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I've used safbrew T-58 a couple of times over the last year and had both great batches and very yeasty-tasting batches.

Could the heat be the reason for the yeasty taste? A warm day in the Israeli summer can range 26-32C (78-90F).

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Brewchez brings up a great point, it might not be esters you are talking about. Could you describe the taste a little more? – pjreddie Jul 18 '11 at 19:01

2 Answers

up vote 3 down vote accepted

The "yeasty" taste is most likely due to the ester production of the yeast. Esters can impart a variety of flavors, including banana, pear, plum, fruitiness, bubblegum, apricot, etc. A number of factors control ester production:

  • Yeast strain
    • Different strains produce different amounts of esters
  • Temperature
    • Higher temp = more esters
  • Oxegenation
    • Lower oxygen = more esters
  • Pitching rate
    • Lower pitching rate = more esters
  • Pressure
    • Higher pressure = more of some esters (isoamyl acetate and 2-phenylethyl acetate) less of others (ethyl acetate)
  • Wort composition
    • Lower unsaturated fatty acids = more esters
    • Lower carbohydrate to assimilable nitrogen ratio (C:N ratio) = higher esters (this occurs in all-malt, higher gravity beers)

Any one of these factors could lead to a yeasty flavor, and all of these can vary greatly from batch to batch, depending on how consistent you are with your brewing process. In your case, high temperature is a prime suspect. Pitching rate and aeration are two other factors that can vary greatly between batches depending on your brewing practices.

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+1 Nice answer. But what do you mean by pressure? Are you talking about bottling pressure due to carbonation or something else? – Poshpaws Jul 18 '11 at 12:09
Pressure means hydrostatic pressure, so the pressure on the wort in the fermentor from gravity. This is more an issue for commercial brewers when they consider different shapes of fermentors, taller ones will have higher hydrostatic pressures. – pjreddie Jul 18 '11 at 14:28
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I agree entirely with temperature and esters, but I don't agree that esters are 'yeasty' flavors. Esters are fruity flavors. – brewchez Jul 18 '11 at 14:50
up vote 2 down vote

Possibly, although "yeasty" is a tough flavor descriptor to get a handle on. T-58 is a Belgian yeast and has many flavors that are different from other yeast, no matter what the temp. High temps can exacerbate that. Frankly, if you can't keep the temp under 70, you should consider alternative methods of fermentation, like using a refrigerator or water bath to ferment in.

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