av8bdriver
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I meant on the backside, after 80% attenuation.
I meant on the backside, after 80% attenuation.
Try this. I have had problems with this yeast as well. I stick to wlp500. I think it crashes when it gets too high
Stuck fermentation
Create a new WLP530 stir-plate 3000ml starter. The large starter has be able to quickly ferment under adverse conditions so it has to be large. Oxygenate the starter before seeding with 1 vial WLP530, oxygenate it again at 8 hrs, and after high krausen has subsided oxygenate it a third time. Crash the starter to flocc. Take out of chill and pour off almost all of the starter beer and let the temp normalize to your primary temp. Pitch and stir in *very* gently. In 1-2 days a slow fermentation will resume. Monitor until you reach FG 1.012. Probably another week to 10 days. It worked
What if I wash the yeast cake and make a starter from that? Dont have any more vials of WLP530.... would have to order more and that takes more time and money... which i am willing, but just curious about the yeast cake.
For the Westy 12 clone to reach FG there are yeast quality issues that can not be substituted:
1) Create a minimum stir-plate starter of 3000ml that is initially charged with O2. Keep in mind that the monastery uses fresh Westmalle krausen only, (we also use fresh harvested krausen only). See pic below.
2) Avoid using trub or an old yeast cake assuming more is better or that yeast quality can be substituted for quantity. For this clone, yeast quality is the primary key to ale quality.
Thanks, CSI. So are you saying to only pour the top portion of your picture.. the foaming part? That's what I think krausen is.
Is it crucial to use a yeast starter made from high krausen on another batch?
Not really adviseable to use yeast slurry from a previous batch though.
On that note, would you care to give a quick write up of your harvesting process? Or point me in the right direction if you've already done so elsewhere?
Thanks!
Thanks, CSI. So are you saying to only pour the top portion of your picture.. the foaming part? That's what I think krausen is.
No, he would pitch his entire starter. The yeast used to make the starter is harvested from the high krausen of another full brew that he has going.
If you can make a starter from a fresh vial thats fine. Not really adviseable to use yeast slurry from a previous batch though.
For the Westy 12 clone to reach FG there are yeast quality issues that can not be substituted:
1) Create a minimum stir-plate starter of 3000ml that is initially charged with O2. Keep in mind that the monastery uses fresh Westmalle krausen only, (we also use fresh harvested krausen only). See pic below.
2) Avoid using trub or an old yeast cake assuming more is better or that yeast quality can be substituted for quantity. For this clone, yeast quality is the primary key to ale quality.
OK... washed the yeast cake. Got a total of about 1/2 cup from the yeast cake. I notice that yall say to use a 3000ml starter. My flask is only 2000ml. I boiled 1.5 quarts of water and added 3oz (85 grams) of light dme for the starter base.
Cooled the wort and pitched the harvested yeast... for a total of about 1200ml right now. Sitting on stir plate now.
Do I need to make more wort and add to the solution? Thanks for all of the help...
OK... washed the yeast cake. Got a total of about 1/2 cup from the yeast cake. I notice that yall say to use a 3000ml starter. My flask is only 2000ml. I boiled 1.5 quarts of water and added 3oz (85 grams) of light dme for the starter base.
Cooled the wort and pitched the harvested yeast... for a total of about 1200ml right now. Sitting on stir plate now.
Do I need to make more wort and add to the solution? Thanks for all of the help...
I have to brew something belgian in the 1.070-1.090 range for a competition in mid march, do you think i can get away with less aging if i brew a weaker/diluted version of this, like 1.070 OG?
I brewed this up last night, with quite a few variations due to lack of stock and access to supplies (went 500g vienna, 2kg pils and 5 pale, quite different hops and used golden sugar).
SG is around 1.095.
At 75 minutes I tossed the syrup boil down into the pot, by that stage I hadn't managed to get a complete boil down although it was getting very close. I started the boil down when I started the boil and wanted it to be in the pot for at least 15 minutes so it mixed in properly (hence stopping that part early).
Also, as can be expected from a 90 minute boil and a the boil down - I lost a lot of liquid. I haven't read all the comments on this thread so may have missed a similar comments.
i will let you know how it comes out
Sounds good, but doubt its going to be very comparable to the 12 with all of those changes (especially the golden sugar) What kind of SRM is your brew?
For sure, will be quite different, but i haven't seen a recipe elsewhere with the boil down technique.
Its SRM is about 15, nice colour, but would have liked it to be a bit darker.
I pitched a very old smack pack of WYeast Abbey Ale (from 2011...) on Tuesday and there are finally signs of fermentation this morning (Friday)!
To clarify, did you pitch a single smack pack into a 19L batch at 1.095?
To clarify, did you pitch a single smack pack into a 19L batch at 1.095?
Yes, along with yeast nutrient...but it was only about 17L so I should be fine
I was given the smack pack in December and didn't actually see the date until after I had pitched.
I would estimate that pitch to be optimistically 60-70 billion cells into 4.5 gallons of high gravity wort, 1.095. This pitch is at about 25% of what you would have needed to bring it down to 1.012. It is best to start this ale using a large stir-plate starter, (3.2L), to try and create the Fix cell count. Then in subsequent brews dial back the count until you find the rate that is ideal. We pitch krausen at about 560 billion per 10 gallon batch of 1.090 wort.
Thanks. How much nutrient do you use?
I will let you know how it goes. The fermentation is getting stronger. I am hoping that during the the 50 odd hours between pitching and when i could see signs of fermentation the yeast procreated and got ready to make an Abbey Ale!
What seems to be the best way to sparge for this beer? Batch sparge or fly? Also would you recommend a mash out ?
An noteable under-pitch will generally not finish this ale to target FG due to rising ABV and declining oxygen/food/nutrient levels. Unfortunately, early yeast replication will not compensate for an under-pitch. A high ABV ale requires a lot of initial yeast momentum so the initial and correct pitch rate is essential
Brewed last night, OG 1096. Placed on chamber with heat belt. Fly sparged. Looking forward to this one!
Thanks - so what can i do now? Or am i simply going to have a sweet beer?
Its been bubbling since friday and it looks to be slowing, a bit (wednesday), but my guess is it will keep going till Friday - I have made some 7% beers that fermented out in 3 days with not much more noticeable momentum (nice term).
BTW - I am in Africa, things work very differently here
Waiting it out to see how far the initial pitch will bring the gravity down is a good next step. Once you're at a gravity stand-still you can create another larger stir-plate starter to finish the ale. You will need a very healthy 3000-3500ml re-pitch starter due to the hostile nature of oxygen-spent high ABV ale. However, we have recovered at least one batch using this method. It may take another 6 weeks or so but it does work.
Greetings to our brew friends in Capetown!
Ok, results are in. I use a refractometer for gravity readings (are you shaking your head again?)
So starting gravity was 1.095, brix of (just under) 23. Current Brix is 9.8. It gives me a Current Gravity of 1.004 and ABV of 11.6% .... does that sound possible given what i pitched? [I may not have hit the sparge temps, so could have had more fermentables]
I use the calculator on this site
Factoring in a margin of error on the first reading of 2 brix (temp etc), a starting brix of 21 would mean the current gravity is 1.009.
I know you have to adjust refractometer readings for different beers, but the difference is not that big.
Anyway, it won't be a clone, but it tastes pretty good! Now to cold crash which is a mission when the average temp is above 20C
fo sho!
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