2015 Oberon is out - Who's harvesting yeast?

WortUp said:

I think Oberon is one of the best summer beers out there!

Has anyone ever made a business of taking commercial beers and selling yeast? Is it legal? If so, I think there would be a market. Yeah, I know that you can do it yourself, but for those who don't have access to certain beers, it would give us an option to clone.

Click to expand...

I don't know, Bells is pretty quick to sue over infringements. Look at northern brewers Dead Ringer IPA. It sued to be called something like three hearted or something like that. There have been several other court cases with Bells.

Brew_G said:

I just dry hopped my Oberon-inspired American wheat with .5 oz of Saaz and .37 oz each of Cascade and Centennial. It hadn't attenuated as much as I'd expected, but the sample was quite good. I also forgot to add Whirlfloc, so it'll probably end up pretty hazy, but I don't really care about that.

As for Oberon yeast, I've had my starter in the fridge for about a week now, so I'll decant and step up again tomorrow, then split that out among four 250 ml jelly jars to use for starters for my next few beers. I don't get to brew that often, so messing around with harvesting and starters helps me bide my time between brewdays!

Click to expand...

Stepped this up earlier today, and the familiar butter bomb from Bell's yeast shone through in the stuff that I decanted. It's amazing...like drinking movie theater popcorn!

Dolomieu said:

I've done this before and plan to do it again this yeast. Though my next american wheat is going to be a gumball head clone with Vermont ale yeast. I do like Oberon a lot though.

Click to expand...

I used Vermont Ale in NB's American Wheat kit and it worked well. The strain ate everything and gave the beer a dry, almost phenolic bite. Adding a little extra grain might not be a bad idea.

BleacherBrewing said:

I used Vermont Ale in NB's American Wheat kit and it worked well. The strain ate everything and gave the beer a dry, almost phenolic bite. Adding a little extra grain might not be a bad idea.

Click to expand...

I'll keep that in mind. Been caught up building a deck so I haven't brewed it yet.

Anyone who has bottled/kegged: What was your FG?

I'm hoping to bottle my batch Sunday, although last I heard on Monday there were still 2 bubbles/66 secs in the airlock. I'll probably take a gravity reading Friday and Sunday to see how they compare.

I just checked mine a day or two ago and it was at 1.015... but I think it has a few points left.

My buddy brewed his up using Oberon stepped up yeast and his FG at kegging time was 1.010

HarborTownBrewing said:

Anyone who has bottled/kegged: What was your FG?

I'm hoping to bottle my batch Sunday, although last I heard on Monday there were still 2 bubbles/66 secs in the airlock. I'll probably take a gravity reading Friday and Sunday to see how they compare.

Click to expand...

My fg was 1.013ish. I say ish because I didn't de carb. So may have been lower.

Btw I'm drinking the us05 version right now (fg 1.012) kegged and dry hopped with 1 oz cascade .5 oz saaz. I'd say it's pretty close. Doesn't have that fruity flavor and mouthfeel you get with bells, but it's delicious. I kegged the bells up too, gonna let that naturally carb up and condition a bit more, at least until the first keg kicks.

I checked last night and mine is still going but its at 1.015. My father in law added the dry hops last Sunday before I found out it was still fermenting so I think I'm going to have to bottle Sunday. If it's still fermenting I'll just add a little less priming sugar at bottling.

The sample was really good; unbelievable orange flavor - more than oberon. I can't imagine it'll taste just like oberon but I'm still excited for it.

I've done this before and plan to do it again this yeast. Though my next american wheat is going to be a gumball head clone with Vermont ale yeast. I do like Oberon a lot though.

I bottled it yesterday at 1.014, adding just a little less priming sugar than I normally would have just to be on the safe side as it still had some fermentation going on.

Initial impressions from trying the sample: It's dang good. It doesn't really taste like Oberon to me though - at least not right now. I can't believe the Orange flavor it has, especially since there aren't any orange peels in it or anything. Now, just to wait two weeks.

That orange flavor is truly what makes the Bells yeast necessary IMHO. Thanks for reporting back!

Is all Bells yeast the same as Oberon? What is it that makes this yeast (Oberon) so special?

TastyAdventure said:

Is all Bells yeast the same as Oberon? What is it that makes this yeast (Oberon) so special?

Click to expand...

Bell's uses the same yeast for all of their ales, except perhaps some of their bigger special/seasonal beers. Based on info gotten from Bell's some years ago, it's widely believed to be a version of Wyeast 1272 that has developed "house characteristics" over years of being used by Bell's.

Awesome. Someone should brew a harvest batch and a 1272 batch side by side!

TastyAdventure said:

Is all Bells yeast the same as Oberon? What is it that makes this yeast (Oberon) so special?

Click to expand...

kpr121 said:

That orange flavor is truly what makes the Bells yeast necessary IMHO. Thanks for reporting back!

Click to expand...

Repeated observers have reported you just dont get the same fruity flavors and creamy mouthfeel with other yeasts. I agree that a Bells vs 1272 would be an interesting exBeeriment (hope Im allowed to use that term).

I will say Bells vs. US-05 is not a drastic difference but it is definitely noticeable. US-05 is just a tad too dry and 'clean'.

kpr121 said:

Repeated observers have reported you just dont get the same fruity flavors and creamy mouthfeel with other yeasts. I agree that a Bells vs 1272 would be an interesting exBeeriment (hope Im allowed to use that term).



I will say Bells vs. US-05 is not a drastic difference but it is definitely noticeable. US-05 is just a tad too dry and 'clean'.

Click to expand...

Yeah...I think the reason I like Bell's beers so much has a lot to do with their yeast. You nailed the characteristics - creamy and fruity.

Forgot to add...Winter White uses a different yeast. Not sure which one, but it's a Belgian.

Cracked the bells keg tonight... World of difference compared to us-05 imho! Will do a proper side by side with the real thing tomorrow

Can't wait to hear about it!

Kegged mine last week on Monday. Almost a week later here it is. I cannot tell a difference in color or taste. Spot on clone. 10 gallons of pure bells Oberon nectar.

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1431280877.318319.jpg

Looks great JonGrafto! And you said you used the Crypto recipe? I can see where the differences would come into play compared to the recipe I did. Mine was a tad too dark, so should use just carapils instead of C-15L. I think mine had a bit too much spice from the saaz so should use more hallertau/less saaz in boil. And I really think it could have benefited from a decoction.

But Im not complaining too much as the primary purpose of this batch was to get the bells yeast strain back up and running in the brewery, and that was accomplished along with making some tasty beer! Kegging up two hearted clone sometime this week!

You guys with kegs are killing me. I'm waiting on my bottles to carb up...just one more week!

I've decided, very prematurely, to maybe start using the Oberon yeast on some of my pale ales for a citrus kick. I wish I could have used it in a Pale Ale I put together a couple months ago where I was trying to get a lot of citrus and grapefruit flavors.

kpr121 said:

Looks great JonGrafto! And you said you used the Crypto recipe? I can see where the differences would come into play compared to the recipe I did. Mine was a tad too dark, so should use just carapils instead of C-15L. I think mine had a bit too much spice from the saaz so should use more hallertau/less saaz in boil. And I really think it could have benefited from a decoction.

But Im not complaining too much as the primary purpose of this batch was to get the bells yeast strain back up and running in the brewery, and that was accomplished along with making some tasty beer! Kegging up two hearted clone sometime this week!

Click to expand...

For the most part it was the crypto recipe.

I upped the grain bill by a few lbs because of my efficiency but the mash, hop schedule and decoction were the same.

I guess I could have cut back the grain to the original because I ended up 4 points high. But.. It worked out well.

its been a week in primary starting gravity 1.056 and down to 1.010. full of krausen and smell and taste were fantastic.

I couldn't find a good way to guesstimate yeast cells with bottle dregs on any calculator...

Question: I harvested 5 bottles with about 100 ml of 1.35 wort 5 days ago, good activity, pitched 3/4 liter of 1.040 OG wort on it last night.
Will I be able to brew with this on Sunday? (3 days from now) I plan on pitching another liter of 1.040 on it tomorrow night...

TastyAdventure said:

I couldn't find a good way to guesstimate yeast cells with bottle dregs on any calculator...

Question: I harvested 5 bottles with about 100 ml of 1.35 wort 5 days ago, good activity, pitched 3/4 liter of 1.040 OG wort on it last night.
Will I be able to brew with this on Sunday? (3 days from now) I plan on pitching another liter of 1.040 on it tomorrow night...

Click to expand...

Go with a 2L starter and you should be good to go

How long should I cold crash before decanting most of this 3/4 gallon?

1 day - 2 if you have time.

Harvested Oberon yeast is blasting away at my Hüll Melon/Calypso American wheat right now. Temp is 70F and the smell is awesome.

Anyone know/have suggestions for fermentation temp of Oberon?

TastyAdventure said:

Anyone know/have suggestions for fermentation temp of Oberon?

Click to expand...

For the yeast in general, you can ferment pretty much from 62-74F without too much worry, but optimum temps are 68-72F. Lower temps lead to cleaner fermentation, with more fruity esters as you get upwards of 70F.

Info comes from Bell's employees.

I pitched mine yesterday at 63F and it dropped to 62F over the next few hours. It started rolling about 12 hours after pitching and got to 64F at about 20 hours post-pitch. It really took off after I ramped the temp to 68F at that point, and it's now at 70F.

Well my father in law couldn't wait so he tried our oberon clone yesterday - about 12 days in the bottle. He said it was delicious so that's a good sign. I'm going to give it a few days before I put any in the fridge to try.

We fermented ours around 60F so it will be interesting to see how it comes out. That's lower than I would have preferred but it was either that ferment at 72-78.

I supplemented my harvest with about 1/3 pack of US-05. Anyone else ever done that or similar before?

FINALLY got to try my clone attempt last night, after about hmmm, 3 weeks in the bottle. It was really good and had a nice hint of citrus. Color was brilliant, and had great head and lacing. Unfortunately I didn't have a bottle of oberon to compare it to, but I'm going to try to snag some this weekend.

I'll update once I've done a side by side.

Guys,

Did my final 3rd step up yesterday afternoon in anticipation of brewing this morning, but cannot. Have about 1 L on the stir plate. Krausen has decreased but still present. Plan on brewing for sure tomorrow. Should I just leave on stir plate or put in fridge until tomorrow? If you think I should refrigerate, when? 24 hrs after starting? Or just take off stir plate and leave on the counter till tomorrow? What would you do??? Thanks

Scott

schach23 said:

Guys,

Did my final 3rd step up yesterday afternoon in anticipation of brewing this morning, but cannot. Have about 1 L on the stir plate. Krausen has decreased but still present. Plan on brewing for sure tomorrow. Should I just leave on stir plate or put in fridge until tomorrow? If you think I should refrigerate, when? 24 hrs after starting? Or just take off stir plate and leave on the counter till tomorrow? What would you do??? Thanks

Scott

Click to expand...

Leave on stir plate and pitch the whole thing

Brew_G said:

Harvested Oberon yeast is blasting away at my Hüll Melon/Calypso American Wheat right now. Temp is 70F and the smell is awesome.

Click to expand...

Took a sample yesterday at Day 18, and it was at 1.014, which is the same as at Day 8. That got me about 76% attenuation, which is what I wanted and expected with a high mash temp. You can easily get to 80%+ attenuation with a lower mash temp.

Sample tasted absolutely fantastic. It was definitely fruity and very silky, and it had dropped pretty clear despite not having been cold crashed and having over 4 lbs of wheat malt in the grist. It did have that slight butteriness to it that I generally seem to get with Bell's yeast (which then goes away after about two weeks in the bottle). Dry hopped this morning and will cold crash in about five days, with bottling another three or so days after that.

Just started harvesting. One can down.View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1435002831.458515.jpg

I still drinking my Oberon clone and I've got to say it's actually gotten better with age. Now there is such a brilliant orange flavor - crisp and full.

I'm going to be brewing this again in the spring!