I live in Southern California and keeping my temperatures low enough has been a real battle for me each summer. About 6 months ago I purchased a chest freezer and have been using it to conduct all of my fermentations. I have brewed several batches since getting the chest freezer and they all showed improvement in taste since I have been able to properly control my fermentation temperatures. There is just one exception. As I do every summer, I brewed up 10 gallons of American Honey Wheat and pitched Wyeast 1010. I fermented it at approximately 66 F; during this time last year, the batches would be hitting about 75-82F even in a water tub with a fan blowing on the carboys. This latest batch came out so clean tasting that it is borderline boring.
I am wondering if anyone else has experienced the same thing or something similar. To me, the phenols and esters produced at the higher temperatures with this yeast strain were preferable. I am not looking for strong clove and banana flavors, but I would also like to be able to taste the yeast in this beer.
