Bell's two hearted yeast really took off!

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
whitehause

whitehause

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2011
Messages
1,122
Reaction score
153
Location
Fleetwood
I did my first bottle harvest with Two Hearted ( I know most use the amber because of lower ABV). A weak 500ml(then decanted), a stronger 500ml, then just added another .040 500ml.
After my 3rd bump up it really went crazy. I had 1L in 2L flask, and it was bubbling out on to my stir plate by the next morning. I was pretty impressed since I haven't had this happen with vials.
I pitched yesterday at about 6pm, had airlock bubbling in 3 hours, and it was chugging away like crazy by this morning! And here I was just hoping it would work.

:rockin::mug::rockin:
 
I'm not sure...maybe someone else will chime in on that.
I know it's the same yeast they ferment with, unlike some breweries that use a different strain for bottling. It might be something very basic or common, but I wanted my Two Hearted clone to be as close as possible. I've wanted to try bottle harvesting, as well as dry hopping, so the whole brew is kind of an experiment for me.
 
It has no equal. It's Bell's house strain. Others will be close, like 1056 and some others, but it's Bell's house yeast that makes THA taste.....well, like THA.
 
Sweet! I am in the process of doing the same thing right now. I'm waiting for my first pint of weak wort to chill down so I can pitch the dregs from 6 bottles of Bell's Third Coast Beer (the 4.8% ABV stuff.) I think I'm gonna follow your approach exactly. Cheers!
 
whitehause said:
I did my first bottle harvest with Two Hearted ( I know most use the amber because of lower ABV). A weak 500ml(then decanted), a stronger 500ml, then just added another .040 500ml.
After my 3rd bump up it really went crazy. I had 1L in 2L flask, and it was bubbling out on to my stir plate by the next morning. I was pretty impressed since I haven't had this happen with vials.
I pitched yesterday at about 6pm, had airlock bubbling in 3 hours, and it was chugging away like crazy by this morning! And here I was just hoping it would work.

:rockin::mug::rockin:
Click to expand...

How many bottles did you use?
 
I only used 3 bottles with about 1/2" left in the bottom. I probably could have decanted down a little more, but I wanted a good amount of liquid to swirl the bottle with. It took about a week to step up. I left each of the 3 steps on the stir plate for 2 days, (chilled and decanted the first one so that added a day) I turned off the stir plate the morning I brewed to let it settle for a few hours, then decanted some off the top and pitched the rest. It was only about 600ml so I don't think it will effect the beer too much.
 
Glad to hear you only needed 3 bottles. I forgot to swirl up the first two so I'll wind up with, maybe, a little more than 4 bottles. Thought that might have been a screwup until i read this.
 
JonM said:
Sweet! I am in the process of doing the same thing right now. I'm waiting for my first pint of weak wort to chill down so I can pitch the dregs from 6 bottles of Bell's Third Coast Beer (the 4.8% ABV stuff.) I think I'm gonna follow your approach exactly. Cheers!
Click to expand...

The first and second bump up showed some krausen while on the stir plate, but not a whole lot. The third one just started and kept building. When I walked into my bar room the next morning I could smell it, then I saw the streaks running down the outside of the flask. In my best Scotty from Star Trek voice I yelled " There be Krausen here captain!"

Wife thinks I'm nuts:cross:
 
Perfect timing. I actually just did this, harvested a 6er of TH yeast, stepped it up 3x and pitched into a batch of all Citra IPA that required a blowoff the ferment was so vigorous. It turned out to be the best batch i've ever made. Bottled about 4 weeks ago.

Now, my next experiment is too reharvest the yeast at the bottom of my Citra IPA bottles and do it again. Think this is just as good as drinking another 6er of TH? i'm concerned about the yeast viability after a few generations. I should've just washed the yeast from the primary to begin with but I dry hopped into the primary. Thoughts?
 
Wheatmeister said:
Perfect timing. I actually just did this, harvested a 6er of TH yeast, stepped it up 3x and pitched into a batch of all Citra IPA that required a blowoff the ferment was so vigorous. It turned out to be the best batch i've ever made. Bottled about 4 weeks ago.

Now, my next experiment is too reharvest the yeast at the bottom of my Citra IPA bottles and do it again. Think this is just as good as drinking another 6er of TH? i'm concerned about the yeast viability after a few generations. I should've just washed the yeast from the primary to begin with but I dry hopped into the primary. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Harvesting from your own bottles works very well I do it all the time. I started with 3 bottles Bell's Amber Ale into 1.5 Qt 1.040 wort and left it for 4 days shaking when I could (no stir plate). Chilled, decanted and added 1.5 Qt 1.040 wort and 3 more bottles Amber. Let it go 4 days, chilled, decanted and pitched into 1.064 APA. Then used the bottles of the APA to do exactly the same thing and made a batch of Centennial IPA. Used several other bottles of the APA with 3 bottle of Bells Pale ALe to make a starter for a black Ale.
Experimenting with making my own strain of yeast. Mixture of 1056 in an Amber Ale, some US-05 in a pale ale and Bells Pale Ale. Will brew with it this weekend.
 
Wheatmeister said:
Perfect timing. I actually just did this, harvested a 6er of TH yeast, stepped it up 3x and pitched into a batch of all Citra IPA that required a blowoff the ferment was so vigorous. It turned out to be the best batch i've ever made. Bottled about 4 weeks ago.

Now, my next experiment is too reharvest the yeast at the bottom of my Citra IPA bottles and do it again. Think this is just as good as drinking another 6er of TH? i'm concerned about the yeast viability after a few generations. I should've just washed the yeast from the primary to begin with but I dry hopped into the primary. Thoughts?
Click to expand...

The only real advantage to washing it from the primary would be the amount of yeast you would have gotten, and the fact it wasn't exposed to the alcohol as long. The yeast from your bottles will just need to be stepped up like you did with the original.:mug:
 
I had ONE bottle of Bell's Winter White in the fridge and decided to try to resurrect the yeast.

Gave it the third step-up last night, and this morning my starter was rocking!!! Gonna put it into a batch of SWMBO Slayer next week. Hell, even the 3% decanted starter beer tasted great. Can't wait!
 
JonM said:
I had ONE bottle of Bell's Winter White in the fridge and decided to try to resurrect the yeast.

Gave it the third step-up last night, and this morning my starter was rocking!!! Gonna put it into a batch of SWMBO Slayer next week. Hell, even the 3% decanted starter beer tasted great. Can't wait!
Click to expand...

Nice, i assume you know that Bells uses a different strain for their Winter White. Look forward to hearing how it turns out!
 
Yep! Got the growler full of Bell's house strain sitting next to the winter white one.
 
Will do. My plan, after the witbier/ SWMBO Slayer, is to do a five gallon stout, split it into two fermenters and do 2.5 gal with Bells yeast and use some washed Denny's Fav in the other.
 
Excellent!!!! I have about a week till I dry hop my 2hearted clone. I'm as excited to see the yeast cake as I am to dry hop it(and be a week closer to drinking it)

:rockin:
 
From the dregs of one bottle of Bell's Winter White to this!

image-3266629922.jpg
 
Dude I've never seen a carboy like that before, I like it.

This past Friday I brewed 2 all Citra IPA's using the Bells yeast 2nd generation. Bothe carboyrs required a blowoff. My floating thememter broke at the very end of the boil into the wort, several chards of glass and some of those steel balls got out, but I filtered into the primary after chilling.
Here's an interesting question though. My 5gal carboy was so full of wort there was/is literally no room for krausen, a majority of the krausen has blown up through the blowoff. I'm wondering if this will have negative side effects on the flavor of my IPA. I dont think it will, but its an interesting question it seems...my first batch of citra IPA w/ bells yest tuyrned out fantastic..
 
Wheatmeister said:
Dude I've never seen a carboy like that before, I like it.

This past Friday I brewed 2 all Citra IPA's using the Bells yeast 2nd generation. Bothe carboyrs required a blowoff. My floating thememter broke at the very end of the boil into the wort, several chards of glass and some of those steel balls got out, but I filtered into the primary after chilling.
Here's an interesting question though. My 5gal carboy was so full of wort there was/is literally no room for krausen, a majority of the krausen has blown up through the blowoff. I'm wondering if this will have negative side effects on the flavor of my IPA. I dont think it will, but its an interesting question it seems...my first batch of citra IPA w/ bells yest tuyrned out fantastic..
Click to expand...

Yeah I love this stuff. My Two hearted clone finished up and it is awesome. Great, great yeast. Need to get a little better at hitting my efficiencies and hop utilization but it is darned close.
 
JonM said:
From the dregs of one bottle of Bell's Winter White to this!
Click to expand...

Got some activity there!!!
My 2 Hearted clone gets dry hopped this weekend!!! I bottled a hefe and a Belgian just so I had a free keg for this. I want to carb it and drink!!

:tank:
 
When I first switched to all grain about a year ago I ordered up NB's two-hearted clone, found myself some bottles of Bell's and did the whole yeast harvest thing. It was by far my best beer to date. I think it's the mass amounts of Centennial.

I've done multiple batches since then and haven't been able to recapture that same magic and I think it's primarly due to the fact that I've been too lazy to regrow yeast from a Bell's bottle.

Gotta get that on my list of priorities, as well as remembering to wash it and store some on slants so I don't have this issue again! lol
 
As a general disclaimer I would be careful with how many times those of you who harvested from two hearted bottles try to reuse that yeast. Bell's dry hops two hearted as it is finishing up its primary and they do not filter, which means there are microflora from the hops in there. They don't re-pitch off of their two hearted tanks for this reason. The other year rounds aren't dry hopped and still use the bell's yeast (with the exception of lager of the lakes). Oberon season is quickly approaching as well and that is the easiest way to harvest healthy yeast, despite tastier alternatives.

Prolonged reuse could lead to increased risk of propagating the stuff that causes infections.
 
Wow, this stuff is a monster. Pitched on Sunday, by Wednesday the krausen had fallen and the SG had gone from 1.052 to 1.011. (And the sample tasted great.)
 
I just started harvesting some from the Amber ale 2 days ago. Crashing it right now to decant and step up.
 
maxam said:
At what temps are you guys fermenting this yeast? Mine's currently tearing it up at 66-67
Click to expand...

i've only put it to work in the low 60's, usually 63, and it eats ravenously and gives great clean flaovrs so I havent changed it or tried anything else yet
 
I was wondering that myself. I saw some other posts that say up at 70-72 is where you get the distinctive Oberon esters. I have no idea how it behaves at lower temps or what the best temp is for, say, a stout or something.
 
Did mine at 65-66.....tasted a sample last night when I was racking to dry hop. It was fantastic!
 
Just an update....
My 2 hearted clone has been on the gas for about a week, and it's by far one of the best(if not the best) brews I've made so far! I've got the yeast I washed from this batch on the stir plate right now for a 3 Floyd's Zombie Dust clone I'm doing this weekend. I'm going to ferment this one a little warmer..69 to 72 and see how it turns out. Definitely putting this on the house yeast list.
:rockin:
 
I love the Bell's yeast I harvested last year, and have used it in about a half-dozen different styles, all with great results. I brewed a split batch SMaSH last year with Marris Otter and Cascades--2 gallons used Bell's yeast, and the rest used WLP051 California V. It's a very similar strain, if not exact.
 
Oberon is out, picked up a case bottled less than a month ago. Trub from every bottle is getting saved. My favorite strain. The trub from a 6 pack pitched into 2 cups of 1.040 wort had krausen nearing the top of my growler within 24 hours.:D
 

Similar threads

B
Harvested Yeast Starter For Bottling Smells Like Vinegar
Replies
7
Views
1K
fluketamer
F
Ironton Brewing
A38 slow fermentation
Replies
1
Views
651
JohnSand
JohnSand
G
Bell's Quite Brite yeast
Replies
1
Views
421
mac_1103
mac_1103
MajorJC
Harvesting yeast to freeze from overbuilt starters
Replies
3
Views
1K
MajorJC
MajorJC
Tony B
Curious fermentation
Replies
15
Views
760
redrocker652002
R
CornyKegs 300

Latest posts

Back
Top