Diecetyl in my last batch!

[scotchpine]

I just started drinking my last bottled batch after 2 weeks in the bottle at room temp. Too much diecetyl and I don't know why. I pitched a 1 liter starter in this 1.052 OG batch, fermented 6 days @ 64-68 degrees, let it rise to 73degrees for 4 days and cooled back to 66 and dry hopped for a week. Did'nt notice any of this at bottling, it tasted great. It's a caramel red rye. 2lbs of crystal 40, but too much butterscotch. The yeast was 3rd gen. 1272 and had not done this in either of the other 2 batches. Bottles are chilled now after 2 weeks. Should I take them back out to sit at room temp some more? Never had this problem before. Thanks

[ajdelange]

If it really tastes strongly buttery it is likely the result of infection (sarcina sickness) and there isn't anything you can do (that I can think of anyway). If it is just a little stronger than usual then reintroduction of some kraeusen beer might take it up.

[scotchpine]

Thanks for the info AJ. If it is what you are saying, will it continue to increase as it sits cold in the bottles?

[dmtaylor]

If it's an infection, it won't go away. But my bet is that if you warm these bottles up for another 2 weeks, the diacetyl will fade, fade, fade until it's gone.

[ajdelange]

It takes 2 things to produce diacetyl: alpha-acetolactate and oxygen. If both are present diacetyl formation will continue until one or the other is depleted so the answer to the question as to whether the diacetyl will increase depends on whether one of those is used up.

OTOH the diacetyl might decrease with time in the bottle as suggested by the previous poster but this is conditional on the presence of live yeast cells. If the beer was bottle conditioned then that might turn out to be the case. If not you would need to dose some kreusen beer or viable slurry.

[scotchpine]

Thanks again guys. I think I will bring a few bottles back out to sit at room temp for a while as they were not bottled on co2. Then I can compare which way they are going. Other than that, the beer tastes pretty good now, but the hop aroma from an ounce of Chinook is lacking for a 5gal batch. I'll update on how is turns out.

[scotchpine]

I meant to say dry hopping with an ounce of Chinook