Wyeast 3638

[Nick JD]

Has anyone done a side-by-side comparison of 3638 with 3068? Im interested in the differences.

I find 3068 more banana and more tart - actually, more "hefe", with 3638 being a bit mellower overall.

3068 is a handful during fermentation but I like it slightly better.

3638 also seems not to last as long. After a couple of weeks in the bottle the beer is very different to fresh, whereas 3068 seems to hold the esters and phenolics better.

I don't get a hell of a lot of phenolics with either, but I tend to stress the yeast.

3068 is often sulphury - way more than 3638. It almost always passes though.

 

[pk.sax]

Came back home to a lovely krausen Clingwrap is domed but it doesn't look like its gonna push it off yet... am I being too optimistic about that!? hmnnnn... well, it was 16C when I left it and has climbed to 18C now. I have it under constant icepack control, basically I stack a few icepacks and a frozen bottle around it to keep it a bit cool.

Pic:


Its nearly an inch thick.

 

[Florian]

... am I being too optimistic about that!?

Yes, you are! Wait another 24 hours at the most and it should look like this if everything goes well:

 

[pk.sax]

bloody hell! And your's is only half full.... Mine is 19.3 litres in a 30 litre fermenter..... I should be in trouble soon. Hmnn... I'll have to keep an eye on it Its been ~28 hours since pitch.

PS: The second pic makesmewantto kiss the cling wrap :lol:

 

[Nick JD]

I've had a 15L batch in a 25L fermenter try to get out with 3068. It's a monster.

And don't think you're gonna be okay because three days have past - it's random. You think you've escaped it, and BOOM. Mess everywhere.

 

[pk.sax]

It climbed 3 inches above the wort line and is now receding. 16-18C being the culprit?! Oh well, I'm happy but will keep a sideways eye on it.

 

[Adam Howard]

I wanted to try something all grain but don't have any gear together so I threw in an ArtisanAle wheat with 3638 today. I get the feeling it's going to get massive. Wyeast pack was swollen in a little over 30 minutes and had an amazing smell when opened! (Both the yeast and the FWK!) Already bulging the glad wrap with CO2.

Bought this because G&G were out of 3068. Hoping to keep it around 17-18 to get a balance of banana and clove and plum. Excited.

 

[pk.sax]

Cheers to that mate!! Yayyy, we're doing the same exact beer. Same temps too

Btw, was your wort actually 16.3 litres rather than 17 litres?? Mine either was or my fermenter has dodgy graduations. I got every last drop out of the cube.

 

[Adam Howard]

Cheers to that mate!! Yayyy, we're doing the same exact beer. Same temps too

Btw, was your wort actually 16.3 litres rather than 17 litres?? Mine either was or my fermenter has dodgy graduations. I got every last drop out of the cube.

Yeah it was under 17, hard to say whether that's the cube or the fermenter that's out. I topped up to a touch over 20L and pitched. I never take hydrometer readings but it should be high 1040's-1050.

FWK smelt so unreal. AG is definitely on the cards by next Autumn.

Haha it's pretty funny how easy it is to make the beer too! Pour in, yeast in. BAM.

You're only in FTG, have to trade bottles once both brews are carbed up. Fancy a dodgy train station swap?

 

[pk.sax]

Hehehe, definitely, mine should be a touch heavier, I took it to 19.3 on fermenter, exactly 3 litre dilution afaik. Apparently mountain goat make them and their own hefe is nice too

Dodgy Stn swap it is, I'll bottle you a couple half litre ones

 

[Adam Howard]

Yep, Mountain Goat. I really wonder how anyone could buy the silly recipe kits from Brewcraft for close to $50 when you can get fresh wort and Wyeast for not much more. FOOLS!

Yeah I have a few Franziskaner bottles @ 500ml and will do the same ^_^

Krausen is really getting up there now. 3-4 inches.

If this goes well I'm itching to do another. Going to investigate a BIAB setup for next autumn but want AG quality beer now!

 

[pk.sax]

Hehehe, well, there's punters that never search the net and never land on ahb ya no. Lol

Mate, ag is so simple with all the info on here, just keep it simple and do a stovetop batch of something yummy. I'd say keep the mash fairly generously liquid and spathe/squeeze the grain to fill up the pot to ~17.5 litres and you should have enough to put all that in the cube you now have empty

Waddaya know, u could maybe no chill and then ferment in the cube itself. Hehe, just grab a metro length of voile, even cotton works great. Now I'm thinking of doing his myself that I've just written it all out! Hmnnnnn. I have all the supplies for the beer i want except the malts, here we go again.

 

[beerdrinkingbob]

Yep, Mountain Goat. I really wonder how anyone could buy the silly recipe kits from Brewcraft for close to $50 when you can get fresh wort and Wyeast for not much more. FOOLS!

Hey Adam, Go easy on the Kits :icon_cheers:

I agree AG is awesome but we all start somewhere and some are happy to stay doing what they do.

I know you weren't having a go but could be discouraging to our fello kit brewers.

 

[Adam Howard]

Hey Adam, Go easy on the Kits :icon_cheers:

I agree AG is awesome but we all start somewhere and some are happy to stay doing what they do.

I know you weren't having a go but could be discouraging to our fello kit brewers.

It's not having a go. But spending the same money and spending even less time to make superior beer makes a lot more sense. Remember, a fresh wort kit is still a 'kit', just a much better kit.

 

[pk.sax]

What do guys have their fwk Weiss beers finish up on FG? mine looks done, haven't taken a reading yet but all the krausen has dissipated over two days to just a few blobs of foam now. Pretty quick one, just what I expected. Fermented at 16-18 with icepack help and now sitting at 20.

Also, how long do you leave a wheat beer on the yeast cake to clean up?

 

[pk.sax]

What do guys have their fwk Weiss beers finish up on FG? mine looks done, haven't taken a reading yet but all the krausen has dissipated over two days to just a few blobs of foam now. Pretty quick one, just what I expected. Fermented at 16-18 with icepack help and now sitting at 20.

Also, how long do you leave a wheat beer on the yeast cake to clean up?

Anyone......... Bueller... anyone?

 

[pk.sax]

It's only been 3 days but my wheat seems all carbed up. The pet bottle is hard and generous amount of yeast atthe bottom of the bottles now, there wasn't much the day after I bottled, bubbles too. Is it usual for hefe styles to carb up really quick? And how long is it recommended to mature them? I'm keen to give them a go as fresh as it's feasible.

 

[Weizguy]

It's only been 3 days but my wheat seems all carbed up. The pet bottle is hard and generous amount of yeast atthe bottom of the bottles now, there wasn't much the day after I bottled, bubbles too. Is it usual for hefe styles to carb up really quick? And how long is it recommended to mature them? I'm keen to give them a go as fresh as it's feasible.

This style can carb very quickly if the yeast is active, and especially if the temp is higher than 20C.
It's possible that the carbonation could be a bit coarse, with larger bubbles, and low head at this stage.
I suggest you chill one and test if the carbonation is right.

I have made a weizen which was grain to brain (bottled and fully carbed, not kegged) in 10 lazy days.

 

[donmateo]

I used 3638 for the vic xmas case swap. I didn't do a starter - to test the underpitching theory, and try and bring out some more phenolics from the growth phase, so just dumped swollen packet into about 25L Hefe wort @ 1.055.
The next day - very small thin white krausen - I thought, 'ok it's taking it's time, lets wait a bit more'. about 12 hours later. I open the fermenting freezer. It's the same!!! I could almost see through it.
Anyway, I come back the next day, and it's completely gone!! The gravity is still over 1.025, so this is pretty strange. On looking more closely through the glad wrap, I can see it's fermenting well...bubbling away like there was no problem.
Finally attenuated to 1.013, and smells pretty reasonable - but have never seen anything like this from a weizen fermentation. Normally for me they just go (sometimes nuts) and when they're done, the krausen breaks - but not before.
Anyway, all signs are good so far.

 

[pk.sax]

You mean ur bringing it to the case swap today?! I'll bring a bottle along then would be good to compare.

PS: following les' advice I have chilled one bottle to see where it's at.