Wyeast 1968, chunky cheese!

MattHollingsworth · 02-05-2010, 10:28 AM

I've heard the stories over and over about how Wyeast 1968 floccs like crazy and takes on the consistency of cheese. This is my first time using it, though. Getting ready to brew a Dark Mild on Sunday, so naturally have a starter going. During the active part of the fermentation of the starter, the starter looked like it usually does. But now that it's done, it looks entirely different. Went to check on the starter, which is still on the stirplate, and it looked like I had dumped a bunch of cottage cheese into there. Interesting.

Look forward to this brew. Curious about this yeast.

hoppymonkey · 02-05-2010, 11:35 AM

California Ale yeast does the same thing. I had to scoop some of the chunks off the top just to get a hydrometer sample. It makes for a very clean beer tho. The resulting beer looked like I had cold-crashed it or lagered, but it was just a regular ale.

Netflyer · 02-05-2010, 12:31 PM

I started to use 1968 because I liked the year - then I realized it was Fuller's yeast and I started to work it into all my bitters. It has never let me down from temps 60-74.. and I know 74 is pushing it but it was before I was enlightened re. swamp coolers and even the 74 had very low butters. You're going to love the yeast and it won't be the last time you use it.

**Weezknight** · 02-05-2010, 12:33 PM

I just used Wyeast 1968 in an ESB, and just transferred it over to secondary. After 19 days in the primary I am very pleased with how clear the beer already looks. I doubt I'll leave it in secondary very long, but I can't wait to try out this beer in a few weeks.

And, yes, the bottom of the primary was very chunky. It really reminded me of when I used the Irish Ale yeast, too.

MattHollingsworth · 02-05-2010, 01:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hoppymonkey

California Ale yeast does the same thing. I had to scoop some of the chunks off the top just to get a hydrometer sample. It makes for a very clean beer tho. The resulting beer looked like I had cold-crashed it or lagered, but it was just a regular ale.

Huh, really? I haven't used WLP001 in a long time, but Wyeast 1056 doesn't act like that at all. At least not for me. It's not a very flocculent yeast at all.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Netflyer

I started to use 1968 because I liked the year - then I realized it was Fuller's yeast and I started to work it into all my bitters. It has never let me down from temps 60-74.. and I know 74 is pushing it but it was before I was enlightened re. swamp coolers and even the 74 had very low butters. You're going to love the yeast and it won't be the last time you use it.

I like the year too! It's my birth year!

I'll be fermenting this mild at 68. I've drank my share of Fullers beers while in the UK, it being the country I've visited most other than the US and Croatia.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Weezknight

I just used Wyeast 1968 in an ESB, and just transferred it over to secondary. After 19 days in the primary I am very pleased with how clear the beer already looks. I doubt I'll leave it in secondary very long, but I can't wait to try out this beer in a few weeks.

And, yes, the bottom of the primary was very chunky. It really reminded me of when I used the Irish Ale yeast, too.

Cool. Are any of you guys rinsing this yeast for reuse? How does the procedure vary?

machinelf · 02-05-2010, 03:32 PM

Huh. That's exactly what our WLP0037 looked like, except maybe with bigger chunks.

BioBeing · 02-05-2010, 04:15 PM

I'm loving this yeast. I used it first in my Fuller's London Pride clone, which turned out great. I washed some, and have used it in a mild and an IPA. It's currently churning in my Bishop's Finger clone. Clears great. Tastes great!

**petep1980** · 02-05-2010, 04:22 PM

WLP001, wyeast 1098 & US-5 all did that for me big time!!! I can't recall if wyeast 1028 did that for me or not.

I even have WLP001 in secondary now and I have some cottage cheese. I had no idea what it was, I've never seen that in secondary. At first I thought infection, then thought it may have been the dry hops. I figure w/ a good cold crash maybe overnight I should really have a crystal clear beer.

MattHollingsworth · 02-05-2010, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petep1980

WLP001, wyeast 1098 & US-5 all did that for me big time!!! I can't recall if wyeast 1028 did that for me or not.

I even have WLP001 in secondary now and I have some cottage cheese. I had no idea what it was, I've never seen that in secondary. At first I thought infection, then thought it may have been the dry hops. I figure w/ a good cold crash maybe overnight I should really have a crystal clear beer.

Here's the thing: That picture is with the stirplate on, so it's doing the cottage cheese thing while swirling. I just used 1028, which didn't do that for me. Just used 1098, 1388, WLP023 and 1056 and none of them did that, at least not for me (and I've used 1388, 1056 and 1098 a LOT).

This yeast looks totally different from all of those. Looks much, much more flocculent.

**petep1980** · 02-05-2010, 04:52 PM

Mine have never looked anything like that w/ stir plate on. It's the usual yeast cloud and some small amount of krausen.