Styrian Hophead
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Whorst
Re: Styrian Hophead
That's one big ^%$# starter for a 1.036 beer! Have you racked it yet? How much diacetyl did you notice?
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SiHoltye
Re: Styrian Hophead
Racking on Friday. I did the same starter procedure with WLP002 into a 1.040. It can produce a heck of a lot of diacetyl but clears up after itself in a couple of days after FG reached. This WLP005 has a fruityness in the sample jar but not loads of diacetyl that I've noticed, not compared to WLP002, so don't expect much/if any in the finished beer. That said only the 2nd time of using it so I'll have to wait and see.
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SiHoltye
Re: Styrian Hophead
Whorst,
I read your post on WLP005 and re-listened to the WL audio. Tasting the sample after I'd agree it mutes the hop character. It's not zingy, rather fruity and smoothed out, so very much an English ale yeast, rather than American. I'd totally agree with the estery and fusel up comment compared to WLP002, it's a different tasting yeast but clearly related in style.
Aside from that I went to the London Amateur Brewers meeting last night (29 attendees) and there were I think 4 of your comrades there. One had brought an American Pale Ale at about 5.5%. Blimey, I'm not exposed to US brews locally only when at GBBF, but his sample reminded how extreme the hopping is, even in a moderate/typical US pale ale. How do you guys do a session on that??? More a rhetorical Q 'cos I've read about your fondness for English ales. Seriously though I'm a wuss, hop flavour at that level is definately not for me. I have no experience to call on but perhaps US craft brew drinkers only have a beer or two at a session, the alcohol and moreover the palate massacring hoppiness has gotta take a toll. Or perhaps it's what they're used to and don't find it OTT. Or perhap's my palate is just that, and somethings you just don't like. Spearmint-Wino couldn't get enough! Very interesting night though with results from the BIG BREW we did (SS Minnow Mild), and the Wenlock's usual wide selection of well kept ales
I read your post on WLP005 and re-listened to the WL audio. Tasting the sample after I'd agree it mutes the hop character. It's not zingy, rather fruity and smoothed out, so very much an English ale yeast, rather than American. I'd totally agree with the estery and fusel up comment compared to WLP002, it's a different tasting yeast but clearly related in style.
Aside from that I went to the London Amateur Brewers meeting last night (29 attendees) and there were I think 4 of your comrades there. One had brought an American Pale Ale at about 5.5%. Blimey, I'm not exposed to US brews locally only when at GBBF, but his sample reminded how extreme the hopping is, even in a moderate/typical US pale ale. How do you guys do a session on that??? More a rhetorical Q 'cos I've read about your fondness for English ales. Seriously though I'm a wuss, hop flavour at that level is definately not for me. I have no experience to call on but perhaps US craft brew drinkers only have a beer or two at a session, the alcohol and moreover the palate massacring hoppiness has gotta take a toll. Or perhaps it's what they're used to and don't find it OTT. Or perhap's my palate is just that, and somethings you just don't like. Spearmint-Wino couldn't get enough! Very interesting night though with results from the BIG BREW we did (SS Minnow Mild), and the Wenlock's usual wide selection of well kept ales
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SiHoltye
Re: Styrian Hophead
Drinking this now and the bitterness in my recipe is too low, maybe due to yeast maybe just too low. What I have is OK for drinking but it's not what I'd choose to drink for sure it's not dry at all.
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yogester
Re: Styrian Hophead
Couple of questions:-SiHoltye wrote:Drinking this now and the bitterness in my recipe is too low, maybe due to yeast maybe just too low. What I have is OK for drinking but it's not what I'd choose to drink for sure it's not dry at all.
1. If you did this brew again what IBUs would you want? If you wanted to push it to a 4.5-5.0% abv brew where would you shoot the IBU to?
2. How did the slurry from a 5L starter work out for you on this brew? Did the diacetyl go away? Was fermentation the right speed etc? From the apricot notes sounds like there was some ester production. Positive or negative on the brew? Was it yeast strain related or amount of yeast added that was responsible in your opinion?
Very interested as these highly hopped ales are my favourite!
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SiHoltye
Re: Styrian Hophead
IMHO WLP005 was the wrong yeast to use to achieve a fresh/bright hop character in this beer. Should do more homework...established experience/literature/audio commentary would have suggested this anyway 
I'm doing my fourth attempt at Darkstar's Hophead (a similar malt/hop bill in quantity to this) on Tuesday, and the thing that'll make the biggest difference from III toward recreating the fresh taste of this beer will I think be the yeast.
From your Q's:
1. Next time out I'm shooting for BU:GU 0.8 so 30.4 IBU's in a 1.038 beer.
2. Yeast management-wise the 5L (or 4L as it actually was to allow for headspace in the 5L vessel) worked great. I've fermented out Whitelabs vials in 4L of 1.040 spraymalt a few times now and always been happy with the quantity and health of the yeast. Final grav in the finished 23L batches reached in 3-5 days (1.040ish beers). Diacetyl = low, I worried unnecessarily
For the bright bitey zingy hoppiness to carry through I'm keen to try US05 in a single yeast beer of this type, but this next up HHIV will be by the book with and ingredient bill from the brewery direct (via telephonic pestering
). I'm posting for comment in the brewday thread shortly.
As a post script I tapped this yesterday for a BBQ...drew the last single pint tonight, so it went down pretty well amongst my mates.
I'm doing my fourth attempt at Darkstar's Hophead (a similar malt/hop bill in quantity to this) on Tuesday, and the thing that'll make the biggest difference from III toward recreating the fresh taste of this beer will I think be the yeast.
From your Q's:
1. Next time out I'm shooting for BU:GU 0.8 so 30.4 IBU's in a 1.038 beer.
2. Yeast management-wise the 5L (or 4L as it actually was to allow for headspace in the 5L vessel) worked great. I've fermented out Whitelabs vials in 4L of 1.040 spraymalt a few times now and always been happy with the quantity and health of the yeast. Final grav in the finished 23L batches reached in 3-5 days (1.040ish beers).
Diacetyl = low, I worried unnecessarily For the bright bitey zingy hoppiness to carry through I'm keen to try US05 in a single yeast beer of this type, but this next up HHIV will be by the book with and ingredient bill from the brewery direct (via telephonic pestering
). I'm posting for comment in the brewday thread shortly.As a post script I tapped this yesterday for a BBQ...drew the last single pint tonight, so it went down pretty well amongst my mates.