[goose]

I and others seem to detect the green apple note resembling acetaldehyde in Michelob Ultra, which is why I don't drink it.  But I guess it could be the ethyl hexanoate/ethyl caproate esters Rob mentioned contributing to that flavor note.

I mention this because I used Mich Ultra as a base beer for an off flavor presentation I did for one of the brew clubs I belong to.  About four people came up to me after the first session (I did it over several meetings) and asked me to use a different beer because of the green apple notes in the Mich Ultra.  I used Bud Light after that which I also don't drink.

[hopfenundmalz]

I and others seem to detect the green apple note resembling acetaldehyde in Michelob Ultra, which is why I don't drink it.  But I guess it could be the ethyl hexanoate/ethyl caproate esters Rob mentioned contributing to that flavor note.

I mention this because I used Mich Ultra as a base beer for an off flavor presentation I did for one of the brew clubs I belong to.  About four people came up to me after the first session (I did it over several meetings) and asked me to use a different beer because of the green apple notes in the Mich Ultra.  I used Bud Light after that which I also don't drink.

The was a guy who works for ABI that has said they don't release beer unless it is below the threshold for acetaldehyde. He also said the Budweiser yeast produces appley esters. Mitch Steele said the same on his blog (now gone), and he worked for AB before Stone.

In a sensory training session, the acetaldehyde spike gave me the flavor of green jolly Roger candy, not apple.

We are trained that acetaldehyde=apple. We are not told there are esters=apple.

[goose]

I and others seem to detect the green apple note resembling acetaldehyde in Michelob Ultra, which is why I don't drink it.  But I guess it could be the ethyl hexanoate/ethyl caproate esters Rob mentioned contributing to that flavor note.

I mention this because I used Mich Ultra as a base beer for an off flavor presentation I did for one of the brew clubs I belong to.  About four people came up to me after the first session (I did it over several meetings) and asked me to use a different beer because of the green apple notes in the Mich Ultra.  I used Bud Light after that which I also don't drink.

The was a guy who works for ABI that has said they don't release beer unless it is below the threshold for acetaldehyde. He also said the Budweiser yeast produces appley esters. Mitch Steele said the same on his blog (now gone), and he worked for AB before Stone.

In a sensory training session, the acetaldehyde spike gave me the flavor of green jolly Roger candy, not apple.

We are trained that acetaldehyde=apple. We are not told there are esters=apple.

Point well taken, Jeff.  Thanks for the clarification.

[Iliff Ave]

Cool. Well my Kolsch has a green apply thing going on that will probably get dinged as acetaldehyde in the comp. I didn't notice it last year's entry but a judge commented on it even though it got a 2nd place. Due to that comment, I wanted to ensure that this batch didn't have the same issue but this year it is a lot more noticeable to me.

Anyone get apple/citrus esters off of 2565?

WY2565 - used slurry less than one week old
59F for 72 hours
let rise to 64F
bump up to 70F at the end for a couple of days
crash to 30F for one week

[ynotbrusum]

Cool. Well my Kolsch has a green apply thing going on that will probably get dinged as acetaldehyde in the comp. I didn't notice it last year's entry but a judge commented on it even though it got a 2nd place. Due to that comment, I wanted to ensure that this batch didn't have the same issue but this year it is a lot more noticeable to me.

Anyone get apple/citrus esters off of 2565?

WY2565 - used slurry less than one week old
59F for 72 hours
let rise to 64F
bump up to 70F at the end for a couple of days
crash to 30F for one week

Kolsch will definitely have apple and pear esters to my palate - and that is fine for the style.  I am a BJCP judge (only certified), but many competitions are corrupted by lager judges that don't appreciate that lagers can have fruit esters without having acetaldehyde, especially in the lightest of the lagers and Kolsch beer styles.  It is a yeast driven thing many times (e.g., I get some lemon from 34/70 and liquid equivalents).  LODO brewing especially seems to bring out subtle flavor notes by locking them in (Helles with light honey and grape - but also with clean, refreshing maltiness that is considered a flaw by unknowing judges - I actually had a comment on a Helles in a competition that it was too richly malty, though it was a Weyermann pilsner malt and sauermalz only malt base beer).

Cheers!

[blatz]

FWIW, dmtaylor helped me with a tip to try a few years ago:

the boiling point of acetylaldehyde is around room temp (high 60s, low 70s).  if the beer is kegged, you could bring the keg up to room temp and degas the keg. if not carbed yet, bubble up some CO2 through the beer out post to help facilitate getting the acetylaldehyde out.

thankfully, I don't (KOW) run into this nuisance anymore, but I do know I tried this twice over the years and it did definitely eliminate it once, and lessened it another time if my memory serves me.

[Iliff Ave]

I did bring the beer up to 70F at the end of fermentation before crashing. At this point, I have no idea if it has an off flavor to me or not. I like it but I regularly get dinged for off flavors that I don't detect...

[dmtaylor]

FWIW, dmtaylor helped me with a tip to try a few years ago:

the boiling point of acetylaldehyde is around room temp (high 60s, low 70s).  if the beer is kegged, you could bring the keg up to room temp and degas the keg. if not carbed yet, bubble up some CO2 through the beer out post to help facilitate getting the acetylaldehyde out.

thankfully, I don't (KOW) run into this nuisance anymore, but I do know I tried this twice over the years and it did definitely eliminate it once, and lessened it another time if my memory serves me.

Thanks, Paul, for sharing your experience on this.  I'm not positive that the OP is experiencing acetaldehyde, but if so, I stand by my previous guidance.  I'll add that I don't believe acetaldehyde is as rampant a problem today as it was, say, 5-10 years ago, because people aren't as strong advocates today for racking quickly as we once were.  Racking too fast with weak yeast is the biggest source of acetaldehyde that I am aware of.  If the OP didn't do that (I haven't asked or checked above) then it's probably esters or something else.  But if so... yeah.

[BrewBama]

If bubbling CO2 thru the beer in an effort to strip unwanted components, can it also strip out other wanted flavor and/or aroma components?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[blatz]

If bubbling CO2 thru the beer in an effort to strip unwanted components, can it also strip out other wanted flavor and/or aroma components?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

well sure it might;  but in my cases, I was trying to rescue a beer that was fairly subpar into something decent.  my expectation wasn't that it would turn it into a 45 scoring beer.  YMMV

[jeffy]

If bubbling CO2 thru the beer in an effort to strip unwanted components, can it also strip out other wanted flavor and/or aroma components?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

well sure it might;  but in my cases, I was trying to rescue a beer that was fairly subpar into something decent.  my expectation wasn't that it would turn it into a 45 scoring beer.  YMMV

I have a beer at home now with an unpleasant sulphur aroma and flavor which I would like to try this method on.  It's a pepper beer that I made in collaboration with a small commercial brewery.  The brewer put some of it into a 3 gallon corny for me, which has the fault, but it doesn't show up on tap at the brewery.  I am not sure where it came from, but hopefully a CO2 purge will help.

[dmtaylor]

If bubbling CO2 thru the beer in an effort to strip unwanted components, can it also strip out other wanted flavor and/or aroma components?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

well sure it might;  but in my cases, I was trying to rescue a beer that was fairly subpar into something decent.  my expectation wasn't that it would turn it into a 45 scoring beer.  YMMV

I have a beer at home now with an unpleasant sulphur aroma and flavor which I would like to try this method on.  It's a pepper beer that I made in collaboration with a small commercial brewery.  The brewer put some of it into a 3 gallon corny for me, which has the fault, but it doesn't show up on tap at the brewery.  I am not sure where it came from, but hopefully a CO2 purge will help.

For sulfur, all you really need is time (age).  Usually sulfur will disappear completely all by itself within 3-4 weeks.  Occasionally it takes a couple months.  Never does it take longer than 4-5 months.  Just patience should do the trick.

[jeffy]

If bubbling CO2 thru the beer in an effort to strip unwanted components, can it also strip out other wanted flavor and/or aroma components?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

well sure it might;  but in my cases, I was trying to rescue a beer that was fairly subpar into something decent.  my expectation wasn't that it would turn it into a 45 scoring beer.  YMMV

I have a beer at home now with an unpleasant sulphur aroma and flavor which I would like to try this method on.  It's a pepper beer that I made in collaboration with a small commercial brewery.  The brewer put some of it into a 3 gallon corny for me, which has the fault, but it doesn't show up on tap at the brewery.  I am not sure where it came from, but hopefully a CO2 purge will help.

For sulfur, all you really need is time (age).  Usually sulfur will disappear completely all by itself within 3-4 weeks.  Occasionally it takes a couple months.  Never does it take longer than 4-5 months.  Just patience should do the trick.

This is really strong, to the point that I don't like drinking it at all, so I am going to try it and see what happens.

[Iliff Ave]

To address the OP; yes I honestly don't know if there is acetaldehyde or not. That's the one off flavor I get dinged for a lot so I am sensitive to the idea of it though I never detect it myself.

I will say it does seem to have cleaned up a bit and is definitely more "lagery"

[dmtaylor]

I honestly don't know if there is acetaldehyde or not. That's the one off flavor I get dinged for a lot so I am sensitive to the idea of it though I never detect it myself.

I should have mentioned/recommended to you earlier:  Be sure to get a second opinion.  Acetaldehyde really is nowhere near as "common" as it was years ago, and whoever is detecting it is very likely wrong, even if they are BJCP certified or professional or regardless of qualifications -- a LOT of folks get this one wrong, or overreach to try to detect flaws when there might in reality be no flaws present.  Might be there, might not.  Get a second, and a third, and a fourth opinion, for sure.  If you enter any competitions, enter the same beer into AT LEAST THREE comps to know for sure what's going on.  Most often you'll find one or two judges convincing themselves of something not there, less often you'll get all 6 or 8 judges telling you about the same flaw, which leads one to believe that it probably isn't even there.