Any Urkel Fans?

[Slim M]

I ordered up some L28 Urkel today on a whim and not sure what it likes. I’ve been using dry w-strains direct pitch no starter. I usually chill wort until 58f, pitch yeast, & set chamber to 58 and hold until airlock gets active then drop the controller to 56. My OGs are usually at or south of 1.050 so around 7 days the activity has slowed and I ramp up a degree or so a day until 63-64 and hold until 14 days is up. After kegging, carbing, & lagering several weeks things turn out good.

I plan to make starter with Urkel for a 12 gallon batch but not sure if he will like the normal treatment outlined above or he will need something different. How do use Urkel and what do you think?

 

[HM-2]

For liquid lager yeasts I'll always do a starter and usually shoot for a "high gravity" pitching rate even in standard gravity beers. It's never done me wrong so far.

 

[Slim M]

For liquid lager yeasts I'll always do a starter and usually shoot for a "high gravity" pitching rate even in standard gravity beers. It's never done me wrong so far.

Yeah that’s what I’m planning for. Do you have any experience with this strain in particular?

 

[Miraculix]

I think it's wlp800. If so, it's a great yeast that also works fermented warm. It's one of my favourite lager yeasts.

 

[sibelman]

It's up next, as soon as the fermentation chamber becomes available. I haven't used it before but I'm hopeful for a decent Czech style pilsener.

 

[Slim M]

I think it's wlp800. If so, it's a great yeast that also works fermented warm. It's one of my favourite lager yeasts.

I will have to step it with a starter for 12 gallon batch. As far as fermentation schedule do you think I should treat it like how I talked about how I do my 34/70 strains or something different?

 

[sibelman]

Interesting. Imperial says, re Urkel,

52-58 °F / 11-14 °C​

Are we calling 58°F warm? Or do you mean warmer, @Miraculix?

To me, @Slim M 's temperature plan seems AOK. Myself, I'm likely to start a bit lower, maybe 55°F.

 

[Slim M]

Interesting. Imperial says, re Urkel,

52-58 °F / 11-14 °C​

Are we calling 58°F warm? Or do you mean warmer, @Miraculix?

To me, @Slim M 's temperature plan seems AOK. Myself, I'm likely to start a bit lower, maybe 55°F.

The main thing is I’m trying to avoid acetaldehyde diacetyl issues. Not a fan of popcorn or green apple beer.

 

[Miraculix]

Interesting. Imperial says, re Urkel,

52-58 °F / 11-14 °C​

Are we calling 58°F warm? Or do you mean warmer, @Miraculix?

To me, @Slim M 's temperature plan seems AOK. Myself, I'm likely to start a bit lower, maybe 55°F.

I'm talking about uncontrolled room temperature warm. It gets a tiny bit fruity at that temperature, pretty much like a very clean ale yeast. But no fusels or something like this. This yeast is truly versatile. It's like a cold fermented Kölsch yeast, when fermented at room temperature.

 

[Slim M]

I'm talking about uncontrolled room temperature warm. It gets a tiny bit fruity at that temperature, pretty much like a very clean ale yeast. But no fusels or something like this. This yeast is truly versatile. It's like a cold fermented Kölsch yeast, when fermented at room temperature.

Interesting I didn’t know this one could be done warm.

 

[Miraculix]

Interesting I didn’t know this one could be done warm.

If this is the same as wlp800!

 

[Slim M]

If this is the same as wlp800!

Some charts say it is some say it’s not. Not sure.

 

[Rish]

What does he have to do with beer?

 

[Slim M]

What does he have to do with beer?
View attachment 847101

No no not that Urkel this one

 

[gunhaus]

Well, I used 10Lb of Floor malted Bohemian Pilsner, Saaz hops, and a single package of Urkel without making a starter. I did a tripple decoction cause I felt like it, I placed it in a corney, and added a spunding valve set at 15PSI. I set the keg at 66 degree. Five days later I cold crashed this for two days, transfered to a serving keg with geletine, and "lagered" or conditioned it, or whatever pleases you - for a whopping two more days. On the TENTH day we had beer. Very clear, wonderfully tasty, no off flavors, czech-lagerish-tastingish beer. Which ironically was exactly what I was shooting for. We smoked that first keg in a week or so. I just so happened to have built enough of this elixer to fill TWO kegs,, one of which I hid from friends, family, onlookers, layabouts, and the assorted shiftless types that can smell free beer a mile away. This beer got six weeks at near freezing temps to do its magical lager thing - MAYBE it was a tad clearer. MAYBE it was a a bit cleaner, crisper, and all the other adjectives. But I sure would not bet on it. The first keg was really a very very good beer cooked this way, and one that I am planning to duplicate again this weekend. That is all I got on the topic - it was my first use of Urkel in this roll instead of 34/70 so far I like it.

 

[sibelman]

Except for the triple decoction, @gunhaus makes it sound quick and easy to produce a good (or good-ish) Czech-style pilsner, while casting doubt on the benefits of a cool fermentation, and the need for lagering (extended conditioning time at low temps). This tends to confirm what others have said about some of the conventional wisdom. Brulosophy has also debunked some of the conventional wisdom regarding lagers. And there are threads on HBT about the (lack of) value of decoction and lagering.

I guess all this debunking supports the time-honored idea that making good beer is easy. That was essential to my starting brewing long ago. However, I'm not convinced that the super-tech, super-trad, and/or LODO folks who work much harder are wasting their time in pursuit of great-ish beers.

 

[Slim M]

Except for the triple decoction, @gunhaus makes it sound quick and easy to produce a good (or good-ish) Czech-style pilsner, while casting doubt on the benefits of a cool fermentation, and the need for lagering (extended conditioning time at low temps). This tends to confirm what others have said about some of the conventional wisdom. Brulosophy has also debunked some of the conventional wisdom regarding lagers. And there are threads on HBT about the (lack of) value of decoction and lagering.

I guess all this debunking supports the time-honored idea that making good beer is easy. That was essential to my starting brewing long ago. However, I'm not convinced that the super-tech, super-trad, and/or LODO folks who work much harder are wasting their time in pursuit of great-ish beers.

I think at the homebrewers level as long as you’re happy with what you create & have good time planning, brewing, drinking your beer, & sharing it with others what else could you ask for!

I keep it relatively simple these days I biab, cold water sparge, primary fermentation only, & then keg / force carb. I’m much happier now than I once was back when I had a 3 tier setup, fly sparge, double decoc everything, secondary fermentation, & etc. I had reached a point where it became a job with lots of cleaning. I actually became burned out

 

[moreb33rplz]

I believe the reason for my brewing longevity is having found the correct balance between effort and results

 

[Slim M]

I believe the reason for my brewing longevity is having found the correct balance between effort and results

I like the planning and research portion almost as much as any of it. Cleaning is my least favorite part but it is a necessary evil.

 

[passedpawn]

What does he have to do with beer?
View attachment 847101

Thank god somebody else did that. Saved me.

 

[sibelman]

balance between effort and results

This. I'm willing to up my game, up to a point. Some things feel too burdensome to mess with.

But I'm not ready to move to BIAB. With 3V, I have to clean a mashtun and a kettle; with BIAB I'd have to clean a Wilser bag and a kettle. It seems to me that the rest of the cleaning need would be identical. Maybe some day.

 

[Slim M]

This. I'm willing to up my game, up to a point. Some things feel too burdensome to mess with.

But I'm not ready to move to BIAB. With 3V, I have to clean a mashtun and a kettle; with BIAB I'd have to clean a Wilser bag and a kettle. It seems to me that the rest of the cleaning need would be identical. Maybe some day.

Honestly when I got back into brewing again after a several year hiatus I started biab because about all I had left from my old stuff was my kettle, burner, few corny kegs, & old chest freezer. I really didn’t want to invest much in it to realize I didn’t miss it as much as I thought.

I was kinda surprised the biab yielded good beer with consistent results. Kettle is my mash tun until I’m ready to boiI then I raise the bag a little fire up burner until temp is reached then lower it back until sparge time. I do almost full volume mash so I only need to add a couple of gallons to hit 14.5 gallons. I sparge with cold filtered water so no tannins to worry about. I actually feel like I produce beer with better mouthfeel than back when I used the 3 vessels and decoc mash for some reason.

 

[BrewZer]

...making good beer is easy. That was essential to my starting brewing long ago. However, I'm not convinced that the super-tech, super-trad, and/or LODO folks who work much harder are wasting their time in pursuit of great-ish beers.

Either way, it's

 

[Gadjobrinus]

Thank god somebody else did that. Saved me.

Hahahahaha - me too!!!