The Yeast Bay strains

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Following up from post #99:

After nudging the temp to 10.5C I waited 2 more days and it had finally dropped by 4 points (to 1.028).
So I'm going to leave it another 2 days and see where it is.
 
So ...

Another 2 days later and it had moved 2 more points to 1.026.
Showing a lack of patience I decided to bump the temp up to 11.5C (now higher than the recommended optimum range) AND give it a stir with a sanitised ss paddle (noticed a fairly large coagulated lump of yeast moving around when I disturbed the wort).

And then 2 more days later and it had dropped 3 points to 1.023.
Was expecting a bigger drop, so bumped the temp up again to 13C.

Perhaps I'm not being patient enough. But it's really only crawling slowly downwards - and possibly only because I'm bumping the temps higher all the time (remembering it stalled at ~1.032 for 5 days or so and that kinda spooked me).

I'm losing a lot of beer to all these gravity measurements :unsure:
 
I let my lagers get all the way up to 18c+ once they have gone over 50% of the expected gravity drop. So I'd let it warm up a lot more, swirl it up some more, though lager are bottom fermenting and you shouldn't really need to.

If after a week you still aren't getting a gravity drop try a fast ferment test and if that shows it has more to go I would just re-pitch a fresh pack.
 
Reman said:
I let my lagers get all the way up to 18c+ once they have gone over 50% of the expected gravity drop. So I'd let it warm up a lot more, swirl it up some more, though lager are bottom fermenting and you shouldn't really need to.

If after a week you still aren't getting a gravity drop try a fast ferment test and if that shows it has more to go I would just re-pitch a fresh pack.
Yep - I usually go to 66% before letting it warm. So if 50% is acceptable then that makes me feel a bit more relaxed about what's happening with my current batch.

I did manage to get to that 66% mark, but only after a few more days at 13C (so it spent quite a bit of time at a higher than recommended temp for the yeast strain).
After that I let it free rise up to 18C (which took a few days, reaching 18C yesterday).
I'll leave it a few more days at 18C then check gravity again (hopefully it'll then be finished fermenting).
 
I have recently bottled a batch of saison in which I used the Farmhouse sour ale yeast. It had been left in the fermenter for 2.5 months. Initially at 20C for two weeks and then at 15 for the remainder. OG 1.045 FG 1.004. It has been bottle carbonated for 3 weeks At 20C. The beer has a nice balance with a slightly tart finish and some fruity aromas coming through. I detect a slight salty taste which is pleasant. The beer is crystal clear in the glass with a good level of carbonation. Has anyone else had similar results with this yeast blend?
 
Hey guys,

Just wondering who is stocking the Yeast Bay Strains in Australia these days?

Cheers,

Ben
 
Another update-

After I raised temp to 18C for a few days it appears to have finished at 1.016. That'll do, I guess. I've now got it bulk lagering (on the yeast) at 1C. Will hold it for 2 weeks before packaging, carbonating and serving (perhaps a little bit young) in time for Oktoberfest.


BPH87 said:
Just wondering who is stocking the Yeast Bay Strains in Australia these days?
I've been getting them from The Brew Shop.
 
kaiserben said:
Another update-

After I raised temp to 18C for a few days it appears to have finished at 1.016. That'll do, I guess. I've now got it bulk lagering (on the yeast) at 1C. Will hold it for 2 weeks before packaging, carbonating and serving (perhaps a little bit young) in time for Oktoberfest.


I've been getting them from The Brew Shop.
1.016 is pretty respectable, I'd be ok with that. How's it tasting before the lager?
 
Reman said:
1.016 is pretty respectable, I'd be ok with that. How's it tasting before the lager?
Tasting great. Nice and malty, but not at all too much body with gravity at that level. It'd be very drinkable as is, but should get even better with some lagering and carbonation.
 
Update on that previous Oktoberfest Bier using the Franconian Dark lager strain:

The finished beer was great even though we didn't really leave it to lager for very long. 4 of us got through the keg at a BBQ. We also tasted it alongside a commercial example (can't remember which, but my memory is telling me Hofbrau) and the commercial beer was noticeably clearer and had a stronger/sharper hit of maltiness to it. It also had a bit more sulfur on the nose, which I don't consider a positive.

I'm now spinning up a starter of the same yeast for a Munich Dunkel. The tweaks I'm going to incorporate this time are:

1. I'll put in a teaspoon of yeast nutrient (DAP) when boiling my wort.
2. I'll give it ample O2 when pitching yeast. I might even give it a second blast of O2 about 8 hours after pitching.
3. I won't stress about how long it's taking.
 

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