Recent content by bierhaus15

Dialing in zinc is one of the biggest positive leaps you can make for beer flavor and quality. The number of pro brewers who don't do any of this is mind boggling. All good info above, but I'd add if you start doing this, target 0.3 ppm zinc for ales and 0.2 ppm for lagers. Zinc is also...

I have not got any tartness or lemon flavors. Maybe a touch of fruitiness in the first generation, as is common with most lagers. I would recommend harvesting/repitching to get the truest character. I've gone up to generation 8 with this yeast and the best beers were gen 2 onwards.

Yes, I've brewed with TUM35 (~25 beers) and really like it. It is a good example of a production yeast; might be less forgiving on the home brew side, but otherwise makes very nice lagers. It ferments out dry, crisp, and clean with little sulfur and diacetyl. To the original issue with the...

I've brewed with it 6-7 times over the years, as I have a frozen culture in my yeast bank. It is not the exact same as 1318, but similar. It finishes with a light candy sweetness and the 1318-softness, although I've found it more mineral, dry, and bready. It definitely tastes like a Whitbread...

Attended a beer tasting with Vinnie a few years ago: 100% weyermann pils, 3 step mash, 5.35% ABV, 50 IBU, soft water, Tradition-Mittelfrueh-Aramis w/ cold DH off yeast. Augustiner lager at 50-52F. He ferments STS in shallow, open fermenters.

That is the Fuller's yeast and is most similar to Imperial A09 Pub. Behaves identical really. I'd expect attenuation around 69-74% and ABV up to 10%, per the Imperial info.

Regarding the WY1882 source, I found a Wyeast catalog from 1998 with their seasonal strains. It had this to say: "1882 Thames Valley II - Slightly fruitier and more malty on the palate than 1275. Well balanced with a clean, dry finish. The source of 1275 and 1882 uses them together to produce a...

It's a great malt. Been using it for a few years now. It compares very favorably to German pilsner malts, including Barke, with a slightly toasty note in the finished beer. Less grassy than most. It is my preferred malt for hop forward pils. It also makes a nice helles, although expect more...

I brewed two beers with it, both in the style of Taras, but not as hop forward. Yeast behaved well, relatively high attenuation and flocculation with a clean, citrus-spice flavor that was neither overly fruity or phenolic. Hard to suggest a comparable yeast; it is certainly cleaner than most...

It's ethyl heptanoate, typically found in lager fermentation (often at warmer temps when under pressure). It is yeast strain dependent and there are some precursors for it in very lightly kilned malt, hence why it comes up in helles so often.

I am also a big fan of this yeast, for years it was my preferred strain for bitters and drier-hoppy UK styles. If you have not tried it, use some invert syrup in your recipes featuring this yeast. Makes a beautiful pint. The ester profile is a mix of soft fruity character with a bit of sulfur...

This is a flavor that comes up occasionally; most often it is due to scorching via electric elements, especially if you have bits of protein or trub that gets burnt onto the metal. If it was phenols from an infection, you'd know. Occasionally it can be ingredient driven - some hops can have an...

I've brewed 4 beers (single, dubbel, triple, quad) with this yeast so far and all have been excellent. It is a diastaticus and with a healthy fermentation will ferment out to 1.002-1.006, even at high OG. Ester profile for me has been very aromatic, with a signature candied pineapple flavor...

Haven't seen the Zymurgy issue, but the easiest way to make low calorie/carb beer is to use amyloglucosidase enyzme. All the sugars are fermented out, resulting in zero carbs and calories only from alcohol. It is common for lagers to be made this way, but it also works with other styles/yeasts...

Having maintained my yeast bank for almost 10 years now, IMO, don't bother banking strains that are easily accessible or those you can buy all the time. Especially dry yeast. I've found the amount of time and energy that goes into maintaining a bank is not worth it when you can buy the same...