# Steam Beer Yeast Fermentation Temperatures?



## Bribie G (15/7/09)

I pitched an Aussie standard lager type beer with Wyeast 2112 Californian Lager on Monday night and this morning it was frothing through airlock, not major but it's coated the underside of the lid. I had pitched at 18 and took it down to 16 as I understand that steam beer yeast should be fermented at 'low ale' temps and that it's not suitable for 'cold fermentation techniques'.

I've cleaned up the mess and zoomed it down to 13 where it's blooping steadily although still high krausen. Anyone have experience of this yeast as I can't seem to get a firm guide to best temperature other than 14-20 ? 13 strikes me as getting more into the 'normal' lager range.

:icon_cheers:


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## Supra-Jim (15/7/09)

Can't say i have a lot of experience, but i have just completed a fermentation of a steam beer/cal common with 2112. I kept the temp around the 16/17deg mark. Got a krausen that tried to climb out of the fermenter. Recipe i had recommended 16deg and let it climb 1-2 after a few days.

Cheers SJ


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## Maple (15/7/09)

Have the 2112 going in a cal common now. Wasn't sure as to where to ferment this, so took it to the shed where it has been happily dropping in gravity for the last 3 weeks. really long ferment, but it's been a stable 12 deg for the majority. expect a fairly clean outcome this way, and I'll use the yeast again on another batch and ferment a bit higher to see the comparison. It is happy enough at 12 deg though.


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## tdh (15/7/09)

To get an esterous character in to the Steam Beer use 16-18*C.

tdh


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## Fourstar (15/7/09)

*YEAST STRAIN: 2112 | California Lager *
 Particularly suited for producing 19th century-style West Coast beers. Retains lager characteristics at temperatures up to 65 F, (18 C) and produces malty, brilliantly clear beers. This strain is not recommended for cold temperature fermentation. 

*Origin:*
*Flocculation:* high
*Attenuation:* 67-71%
*Temperature Range:* 58-68 F (14-20 C)
*Alcohol Tolerance:* approximately 9% ABV

Ive used it @ 16 deg with no ill effects.


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## katzke (15/7/09)

tdh said:


> To get an esterous character in to the Steam Beer use 16-18*C.
> 
> tdh



Yep from what little I know they were fermented at ale temp or room temp (60f) and not heated, as the name would imply.

To OP, not sure why you would choose to not follow the recommendations and ferment in the temp range. Very active or not very active fermentation would not make me change the temp unless it was out for the recommendations. According to the history or myth of Steam Beer it was a highly carbonated brew. Your active fermentation sounds like it matches the history.


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## Supra-Jim (15/7/09)

katzke said:


> According to the history or myth of Steam Beer it was a highly carbonated brew. Your active fermentation sounds like it matches the history.



There is also reference to the name steam beer being the steam coming off the large shallow open fermenting tanks they used. They opened the windows of the brewery to get the cool breeze off the pacific ocean.

It is also possible that the name derives from "Dampfbier" (literally "steam beer"), a traditional German ale that was also fermented at unusually high temperatures and that may have been known to nineteenth-century American brewers, many of whom were of German descent.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_beer

Essentially it is a lager style beer fermented at ale temps, mainly due to lack of refridgeration in California during the gold rush.

Cheers SJ


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## katzke (15/7/09)

Supra-Jim said:


> There is also reference to the name steam beer being the steam coming off the large shallow open fermenting tanks they used. They opened the windows of the brewery to get the cool breeze off the pacific ocean.
> 
> It is also possible that the name derives from "Dampfbier" (literally "steam beer"), a traditional German ale that was also fermented at unusually high temperatures and that may have been known to nineteenth-century American brewers, many of whom were of German descent.
> 
> ...



Well the one I checked said the term Steam Beer came from the spray that came from the keg when they tapped it. http://www.realbeer.com/library/authors/smith-g/steam.php

Also from here. http://beeradvocate.com/beer/style/132

The California Common, or Steam Beer, is a unique 100% American style lager. It's usually brewed with a special strain of lager yeast that works better at warmer temperatures. This method dates back to the late 1800's in California when refrigeration was a great luxury. The brewers back then had to improvise to cool the beer down, so shallow fermenters were used. So in a way the lager yeast was trained to ferment quicker at warmer temperatures. Today's examples are light amber to tawny in color, medium bodied with a malty character. Mildly fruity with an assertive hop bitterness.

So there maybe more then one Steam Beer but the California one seems to be consistent in the history.


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## bulp (15/7/09)

I have never made a steam beer so do what you will with this info , Last night i was listening to a podcast from the Brewing Network who were talking to a new brewery from Oakland (I think steam beer originated here) Linden street brewery , They make a Cal common and while not the exact yeast strain used, they recommended a ferment temp of between 13-16 degrees, i'd probably be leaning towards the higher end of that scale. Once again this is info i heard on a podcast, ive never made one but listening to the descriptions sounds like i'm gunna have to. :icon_cheers: Let us know the results, look forward to seeing it in the Whats in the glass thread.


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## Bribie G (15/7/09)

Thanks guys, now it's settled down and pulled its horns in a bit, I'll sneak her up to about 15 and see how it goes. I'm not looking for a lot of fruit, it's part of my 'house Aus lager' quest. So far, with basically the same recipe I've used W - 34/70 which made it way too Euro and a sulphur whiff, then Mauribrew lager which was not too bad actually but just lacked 'crisp', a bit VB-ish  so I'm using the Cal. common to try for a clear malty brew (it's a single POR hop addition). 

What appeals to me about the Cal.common yeast is the ability to turn out a lager without tying everything up in the brewery for two months just for a house beer. I've had the ferm fridge, and now the lager fridge hosting my very first Bohemian Pilsener for the last month and it's a long time between drinks if that was the main style of beer I was relying on to keep my cellar stocked  

The results will be on taste at BABBs August meeting :icon_cheers:


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## fraser_john (15/7/09)

BribieG said:


> Thanks guys, now it's settled down and pulled its horns in a bit, I'll sneak her up to about 15 and see how it goes. I'm not looking for a lot of fruit, it's part of my 'house Aus lager' quest. So far, with basically the same recipe I've used W - 34/70 which made it way too Euro and a sulphur whiff, then Mauribrew lager which was not too bad actually but just lacked 'crisp', a bit VB-ish  so I'm using the Cal. common to try for a clear malty brew (it's a single POR hop addition).
> 
> What appeals to me about the Cal.common yeast is the ability to turn out a lager without tying everything up in the brewery for two months just for a house beer. I've had the ferm fridge, and now the lager fridge hosting my very first Bohemian Pilsener for the last month and it's a long time between drinks if that was the main style of beer I was relying on to keep my cellar stocked
> 
> The results will be on taste at BABBs August meeting :icon_cheers:



I think you will be very happy with the 2112. It will produce a lovely clean flavour, especially at the temp you are fermenting at. A good cold crash prior to kegging/bottling will really help clear it brilliant.

Supra-jim, how'd yours turn out?

John


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## Supra-Jim (16/7/09)

Hi John,

Kegged it last night, and i will need to get :chug: as there are no free spots in the keg fridge atm. A quick taste while kegging was good (though it was chilled to 1degC). All of the tastes i had while taking hydro samples were very promising. Very nice flavour from the Northern Brewer, different, but very nice. Love the colour too!

Thanks again for your help.

Cheers SJ


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## fraser_john (16/7/09)

Supra-Jim said:


> Hi John,
> 
> Kegged it last night, and i will need to get :chug: as there are no free spots in the keg fridge atm. A quick taste while kegging was good (though it was chilled to 1degC). All of the tastes i had while taking hydro samples were very promising. Very nice flavour from the Northern Brewer, different, but very nice. Love the colour too!
> 
> ...



Awesome


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## brendo (16/7/09)

Supra-Jim said:


> Hi John,
> 
> Kegged it last night, and i will need to get :chug: as there are no free spots in the keg fridge atm. A quick taste while kegging was good (though it was chilled to 1degC). All of the tastes i had while taking hydro samples were very promising. Very nice flavour from the Northern Brewer, different, but very nice. Love the colour too!
> 
> ...



Make sure you bring some next weekend SJ... I will happily help you evaluate h34r:


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## Supra-Jim (16/7/09)

No worries. I have my 2Brother growler ready and waiting!

Cheers SJ


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## brendo (16/7/09)

Supra-Jim said:


> No worries. I have my 2Brother growler ready and waiting!
> 
> Cheers SJ



I gotta get me one of them... of course that might just necessitate a visit to 2brothers - something I haven't done yet.


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## Supra-Jim (16/7/09)

:icon_offtopic: Me neither, i had a mate ring me to brag he was a work dig drinking there for free, so i twisted his arm and got my Growler delivered (approx 9pm on Fri nite) full of their american brown. Perfect timing!!!

Cheers SJ


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## Bribie G (16/7/09)

Checked the brew again this morning and at 13.5 degrees it's frothing through the airlock again. Obviously a trait of the beast. Producing some sulphur as well.


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## brettprevans (16/7/09)

bit dodgy calling it a lafer yeast if it cant handle 10C temps. 

I pitched my 2112 wednesday morning, came home last night and it had gone off good 1inch kraussen in a 60L fermentor is a decent job. it was sitting at room temp which would be low teens. I chucked it outside last night to cool right down (thinking it was a good lager yeast) and the kraussen grew even more.

mind you I did have a decent starter.

edit: reading SJs explanation of the yeast history it makes sense.

edit: I suppose I better get it back inside to get it back to 13-16C to get some of those flavours.


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## tdh (16/7/09)

>bit dodgy calling it a lafer yeast if it cant handle 10C temps. <


Wyeast 1007 can ferment at 12*C and it's an ale yeast!

Genetically (terminology?) 2112 is in the lager yeast family regardless of which temps it does it's best at.

tdh


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## Supra-Jim (16/7/09)

^^True, so the legend goes German brewers brought it with them when the gold rush hit california. Being mainly lager brewers, they attempted to brew lagers without the necessary refridgeration (ice caves etc). Techiniques for cooling the wort are mentioned above. Hence what we have is a lager strain, adjusted to operated at ale temps. Cal Common is a hybrid beer (amber lager of sorts) and hence the hybrid yeast (lager characteristics @ ale temps).

Worth noting too, it was the cheap and nasty beer of the beer! Anchor Steam was establish in 1981 (ish) and is a modern revival of this style of beer.

Cheers SJ


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## brendo (16/7/09)

lager yeast = bottom fermenting

ale = top fermenting

yeast style is not so much temp dependent, just that bottom fermenting typically favour cooler temps than top fermenting.

Brendo


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## brettprevans (16/7/09)

yeah yeah yeah i know i was being too simplistic. well at the moment its certainly looking like an ale (ie top fermenting). will be interesting to see how it works with an IPA style beer (althought its no longer an IPA cause OG too low, EBC too high). it should be a cracker of a beer though.


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## brendo (16/7/09)

citymorgue2 said:


> yeah yeah yeah i know i was being too simplistic. well at the moment its certainly looking like an ale (ie top fermenting). will be interesting to see how it works with an IPA style beer (althought its no longer an IPA cause OG too low, EBC too high). it should be a cracker of a beer though.



my understanding was that it was an ale yeast, but that it fermented clean with lager like characteristics...


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## tdh (16/7/09)

lager yeast = bottom fermenting

ale = top fermenting

That terminology is antiquated and overly simplistic as well. 

I'm going to say that all my beers are middle fermenting - it ferments in the middle, is deposited at the bottom and forms a kraeusen at the top.  

tdh


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## brendo (16/7/09)

tdh said:


> lager yeast = bottom fermenting
> 
> ale = top fermenting
> 
> ...



hehehe... agreed... was just trying to point out that temp defining yeast style is a bit too simplistic... in my own simplistic way :blink:


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