Beer Fault - Smoky Taste (not nose). Yeast?

[MartinHaworth]

Brewed a Wit recently. Recipe attached. Wyeast 3944 Belgium Wit.

Has turned out with a smoky aftertaste. No idea what caused it. One person who tasted it said it was probably the yeast.

Any thoughts?

Martin

 

[MartinHaworth]

Not clear in jpeg that the first week was at 18C

 

[MyQul]

Prolly the yeast. What your possibly tasting is phenolic flavours

https://www.winning-homebrew.com/off-flavors.html

"PHENOLIC FLAVORS IN BEER are most often described as clovey, spicey, smokey, band-aid-like, or medicinal. Except in a few beer styles where some of these flavors are considered appropriate, these compounds are for the most part considered a flaw

Could also be a wild yeast infection

"One of the primary culprits of off flavors attributed to phenolic flavors and aromas are wild yeasts. These wild yeasts will produce many types of phenol compounds, but most of these are not the commonly accepted clove or spicy aromas and flavors, but a strong medicinal band-aid-like flavor which is not pleasant at all"

https://www.winning-homebrew.com/phenolic-flavors.html

 

[MickDundee]

Prolly the yeast. What your possibly tasting is phenolic flavours

https://www.winning-homebrew.com/off-flavors.html

"PHENOLIC FLAVORS IN BEER are most often described as clovey, spicey, smokey, band-aid-like, or medicinal. Except in a few beer styles where some of these flavors are considered appropriate, these compounds are for the most part considered a flaw

Could also be a wild yeast infection

"One of the primary culprits of off flavors attributed to phenolic flavors and aromas are wild yeasts. These wild yeasts will produce many types of phenol compounds, but most of these are not the commonly accepted clove or spicy aromas and flavors, but a strong medicinal band-aid-like flavor which is not pleasant at all"

https://www.winning-homebrew.com/phenolic-flavors.html

I just googled the yeast he used, and BrewUK has the following description for it:
“Phenols tend to dominate other flavors and dissipate with age“

 

[MyQul]

I just googled the yeast he used, and BrewUK has the following description for it:
“Phenols tend to dominate other flavors and dissipate with age“

That'll be it then

 

[MartinHaworth]

Ah, ok. Had a pint tonight, a week later, and thought it wasn't too bad....phenolics then.

Will probably come good just as I finish the keg...

Thanks guys

Martin

 

[MartinHaworth]

Yep, drinking it again tonight....getting better with each pint...

 

[ChrisRedWills]

I brewed a GH dunklewiezen page 192 I didn't have the Bavarian wheat yeast so used s04 my go to favourite after a rigorous 4 days fermenting I took a sample to gravity it smelt awful as if infected and tasted like it smelled a couple of years ago I would have binned it but I decided to carry on the process after 2 weeks fermenting had finished it took on a really smoky taste and smell after a week in the bottle it wasn't nearly as bad after 2 weeks the smokeyness had totally gone leaving a very nice pint so my advice is don't be to hasty to bin it

 

[MartinHaworth]

I brewed a GH dunklewiezen page 192 I didn't have the Bavarian wheat yeast so used s04 my go to favourite after a rigorous 4 days fermenting I took a sample to gravity it smelt awful as if infected and tasted like it smelled a couple of years ago I would have binned it but I decided to carry on the process after 2 weeks fermenting had finished it took on a really smoky taste and smell after a week in the bottle it wasn't nearly as bad after 2 weeks the smokeyness had totally gone leaving a very nice pint so my advice is don't be to hasty to bin it

Thanks for that - it is coming good. Is it stressed yeast that is giving this phenol profile do you think?

 

[hemanresu]

Thanks for that - it is coming good. Is it stressed yeast that is giving this phenol profile do you think?

you may have drunk enough of it now

MickDundee

I just googled the yeast he used, and BrewUK has the following description for it:
“Phenols tend to dominate other flavors and dissipate with age“

 

[ChrisRedWills]

I've really no idea I use s04 all the time and didn't notice anything different my first thought was that the recipe called for caramunich which I did have but was probably anything from 6 months to a year old I hate throwing anything away perhaps the grain had given it a smoky flavour