Does anyone know what lager yeast does when you ferment with it well above its recommended temperature? Like, 70F+? What kinds of off-flavors would it throw under these conditions?
You will get some nasty off flavors. I can only explain it like walking outside, grabbing a handful of weeds from the yard and chewing on them.
A lot of clover and banana flavors.
[quote=“tiltrotor22”]You will get some nasty off flavors. I can only explain it like walking outside, grabbing a handful of weeds from the yard and chewing on them.
A lot of clover and banana flavors.[/quote]
True in some cases. It depends on the strain…some do better than others when used at higher than recommended temps.
Yummy… clover beer!
Actually, the reason I ask is that I’m making my way through “American Sour Beers”, and one of the breweries that he profiles in the book ferments their clean wort with lager yeast at 80F (WTF?? Mind blown…) before pitching the souring cultures. I’m assuming that the by-products of a lager yeast at 80F are beneficial to the brettanomyces or lacto/pedio. Just trying to wrap my head around why you would want to do this.
Can you say ‘steam beer’?
Something like the Cali lager yeast is used at higher temps, upper 60s for beers like ‘common’ or steam beer. Think Anchor Steam, Cali or Kentucky Common.
70s might be pushing it though. You could also get some sulfur flavor/aroma along with the previously mentioned off flavors.
[quote=“dannyboy58”]Can you say ‘steam beer’?
Something like the Cali lager yeast is used at higher temps, upper 60s for beers like ‘common’ or steam beer. Think Anchor Steam, Cali or Kentucky Common.
70s might be pushing it though. You could also get some sulfur flavor/aroma along with the previously mentioned off flavors.[/quote]
That’s a good point… I’ll have to look tonight, but I think he specifically mentions sulfur compounds being broken down into stonefruit esters from lager yeast by the Brett.
[quote=“dannyboy58”]Can you say ‘steam beer’?
Something like the Cali lager yeast is used at higher temps, upper 60s for beers like ‘common’ or steam beer. Think Anchor Steam, Cali or Kentucky Common.
70s might be pushing it though. You could also get some sulfur flavor/aroma along with the previously mentioned off flavors.[/quote]
AFAIK, though, it’s not a true lager yeast. Or maybe it is but it’s been mutated to work at higher temps.
