WoodlandBrew
Well-Known Member
Has anyone else seen the addition of fruit lower viability?
In all three of the most recent fruit beers I have made the viability of the yeast post fermentation was very low. In one case I measured the viability of the suspended yeast before adding the fruit and it was over 90%, but the harvested slurry was 1%! Even the density of viable cells was lower in the thick slurry than it was in the suspended yeast during fermentation.
Anyone have some ideas as to why this might be? Is there something I'm doing wrong?
Yeast was new in two of the three cases. I aerate the same way for all batches: Just pick the whole thing up and shake enough to make it sound like waves crashing on the beach for 40 seconds.
Here is how I prepare fruit:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/fruit-easy-way.html
Here is how I count viability:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/counting-yeast-cells-to-asses-viability.html
In all three of the most recent fruit beers I have made the viability of the yeast post fermentation was very low. In one case I measured the viability of the suspended yeast before adding the fruit and it was over 90%, but the harvested slurry was 1%! Even the density of viable cells was lower in the thick slurry than it was in the suspended yeast during fermentation.
Anyone have some ideas as to why this might be? Is there something I'm doing wrong?
Yeast was new in two of the three cases. I aerate the same way for all batches: Just pick the whole thing up and shake enough to make it sound like waves crashing on the beach for 40 seconds.
Here is how I prepare fruit:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/fruit-easy-way.html
Here is how I count viability:
http://woodlandbrew.blogspot.com/2012/11/counting-yeast-cells-to-asses-viability.html
Code:
Beer Fruit Yeast Viability
Raspberry Cream Raspberries S-04 40%
Strawberry Champagne Strawberries EC-1118 1%
Sasion Terri none WLP-566 87%
50c none WLP-566 85%
Raspberry Wheat Raspberries WLP-004 20%