Fruit and Esters; Aromas and Flavors - clarification..?

Discussion in 'Beer Talk' started by Nutwood, Aug 11, 2012.

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  1. Nutwood

    Nutwood Initiate (0) Jun 30, 2012 Kentucky

    In my recent efforts at self-education I'm afraid I've become a bit muddled trying to grasp all the various references and contexts regarding fruit, fruit flavors and aromas, and beer.

    I'm hoping for some edification on how to sort all the fruit references I come across. Here's what I've gathered, tell me if I am on or off track and I will be grateful:

    1. Esters: Certain references to flavors of bananas, lemon, orange, pear, dark fruits, etc in aroma and sometimes flavor apply specifically to esters produced by the reaction between the yeast strain(s) and the malt(s) and supplemental (non-fruit) sugars -- and do not have any connection to flavors from barrels, actual fruit, or fruit syrups used in the process.

    2. I'm a bit lost as to where references to citrus, orange, lemon come from. It seems like it can be any number of things individually or in combination; particular esters, actual fruit or fruit peel, or possibly hops.

    3. Lambic and Gueuze etc. styles rely on barrel flavors acquired in the process as well as a good amount wild yeast esters and sugary additives.

    4. Certain styles include lemon or orange zest, peel, or rind in the mash to add a layer of flavor complexity required or preferred for a give style.

    5. Some beers merely have syrups added at some point in the process, anywhere from boil to bottle. This just seems like an easy short-cut to a marketing gimmick to me.

    6. There's not much rhyme or reason to label information most of the time, but it's worth a look. Labels usually communicate general flavor information and possibly a "brewed with" for whatever that is worth. As I understand it, "brewed with" means something was added to the beer at any non-specific point in the process from malt mixing to bottling.
     
    #1 Nutwood, Aug 11, 2012
  2. Homebrew42

    Homebrew42 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New York

    Fruity flavors can come from a number of places as you've said. Yeast esters, certain malts, certain hops, and actual fruit additions can all provide various fruity flavors.
     
    #2 Homebrew42, Aug 11, 2012
  3. jesskidden

    jesskidden Grand Pooh-Bah (3,145) Aug 10, 2005 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    It may seem that way, but the beers with added flavoring ingredients will fall under the TTB's designation of being a:

    "MALT BEVERAGE SPECIALTY ² - Generally, any class and/or type of malt beverage that contains or is treated with (other than those recognized in standard brewing practices) flavoring and/or coloring materials and/or nonstandard blending or treating materials or processes."​

    And will be labeled "Malt Beverage with _______ added" or they can also be labeled as the footnote says:

    ​
    ² A distinctive or fanciful product name with a statement reflecting the composition and​
    character of the product is sufficient as class and type designation, e.g., “Honey Ale, Ale​
    Brewed With Honey”​
     
    #3 jesskidden, Aug 11, 2012
  4. leedorham

    leedorham Initiate (0) Apr 27, 2006 Washington

    Yeast are pretty amazing critters. Many of the compounds produced synthetically and used in artificial flavorings yeast just shit out. Read some research on yeast byproducts (like Amyl Alcohols) then read the ingredients in artificial strawberry, pineapple, etc. They're many of the same compounds.
     
    #4 leedorham, Aug 11, 2012
  5. CanuckRover

    CanuckRover Initiate (0) Jul 10, 2007 Canada (ON)

    Mmmmmm yeast shit.

    I think my tasting took a turn when breweries/brew pubs started putting out those jars of hops and malt (not being a homebrewer). Seek them out and have a good whiff of the hops, a good chew of the malt. Identifying which citrus flavours are coming from the hops should come pretty quickly. When you can start identifying the core ingredients beer tasting becomes really rewarding. Single varietal pales are also really useful. You can develop a pretty good feeling for citrussy hops vs the esters after a bit, I found the esters are rarely lemony and not as "fresh" as the orange from hops.
     
    #5 CanuckRover, Aug 11, 2012
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  6. biking4beer

    biking4beer Pundit (833) Oct 5, 2006 Colorado

    Diacetyl . . . Yuck.
     
    #6 biking4beer, Aug 11, 2012
  7. FATC1TY

    FATC1TY Pooh-Bah (2,564) Feb 12, 2012 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah


    Agreed. I think as a progression, in moving from being a craft drinker and then homebrewing myself, I'm able to not only appreciate craft beers, but also mine own as well. Feeding on knowing what I put in my beers, even the slightest change in a recipe, and drinking it, I'm able to compare to commercial beers, and identify what they've done to a slight degree in their process, as well as some of the malts and hops, and even strains of yeast that they use.

    Makes you really appreciate, and seek out the profiles of different beers.
     
    #7 FATC1TY, Aug 11, 2012
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