. One was in some sort of "canning jar", as I didn't / hadn't saved another suitable container. Other didn't smell right so threw it out. So its not 100%. But if you manage the container right; proper container, cleaned & sanitized, fill to the top - I think you'll be 90-95% good to go.
When I go to repitch yeast from the "sloppy slurry", you are supposed to "pour away" the beer in the top (down the drain). Provided I've filled my container all the way up (no air space) - and its okay if you have to add trub from your fermenter into the container with sloppy slurry (it will go to the bottom - just need to have no air space. Point is - POUR THE BEER INTO A GLASS and drink it. Free beer.
And there always seems to be enough residual carbonation for a lightly carbonated beer.-
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Re: Big Apricot
Post #24 made 8 years ago
This is a follow on, several months later, to my initial series of posts on this beer. I’ve brewed a few times since and saved and tasted the initial brews as they’ve aged. I’ve also had some beer tasting judges – legitimate ones – taste the beers to help deconstruct the results.
I originally blamed the “big apricot” flavor on the hops, then perhaps the yeast. After studying the process I’ve been using, and getting input directly from a couple of very knowledgeable guys who actually tasted the beer, I’m pretty sure the off flavors were caused by my lack of knowledge and general mistakes.
The flavor I identified as apricot was defined by the experienced judges as green apple – yep, Acetaldehyde. This is helped to be borne out by the fact that as I tasted the beers as they’ve conditioned in the bottle the taste has gotten worse. So bad that I've thrown out the last few bottles of the 3 batches in question.
Exacerbating the off flavor is another observation of the tasters that they both detected some diacetyl.
I think the reason why I thought the batch brewed with Wyeast 1056 was so different than that brewed with US 05 really had more to do with my boiling and pitching than with the yeast. With the US 05, I opened the packet and pitched directly to the wort – no hydration. This could have resulted in fewer viable yeast cells according to what I’ve been reading. The Wyeast is a smack pack (and I actually followed the instructions) so my thought is that it may have been fairly fresh and I actually pitched more viable yeast cells than with the (abused) US 05.
So, this is good news. My last batch of SNPA Clone turned out pretty well, and I’m getting set to start another batch. I think my boil hasn’t been vigorous enough and this time I’ll tweak up the propane (I got a bigger valve so I can crank up to a claimed 110,000 BTU). Also, I’ll use a yeast calculator and hydrate the appropriate amount of US 05.
Getting to the point where I can brew good beer is an interesting journey. Some of the best advice I’ve gleaned from reading through these forums and form the feedback to my posts is to keep good, complete and accurate notes. Now I know why. Thanks as always for all your help. What a great group of brewers!
I originally blamed the “big apricot” flavor on the hops, then perhaps the yeast. After studying the process I’ve been using, and getting input directly from a couple of very knowledgeable guys who actually tasted the beer, I’m pretty sure the off flavors were caused by my lack of knowledge and general mistakes.
The flavor I identified as apricot was defined by the experienced judges as green apple – yep, Acetaldehyde. This is helped to be borne out by the fact that as I tasted the beers as they’ve conditioned in the bottle the taste has gotten worse. So bad that I've thrown out the last few bottles of the 3 batches in question.
Exacerbating the off flavor is another observation of the tasters that they both detected some diacetyl.
I think the reason why I thought the batch brewed with Wyeast 1056 was so different than that brewed with US 05 really had more to do with my boiling and pitching than with the yeast. With the US 05, I opened the packet and pitched directly to the wort – no hydration. This could have resulted in fewer viable yeast cells according to what I’ve been reading. The Wyeast is a smack pack (and I actually followed the instructions) so my thought is that it may have been fairly fresh and I actually pitched more viable yeast cells than with the (abused) US 05.
So, this is good news. My last batch of SNPA Clone turned out pretty well, and I’m getting set to start another batch. I think my boil hasn’t been vigorous enough and this time I’ll tweak up the propane (I got a bigger valve so I can crank up to a claimed 110,000 BTU). Also, I’ll use a yeast calculator and hydrate the appropriate amount of US 05.
Getting to the point where I can brew good beer is an interesting journey. Some of the best advice I’ve gleaned from reading through these forums and form the feedback to my posts is to keep good, complete and accurate notes. Now I know why. Thanks as always for all your help. What a great group of brewers!
Last edited by Streamer on 25 Dec 2016, 13:49, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Big Apricot
Post #25 made 8 years ago
How constant/ consistent were your fermentation temperatures? If they were inconsistent that may cause extra stress.
The need to rehydrate yeast is still up for debate. A large number of people have had great results just pitching in from the packet. I believe that most dry yeast packets actually have double the cells compared to liquid smack packs. Even if some of the dried yeast die off there are still plenty to ferment the beer.
The green apple and diacetyl flavors can be caused by not getting enough oxygen into the wort before pitching and by taking the beer off of the yeast too early. The lack of oxygen stress the yeast to release these compounds and not giving the yeast time to clean these up will result in the off flavors. These flavors should reduce with age so I am thinking something else is wrong if they get worse. What flavors are you getting in the aged beer?
The need to rehydrate yeast is still up for debate. A large number of people have had great results just pitching in from the packet. I believe that most dry yeast packets actually have double the cells compared to liquid smack packs. Even if some of the dried yeast die off there are still plenty to ferment the beer.
The green apple and diacetyl flavors can be caused by not getting enough oxygen into the wort before pitching and by taking the beer off of the yeast too early. The lack of oxygen stress the yeast to release these compounds and not giving the yeast time to clean these up will result in the off flavors. These flavors should reduce with age so I am thinking something else is wrong if they get worse. What flavors are you getting in the aged beer?
Last edited by Lumpy5oh on 25 Dec 2016, 23:05, edited 2 times in total.
Some people are like slinkies. Not good for much, but bring a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs.
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