So I just racked my APA to a keg last night and took a taste. It tastes like a Belgian blonde. I have made this recipe 3 time already this year and it has come out perfect every time. The OG is 1.055 and FG is typically 1.014. This time the FG is 1.004! It has all the esters of a Belgian as well. It doesn't taste bad just not the way it should. I actually pitched on top of my yeast from my last APA. My only guess is that this is the 5th generation of this batch of US05 that I have been using. Maybe it mutated on me. Has anyone else ever run into this?
APA gone Belgian
- Thread starter Rehlgood
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Darwin18
Well-Known Member
Did you use any temperature control?
WiseEyes
Well-Known Member
really sounds like you probably way overpitched. Over attenuation is one of the problems with overpitching
Yep, and pitching a 1.055 beer onto an entire US-05 yeast cake would probably have meant fermentation took off like a rocket (i.e. generating a lot of heat), which could produce a lot of esters if there was no temp control...
pcollins
Well-Known Member
Yes, mutated or infected.
No, not over pitched.
I do this all the time with the same yeast and have had success for several years and several consecutive generations of yeast cakes. (Not usually more than three.) Your same situation happened to me earlier this year and I chalked it up to an infected yeast cake. Nothing major but FULL attenuation (FG 1.001), tartness and some esters.
Just get rid of the yeast cake and start fresh next time.
No, not over pitched.
I do this all the time with the same yeast and have had success for several years and several consecutive generations of yeast cakes. (Not usually more than three.) Your same situation happened to me earlier this year and I chalked it up to an infected yeast cake. Nothing major but FULL attenuation (FG 1.001), tartness and some esters.
Just get rid of the yeast cake and start fresh next time.
Rehlgood
Well-Known Member
Temp control is a trash can with water and ice bottles. Heat was help to 70 max. Only in a glass carboy. Very little chance for infection. I will add that the 3rd generation was used on a 12% barleywine. No real tartness. Sweet and fruity. Even bubblegummy.
Repitching on a yeast cake is almost over overpitching, but by going 5 generations with this, the off flavors are most likely to to contamination by this point although mutation could also be a factor.
I've been going no more than 3 generations. I wash/rinse the yeast cake from the first batch and put that in about 6 jars, and get 6 batches from that. Some of those I will reuse, but I even rarely do that now as I feel 7 batches of beer from one $6 yeast is pushing it as far as I need to in order to save some money. (I make 10 gallon batches).
I've been going no more than 3 generations. I wash/rinse the yeast cake from the first batch and put that in about 6 jars, and get 6 batches from that. Some of those I will reuse, but I even rarely do that now as I feel 7 batches of beer from one $6 yeast is pushing it as far as I need to in order to save some money. (I make 10 gallon batches).
And that is really why you shouldn't reuse it. Its not like 12% magically turns them all into mutants. Yeast are mutating all the time. When the are in nice, happy growing environments, all of they yeast are thriving. A mutation in 0.01% of the gene pool is going to reproduce right along with the rest of the yeast and your strain will still end up being 99%+ pure for several generations.
The whole game changes when you make an environment where lots of the yeast are not thriving. Maybe that 0.01% mutation just suffers along with the rest of the yeast, but there is a chance it might have some competitive advantage. So, in one generation its up to 1% and in 2 generations its up to 10% and really throwing off your intended brew.
The whole game changes when you make an environment where lots of the yeast are not thriving. Maybe that 0.01% mutation just suffers along with the rest of the yeast, but there is a chance it might have some competitive advantage. So, in one generation its up to 1% and in 2 generations its up to 10% and really throwing off your intended brew.
I think the high gravity beer is your answer, like in the previous replies. I did have an APA a year or two ago that was fermented at my usual 72° , which I know is a little high. It was US 2-Row, US hops, US everything. Judges said they loved it, but that it was in the wrong category. They thought it was Belgian. So I entered it as a BPA, and got a 2nd place in the category.
highgravitybacon
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Top crop your yeast to repitch more. When krausen forms, skim and discard the brown slop. Another krausen will form. Skim. It is happy and healthy yeast. Skim about half way through the ferment. I use buckets for this reason. It is very clean, very thick and very viable yeast.
shadows69
Well-Known Member
I been reusing yeast for a year. I would say some of my yeast is on its 13th run with no I'll affects. If I make a home brew that's more then 7 percent the yeast is thrown away because the taste of the next brew following that would taste funky. I'm just now using my yeast up to start over even though there's nothing wrong with it. I figure I got my moneys worth.
