White Rabbit Dark Ale Clone

[bum]

They're using open fermenters so this is already something of a departure for a modern brewery, innit?

As is not making a pale or a pilsner...

 

[Screwtop]

Whitelabs WLP022 - is that the Essex Ale. Not played with that baby, what you hoping it will bring to the brew ? Unless I missed something I was assuming the yeast was a Ringwood - commercial brewers don't sem to stay from the mainstream .... do they?

Sure somebody said they use a real top cropping ale yeast, so Essex is what I'm going to use.

Screwy

 

[dr K]

Essex is a huge top-cropper but really needs to be beaten down/agitated/roused pretty regularly. It comes from a now defunct brewery (google it) that, from an extremely reliable source, made crap beer but had great yeast.
Of course its not the only top cropping yeast left, Wyeast Yorkshire and 1967 spring to mind, as of course the Ringwood strains and no doubt others I have not had the pleasure of using. Oddly, and this is a personal observation, I found the Wyeast American Wheat to be the cleanest (harvestwise) of all that I have used.

K

 

[rude]

What about nottingham yeast ?

 

[Screwtop]

Essex is a huge top-cropper but really needs to be beaten down/agitated/roused pretty regularly. It comes from a now defunct brewery (google it) that, from an extremely reliable source, made crap beer but had great yeast.
Of course its not the only top cropping yeast left, Wyeast Yorkshire and 1967 spring to mind, as of course the Ringwood strains and no doubt others I have not had the pleasure of using. Oddly, and this is a personal observation, I found the Wyeast American Wheat to be the cleanest (harvestwise) of all that I have used.

K

Interesting K, have never used it. Have you used it for other than wheat beers?

Screwy

 

[moonshine]

I now have a starter bubbleing away nicely. It took a bit of tlc though (there isn't much sedament in the bottles) have been feeding and growing it for about a week and a half (it's on its second batch of LDME liquid lunch)
here's a pic (sory bout the poor quality)
)

 

[dig]

Re-read the yeast selection criteria. Does 022 fit the bill?

 

[hazard]

Essex is a huge top-cropper but really needs to be beaten down/agitated/roused pretty regularly. It comes from a now defunct brewery (google it) that, from an extremely reliable source, made crap beer but had great yeast.
K

Well you don't need to google it, its already on AHB

http://www.aussiehomebrewer.com/forum//ind...;showarticle=73

According to this article (which appears to be a copy of info at Mr Malty) its from Ridley's brewery. Never heard of it before. can't comment on their beer. There is no Wyeast equivalent listed, do you know if there is one? Of course if I really want it I will buy a six pack, just for the free beer.

 

[Phoney]

I now have a starter bubbleing away nicely. It took a bit of tlc though (there isn't much sedament in the bottles) have been feeding and growing it for about a week and a half (it's on its second batch of LDME liquid lunch)
here's a pic (sory bout the poor quality)
View attachment 38932)

Good one moonshine! How many WR stubbies did you need to culture that out of?

 

[moonshine]

Cheers phoneyhuh. i had to drink 6 (oh the tuff tuff things we have to do for the sake of home-brewing)
It didn't really look like i had much when i started, only a few grains of solid stuff an a couple of mils of cloudy liquid. i rinsed the bottles out with cooled boiled water.
really liking the look of this yeast flocculates really really well. have an us05 next to it (and i know thats not a fair comparison) but the you bump the table and the 05 sample is all cloudy whereas the WRDA is a solid mat after a couple of days. will take a photo of it tomorrow (i just stirred it up) then i'll pour off the liquid and feed again (i'm thinking whiskey with the liquid? hate to waste alcohol)

 

[Sydneybrewer]

BUMP

anyone think they have the yeast strain down pat,

i want to put down a clone of this before i head overseas, i was thinking of an all aussie malt and nz hop version but no idea about the yeast, stuck between the wyeast strains;

west yorkshire ale
ringwood ale
whitebread ale

Recipe Overview
Wort Volume Before Boil: 25.00 l Wort Volume After Boil: 23.00 l
Volume Transferred: 23.00 l Water Added To Fermenter: 0.00 l
Volume At Pitching: 23.00 l Volume Of Finished Beer: 19.00 l
Expected Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.046 SG Expected OG: 1.050 SG
Expected FG: 1.014 SG Apparent Attenuation: 71.0 %
Expected ABV: 4.7 % Expected ABW: 3.7 %
Expected IBU (using Tinseth): 38.6 IBU Expected Color (using Morey): 26.6 SRM
BU:GU ratio: 0.77 Approx Color:
Mash Efficiency: 70.0 %
Boil Duration: 60.0 mins
Fermentation Temperature: 18 degC

Fermentables
Ingredient Amount % MCU When
Australian Traditional Ale Malt 3.000 kg 54.5 % 3.7 In Mash/Steeped
Australian Dark Munich 1.000 kg 18.2 % 4.5 In Mash/Steeped
Australian Caramalt 0.900 kg 16.4 % 9.1 In Mash/Steeped
Australian Chocolate Malt 0.300 kg 5.5 % 41.4 In Mash/Steeped
Australian Crystal 140 0.300 kg 5.5 % 8.1 In Mash/Steeped

Hops
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
NZ Pacific Gem 14.0 % 20 g 29.1 Loose Whole Hops 60 Min From End
NZ Cascade 8.0 % 20 g 8.3 Loose Whole Hops 15 Min From End
NZ Pacific Gem 14.0 % 20 g 1.3 Loose Whole Hops 1 Min From End

Yeast ???

Mash Schedule
Mash Type: Full Mash
Schedule Name: Single Step Infusion (66C/151F)
Step Type Temperature Duration
Rest at 66 degC 60

edit: typo

 

[moonshine]

heres some before and after a shake photos of yeast the first two are WRDA the next two are us05

 

[manticle]

BUMP

anyone think they have the yeast strain down pat,

Yes. It's the yeast at the bottom of the white rabbit bottles.

I wouldn't stuff around with WYs and Whites unless you particularly set yourself the challenge of discovering which one (in which case get a high powered microscope).

The beer from WR is probably fresh enough, unpasteurised and unfiltered and one of the brewers has specifically stated it is the same strain in the bottle that's used for primary.

 

[BottleBitch]

Yes. It's the yeast at the bottom of the white rabbit bottles.

I wouldn't stuff around with WYs and Whites unless you particularly set yourself the challenge of discovering which one (in which case get a high powered microscope).

The beer from WR is probably fresh enough, unpasteurised and unfiltered and one of the brewers has specifically stated it is the same strain in the bottle that's used for primary.

I agree with Manticle, get it out of the bottle. Look at these sums, White labs or Wyeast cost about $15 bucks even if you could get the strain, which I'm pretty sure you can not. A six pack of WRDA is give or take a few bucks $20, culture the yeast up from a few bottles and you get to drink the six pack, its win, win.

Cheers

Brett

 

[Sydneybrewer]

doesn't seem to much sediment in the bottom of the bottles though, the six pack i have has a tiny film of yeast on the bottom less then a mil thick i would say, so i am guessing it would be a much longer and drawn out process then culturing coopers yeast.

 

[manticle]

Even a tiny bit is enough to reculture - just requires a bit of planning and patience and you KNOW you have the right strain. That's how people reculture from slants.

Why not give the same grist a go with one of the English WYs you have and one with recultured RDA yeast (side by side) and see?

Moonshine seems to have done alright (pics above)

 

[Sydneybrewer]

just another query... would any of you guys ferment this or have fermented this with no covering over the fermenter to make it more authentic, i was thinking about it but the risk of infection worries me.

 

[manticle]

I think the sanitary control at the brewery itself would probably be much greater than you can achieve at home.

 

[Sydneybrewer]

and thanks manticle looks like i will have to try and have a go at culturing this the same method as i do the coopers and see how i go, i am impressed with moonshines efforts, i actually have a six pack of the rabbit in the fridge atm waiting to be drunk during the panthers win over manly tonight so why not have a crack i guess. if i am not successful then i think i will go with the west yorkshire ale.

 

[Kai]

doesn't seem to much sediment in the bottom of the bottles though, the six pack i have has a tiny film of yeast on the bottom less then a mil thick i would say, so i am guessing it would be a much longer and drawn out process then culturing coopers yeast.

There's heaps of yeast in there, over 0.5 million cells per mL!

No need to leave your fermenter 'open', at home the fermentation dynamics in such a small vessel do not matter and when I've used this yeast in a 60L fermenter I have just treated it as any normal ferment.

But, do treat it like a good English ale yeast should be treated. Aerate well and give it regular rousing during fermentation.