Wyeast Budvar 2000 Pils Infection?

[cspencer]

2 weeks ago I put down a Pilsner

http://drycamel.spencertribe.com/TheBrews.aspx?id=PIL004325

not ever using a wyeast pack before I was not 100% on how to do it. Took it out of the fridge 2 hours before fermentation, gave it a wack and left it in a warm part of the house (it was on 12 degrees on the day)

buy the time I had the brew in the fermenter at 19-20 the smack pack had not expanded, going by the instructions it said it doesn't have to fully expand so I dumped in, sealed up the fermenter and left it inside over night where it would be 14-15 overnight no activity the next morning, then into the fermenting fridge set to 10.

1 day went by and nothing so I set the temp up to 18 for 24 hrs, which it then kicked into gear, dropped temp back to 10.

gravity down to 1011 (expected 1012) so looks like it's ready to bottle. BUT

I've never had an infected beer (a few failed brews due to high alcohol and not enough carbination), tasting the beer out of testing tube of the hydrometer it doesn't taste great, not bad enough to spit it out and so oh sh!t, I did go bad and try it a couple more times.

Thoughts on this type of yeast, could it be infected?

Clayton

 

[kario]

gravity down to 1011 (expected 1012) so looks like it's ready to bottle. BUT

I've never had an infected beer (a few failed brews due to high alcohol and not enough carbination), tasting the beer out of testing tube of the hydrometer it doesn't taste great, not bad enough to spit it out and so oh sh!t, I did go bad and try it a couple more times.

Thoughts on this type of yeast, could it be infected?

Clayton

No experience with this yeast, but, what was the 'bad' taste you mention? Was it sulphur? plastic? rubber? vinyl? vinegar? meat? etc etc

 

[Tony]

I have just knocked out 2 pilsners with this yeast and they are very clean. When first finished you get sulfur but that dissipates after a few days of conditioning.

I put lager yeasts in a starter and make sure they are strong and healthy before pitching them at low temp..... my Wyeast 2000 beers took off after 24 hrs at 12 deg c and they were then dropped to 10 deg to ferment.

cheers

 

[Nick JD]

If your lager yeast is more than a month or two old you have to make a starter or you're losing any benefits of using a liquid yeast and you'd have better results with dried.

 

[seemax]

what was the date on the packet?

with a fresh packet of ale yeast you can pitch it directly, for lagers... if it's a month or two old i'd say you cell count is too low

check mrmalty.com and run the calculator

the smacking releases the yeast nutrient... to prove the yeast is ok... it's not essential that it puffs uo

i've successfully used 6+ month old packets by using a stepped starter and made good beers

 

[cspencer]

Not sure what the flavour of the test was, I am really bad at identifing that sort of stuff, but there is a fairly strong sulfur smell in the brew fridge.

packet was only 1-2 weeks old. Guess I way under pitched

I'll bottle it in the next couple of days and see how it goes after it's had a few weeks to condition. Is was going to keep some of the yeast cake to try another brew, never done that either, I assume if I im careful with sanitising a plastic PET bottle, It should be ok storing it in the fridge for a month to see how this batch turns out.

Read the yeast washing threads round the place and have heard people keeping washed yeast for many months.

I've done dry lager yeasts and had good results with 1 pack in ~20l, didn't realise that by Mrmalty yeast calculater that I should have been using 1.5 - 1.7 packets and a huge 3.7 liquid packs without a starter.

Guess I should start trying to make a starter.

 

[manticle]

If it's just sulphur, relax. Lager yeasts often throw out H2S (rotten egg gas). Conditioning and patience is your friend.

 

[kario]

ahh well, you'll do it better next time......but this one should still certainly be very drinkable if all you're picking up is sulphur.

 

[Nick JD]

They need to say this like they do for 2278 Czech Pils, for 2000:

Originating from the home of great Pilsners in the Czech Republic, this classic Pilsner strain will finish dry and malty. It is the perfect choice for Pilsners and all malt beers. Sulfur produced during fermentation can be reduced with warmer fermentation temperatures 58F (14C) and will dissipate with conditioning.

If anything, I get more sulphur from 2000 than 2278.

It's alwasy gone (well, 99%) by the time it's drinkable.