Weird Fruity taste

[Underthethumb]

Hi,

May latest AG batch has this weird fruity taste that i've never had before.

I used Ringwood Brewery yeast for the first time and fermented for about 10 days at 19C and 5 days at 22C. I then cold crashed to 3.5C for 24 hours.

Surely this isn't diacetyl?

Any ideas chaps?

[Eric]

Can't say I've noticed diacetyl in any Ringwood's beer. Also would suppose they would let their beer ferment no more than 5 or 6 days.
From their website they describe their Best bitter as follows............

Nose Tempting hop aroma with fruit notes
Palate Good malt feel in the mouth, dry, tangy fruit finish.

Seems to me more like you've got what it says on the can.

When I read the widespread fears of diacetyl, it reminds me of this poem ...

Yesterday, upon the stair,
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
I wish, I wish he’d go away...

When I came home last night at three
The man was waiting there for me
But when I looked around the hall
I couldn’t see him there at all!
Go away, go away, don’t you come back any more!
Go away, go away, and please don’t slam the door... (slam!)

Last night I saw upon the stair
A little man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
Oh, how I wish he’d go away

[Capn Ahab]

No man. Diacetyl exists, it just depends whether you notice/like/can handle it in a beer. I think the ringwood yeast is well known for throwing lots of it. I went through a stage of finding the merest hint puke-worthy, but can handle it in as a background hint (and perhaps even like, thanks to pilsener urquell). It often gets cleaned up bu the yeast in bottle or cask.

Fruity may well be something else though...

[seymour]

...Surely this isn't diacetyl?

No man. Diacetyl exists...It often gets cleaned up bu the yeast in bottle or cask.
Fruity may well be something else though...

Yeah, Underthethumb, can you better describe for us what kind of "fruity"? Diacetyl is typically described as buttery, butterscotch, or buttered popcorn. If you're getting green apple, that could be Acetaldehyde (think lagers such as Budweiser.) If you're getting banana, apricot, plum, cherries, raisins, currants, than you're probably describing ale yeast esters from a warm fermentation or yeast stress due to pitching an unhealthy or low-cell-count starter.

See BJCP beer faults for more info: http://www.bjcp.org/faults.php

[Underthethumb]

...Surely this isn't diacetyl?

No man. Diacetyl exists...It often gets cleaned up bu the yeast in bottle or cask.
Fruity may well be something else though...

Yeah, Underthethumb, can you better describe for us what kind of "fruity"? Diacetyl is typically described as buttery, butterscotch, or buttered popcorn. If you're getting green apple, that could be Acetaldehyde (think lagers such as Budweiser.) If you're getting banana, apricot, plum, cherries, raisins, currants, than you're probably describing ale yeast esters from a warm fermentation or yeast stress due to pitching an unhealthy or low-cell-count starter.

See BJCP beer faults for more info: http://www.bjcp.org/faults.php

Hmmm - could easily be the acetaldeheyde or unhealthy yeast. I think the latter more likely as this is the first time i've used it

[seymour]

Also, if you cold-crashed too soon, you may have prevented the actively fermenting yeast from cleaning up their own ester/phenol mess, and forced the hard-workers into dormancy. It'll probably clean-up over time anyway.

[Underthethumb]

Also, if you cold-crashed too soon, you may have prevented the actively fermenting yeast from cleaning up their own ester/phenol mess, and forced the hard-workers into dormancy. It'll probably clean-up over time anyway.

Let's hope so. Thanks for the advice