Off flavor identification

zlehmann · Dec 30, 2014

Hey expert brewers,

I'm hoping you can shed some light on an issue I've been having with every batch of beer I brew. They are all coming out with a strange off flavor. Sometimes it's more prolific than others. But it doesn't match the descriptions of a lot of off flavor tables I've seen online. It's not a medicinal, cardboard, apple, banana, or cidery flavor. It tastes just kind of yeasty. My first thought was that my fermentation weren't strong enough and I'm just drinking a lot of yeast, but the more I read the more that seems unlikely. It's not a bad flavor necessarily, but it is present in every beer. To the point where they all kind of start tasting the same even though the grain bill and hop additions are very different.

I know that's super vague but honestly don't know how else I can describe it. Any thoughts?

Thanks so much in advance!

Ozarks Mountain Brewery · Dec 30, 2014

what kind of yeast and at what temp and how long are you fermenting, for the most part fermenting cold, say 60 and letting it set for 2 weeks helps drops the yeast greatly and makes a clean beer

Nosybear · Dec 30, 2014

Then the first thing I'd do if I thought I were getting a strong yeast flavor in my beer is to get as much yeast out of it as possible. As suggested, chill it until it's bright, that is, it's clear. If you still taste "yeasty" flavors, it isn't yeast. It's very hard to diagnose off-flavors long-distance so I'll let an expert do so:

http://www.howtobrew.com/section4/chapter21-2.html

In general, states Mr. Palmer, yeasty flavors are caused by unhealthy yeast or "green" beer. Try chilling the beer until it's bright, then tasting. If it's still "yeasty," you have a problem somewhere with your fermentation causing some of your yeast to die and autolyze, that is, break down, releasing yeasty flavors into your beer.