I haven't seen a thread about 648 yet despite some googling, so I'll start this one. I got my vial yesterday from rebel brewer. They price gouged me on shipping, but that's another story.
First impressions: Upon receipt, I put the vial in a little cooler with ice and took it to lab. (I'm a biochem grad student) I went ahead and looked at the cells under the scope, and they look like little ovals. I didn't bother with high magnification, so didn't see any vacuoles or anything. Smelling the vial, the acetic acid is comparable to a bottle of apple cider vinegar from Bragg. (I drink that in seltzer water all the time, so that's what came to mind) Maybe pear like white labs says, maybe sour apple. Not sure. Didn't taste. Streaked it onto a plate without antibiotics. (wort plate with hops)
From there, I put the vial into ~750ml of 1.040 wort without oxygenation (no stir bar or agitation) overnight. Saved the vial in the fridge just in case my plate doesn't grow up. This morning the starter was rocking, and still smelled of acetic acid. Today I pitched that along with a healthy dose of 565, some Sacc Trois, and a 10ml starter of 3711 into 5 gallons of 1.040 wort at 78F which I'm going to let free rise into the low/mid 80's. (same mash/boil as the starter - brewed on 6/7, and sitting in a no chill container since then)
Wort recipe:
33.3% Bohemian Pils
13.3% Bonlander Munich
3.3% Melanoidin
16.7% Flaked Rye
12.5% Bobs Red Mill Buckwheat cereal (boiled 90min in plenty of water prior to mashing)
8.3% Flaked Wheat
4.2% Flaked Oats
Rice Hulls as needed
8.3% Turbinado Sugar
Step infusion mash:
Beta Glucanase rest at 108F 30min (required)
Saccrification rest at 142 90min
.25oz Horizon FWH
.75oz Pacific Jade at Flameout
90 minute boil
no chill - reserved wort for starters
I'll update when this is done (though this recipe is complicated enough that I won't have a good idea of what 648 is like from this brew and will need to do a stand alone fermentation) - but for now, the 648 starter was definitely tart and fruity, which I really liked. I need to see how much acetic comes through before I decide what stand alone fermentation to do with it, but I'm thinking a fruity pale ale is the way to go. Very different behavior from 644 in the starter.
So, who else has gotten this strain? What are your impressions?
First impressions: Upon receipt, I put the vial in a little cooler with ice and took it to lab. (I'm a biochem grad student) I went ahead and looked at the cells under the scope, and they look like little ovals. I didn't bother with high magnification, so didn't see any vacuoles or anything. Smelling the vial, the acetic acid is comparable to a bottle of apple cider vinegar from Bragg. (I drink that in seltzer water all the time, so that's what came to mind) Maybe pear like white labs says, maybe sour apple. Not sure. Didn't taste. Streaked it onto a plate without antibiotics. (wort plate with hops)
From there, I put the vial into ~750ml of 1.040 wort without oxygenation (no stir bar or agitation) overnight. Saved the vial in the fridge just in case my plate doesn't grow up. This morning the starter was rocking, and still smelled of acetic acid. Today I pitched that along with a healthy dose of 565, some Sacc Trois, and a 10ml starter of 3711 into 5 gallons of 1.040 wort at 78F which I'm going to let free rise into the low/mid 80's. (same mash/boil as the starter - brewed on 6/7, and sitting in a no chill container since then)
Wort recipe:
33.3% Bohemian Pils
13.3% Bonlander Munich
3.3% Melanoidin
16.7% Flaked Rye
12.5% Bobs Red Mill Buckwheat cereal (boiled 90min in plenty of water prior to mashing)
8.3% Flaked Wheat
4.2% Flaked Oats
Rice Hulls as needed
8.3% Turbinado Sugar
Step infusion mash:
Beta Glucanase rest at 108F 30min (required)
Saccrification rest at 142 90min
.25oz Horizon FWH
.75oz Pacific Jade at Flameout
90 minute boil
no chill - reserved wort for starters
I'll update when this is done (though this recipe is complicated enough that I won't have a good idea of what 648 is like from this brew and will need to do a stand alone fermentation) - but for now, the 648 starter was definitely tart and fruity, which I really liked. I need to see how much acetic comes through before I decide what stand alone fermentation to do with it, but I'm thinking a fruity pale ale is the way to go. Very different behavior from 644 in the starter.
So, who else has gotten this strain? What are your impressions?
