So I brewed a honey rye lager a few weeks ago and decided last night that I would give it a gravity reading. well after I gave it a taste. First thought was nice and crisp the second thing I got was banana and clove with a lemon like finnish. this reminds me of a belgian wheat! I used a basic cream ale recipe and used Wyeast california lager yeast. is this the after effect of a wild yeast or a normal profile for this yeast? It’s good just not what I had planned on. anyone out there have this happen to them?
I would not expect that taste from Cal. Lager yeast. . . . did you put honey and rye in the beer? I have not brewed with honey and I just brewed my first beer with rye (still in primary) - could the flavors be coming from there? What temp. did you ferment at?
I brewed with a pound of honey. the wert fermented at 60 degrees in my freezer. I have used rye in my last five batches and have not had this happen. I thought infection but I have never had an infected beer taste good. this tastes like a belgian wheat almost down to a t. kinda strange
I wouldn’t expect an infection from the honey. Are you lagering it? In my experience the Cali lager yeast takes a long time to clean up the off-flavors, although I can’t say I’ve ever experienced off-flavors like you described. I’d let it go for at least 6 weeks and see how it is then.
