30/12/07 - Oktoberfest

[delboy]

I think i'll do a lager next, might as well take advantage of the icy cold tap water to get the wort down to low pitching temperatures.

[steve_flack]

I used tap water, then tap water run through a beer chiller....then I pumped it into the fermenter and cooled it there using the recirc loop on the beer chiller. All in all took about 5 hours - the last 10 degrees took 4.5 of them. On the plus side it did mean the trub/hop debris dropped out and I could pull that off before pitching the yeast.

I'm on a run of lagers at the mo...I fancy a bash at a Dunkel next...once I get my sack of Munich malt.

[Calum]

I used tap water, then tap water run through a beer chiller....then I pumped it into the fermenter and cooled it there using the recirc loop on the beer chiller. All in all took about 5 hours - the last 10 degrees took 4.5 of them. On the plus side it did mean the trub/hop debris dropped out and I could pull that off before pitching the yeast.

I'm on a run of lagers at the mo...I fancy a bash at a Dunkel next...once I get my sack of Munich malt.

I read your article on your shiny fermenter and cooling system in Brewers Contact last night. Good work (on both the assembly and the article).

[Barley Water]

Yup, I am with you there. I just put both my dunkel and double bock on line in my kegorator yeasterday (just could not wait any longer). There is something to be said for high gravity beer around the holidays, it goes well with the colder weather and helps out when the Christmas bills come due. Fortunately, I have already pulled off and bottled some of each for our big contest at the beginning of March so I don't need to worry about running out.

Just curious, why the choice of yeast? I did the afore mentioned brews as well as a Helles with Wyeast 2206 which did very well (actually I started with the Helles and used the next two generations to do the other two beers). All three beers attenuated well and I don't taste any off flavors so I am a pretty happy boy. I am absolutely convinced that making very large starters (or reusing supper healthy yeast) really makes a positive difference when brewing lagers. I think I would like to take advantage of the coller weather and do a couple more lagers, maybe a CAP (with cereal mash) and an Octoberfest.

[steve_flack]

Just curious, why the choice of yeast?

In short I don't want to make stupid sized starters so I use 1g/L of dried yeast. With a recent Helles I used W34/70 (similar to WY2124/WLP830) and for this Oktoberfest I decided to try S-189 (WLP885?). I've used the W34/70 before and had no issues with it. The S-189 is new to me.

[Barley Water]

Good reason. On this side of the pond, there is a rumor that dry yeast is not as good as liquid yeast (and in fact is contaminated by other/wild strains). Since I have not tried it in maybe 15+ years, I frankly have no recent experience with it at all. Back in the day, all you could get was dry ale yeast and to tell you the truth, the ingredients to be had then were rather rudimentary at best.

Since you are getting good results with the dry lager yeast I should give it a try since it's cheaper and easier to use. It's not that it is that hard to grow up a big starter but you do have to plan ahead a few days and life does get in the way sometimes.

[steve_flack]

Good reason. On this side of the pond, there is a rumor that dry yeast is not as good as liquid yeast (and in fact is contaminated by other/wild strains).

If you check the published specs then yes, the dried yeast strains are less pure than the liquid. They are still better than one bug in a million yeast cells. IMO, unless you have a lab clean room at home, the process of growing starters and stepping up is seriously going to reduce the purity of a liquid starter so that I doubt there's much in it. Also we pitch into wort that, despite what we like to think, is likely to have a few bugs in it it's picked up between boil and fermenter. Consequently, the purity argument is a red herring IMO. If you can get the same strain dried I can't seen any reasons not to use it...

As DaaB said the only problem is the limited range of dried strains.

[BitterTed]

Things have changed an awful lot in 15 years. The only issues with dried yeasts these days is the relatively limited selection although it's growing slowly.

Agreed! Dried yeast has come a long way in 15 years. And limited selection is the only thing that is an issue!! Spot on DaaB!!