Yeast With Brewcraft Munich Lager

[EVOSTi]

i got a recipe kit from a shop (ordered over the phone) to make a lowenbrau clone. it came with brewcraft munich lager. i asked the guy on the phone what yeast it came with as i want to brew it like a proper lager, which i havent tried before. he didnt know what yeast came with it but said i can brew it at 12 degrees if i like, however the can says between 18-30.

the packet is silver and just says YTB. should i use this yeast or should i buy a proper lager yeast?

 

[FreemanDC]

you can never go past proper yeast.

I'de get some saflager.

 

[Bribie G]

Sounds like the yeast is an all-round ale yeast like you get with most (but not all) kits. Try a Saflager S-23 and see how it goes, but ferment it out as cold as possible - I see from the B.O.M that you are still getting 12 degree nights in Sydney so find the coolest spot in the house - preferably a cellar in the sandstone under a terrace house. :lol: Currently drinking a partial mash brew I made with a S-23 during a cold snap here in SEQ and it's just fine with no 'funky' flavours although fermented out at around 16 degrees.

Edit: isn't Mt Annan way out West? I've got rellies at Berrima and it gets freezing there any time of the year so ideal lager country.

 

[sumo]

the packet is silver and just says YTB. should i use this yeast or should i buy a proper lager yeast?

Toss it, or make bread with it.

Get some Saflager 23 (if you like fruity esters) as above or Weihenstephan (W34/70) if you are looking for a more neutral flavour. I got mine from one of the sponsers (Craftbrewer).

 

[EVOSTi]

i should have mentioned i am planning on using a fridge for fermenting which i just obtained.

ill go down to the homebrew shop in campbelltown (heard the one in camden closed down) and ask for some saflager 23 and give it a go.

 

[Thunderlips]

i asked the guy on the phone what yeast it came with as i want to brew it like a proper lager

This has come up a few times before.
Brewcraft Munich Lager is actually made by Muntons and uses a true lager yeast.
It was one of the very first kits I made back when it was named Beermakers Munich Lager and
I was totally surprised by how good it was compared to the megaswill I'd previously been drinking.

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

This has come up a few times before.
Brewcraft Munich Lager is actually made by Muntons and uses a true lager yeast.
It was one of the very first kits I made back when it was named Beermakers Munich Lager and
I was totally surprised by how good it was compared to the megaswill I'd previously been drinking.

Hmm dunno about this. I just finished this exact brew and I started it at a temp of 16 degrees C. All was good till about day 7 when the sg reading stopped at 1018 (was told it would finish at about 1012-1014) left it for another 3 days and still no further reduction. Then i increased the temp of my fridgemate controling my heat pad to 19. Checked sg 2 days later and it finally leveled out at 1014. The brew was in the fermenter for a total of 20 days.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if it was a "true lager yeast" the starting temp of 16 should have been too high and it would have finished much faster than this.

 

[buttersd70]

My thought on it is quite simple: if you don't know what it is, don't use it. If product information is not released by the manufacrurer, don't use it. Get yeast from a manufacturer that has enough respect for its customers to give the information required, ie type of yeast, cell count and temperature range. Lallemand, fermentis, wyeast, whitelabs, whatever takes your fancy. But why use something in your brew that is an unknown? Particularly when that ingredient is arguably one of the most important to the end result, ie yeast.

Just my 2c.

 

[Thunderlips]

Hmm dunno about this.

I reckon your right. I missed where he mentioned the can says between 18 and 30c.
I'm probably confusing the lager side of things with the discontinued Coopers Bavarian Lager, which did use a lager yeast.

I was still right about one thing at least, it's made by Muntons

 

[FarsideOfCrazy]

I was still right about one thing at least, it's made by Muntons

Yeah I've heard that also.