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You might be overpitching? I would use 1/2 pack in 5 gallons. You are using 1/2 pack in 2 gallons. Try playing with pitch rate, and keep temperature towards mid 60s F if you can. I have no doubt that Abbaye is genetically very similar to the liquid yeasts but cannot be exactly the same...

Yep, it's my baby. It's not perfect and maybe even a little bit ugly. But I hope people find it useful in its now fairly mature form.

WLP815 Belgian Lager is closely related to WLP920 Old Bavarian Lager which is probably similar to Wyeast 2247 European Lager and Omega OYL-115 German Lager III. Or yeah, just use W-34/70 and be done with it. All of these are like splitting hairs anyway -- most lager yeasts are very closely...

Yes, Diamond can be a little more fruity when fermented warm. Any yeast can have a little haze. None of these is excessively hazy. Lagers still do need a little age to clear up completely, just like any beer.

Excellent point. Be aware, however, that higher gravity brewing often results in a hit on efficiency, so you might need to scale up the grist slightly higher than you think, e.g., if your efficiency is normally 75%, it might fall to 70% at higher OG. Fortunately this hit on efficiency can also...

Diamond is good, about as good as W-34/70 which is still good. Novalager, I'm not sure yet, need to play with it more.

Everybody says W-34/70, but I like S-189 even better.

Carapils/dextrin malt is worthless. Many experiments have proved that it does not do what the lore says that it does. A little rye can definitely help a lot, either flaked or malted. So can wheat, but rye is better. Oats don't help. You can also use flaked barley or flaked wheat. Some use...

Probably just needs another few days for the hop particles to settle out. Was this for 5-6 gallons? Personally I'd consider NOT adding 5 oz more dry hops and oil if the beer already tasted excellent before dry hopping, or reduce it to just an ounce or two (for 5-6 gallons). Might be just...

You may be on the right path. Give your idea a try and let us know how it turns out for you.

ChatGPT is really really bad at mathematics. Experts on AI will tell you the same thing. It should only be used for summaries of language, not numbers. I wouldn’t trust ChatGPT with any calculations.

I figure one can learn a hell of a lot more by splitting the batch into two fermenters and keep the two yeast separated, then taste the results side by side, and decide later whether you want to blend them or not, versus doing so up front where one yeast is likely to overtake the other when they...

Try a doppelbock sometime. They're not supposed to have a super thick body, but... they often do, or it's noticeably more than other lagers. And there are tons of other examples of lagers with at least a moderate body. Maibock is another. Bocks in general.

Sounds like that commercial brewery that always uses enzyme was burned once a few years ago and now uses the enzyme as an insurance policy. I suppose once they understand it well enough to have it completely dialed in, they can make great beer with it. The rest of us... don't need it.

You will get three different beers, because the chemistry is different. Fermentation involves a very complex series of hundreds of different kinds of chemical reactions, and results in thousands of flavor compounds at varying taste thresholds. It is likely you will have three similar beers...

I just noticed this as well. This is an insane amount of acid, especially with >20% roasted grains and Caramalts, which will bring the pH down to mid-5's all on their own with zero acid added. I believe acidity can kill the head too, but again I'm not totally sure.

I've said dozens of times, and I'll say it again: Carapils is worthless. The other Cara malts, I think, probably do help with head retention a bit. But I'm not very confident in this guess. But if you really want to cheat to improve head, I recommend rye. Either flaked or malted work great...

It's a little fruity when young, evolves to become quite clean after a couple months of aging. So, like so many things in life... it depends. If you want fruity, then drink it very soon after packaging. I have fermented two beers "cool" with WLP810 -- one at 54 F, the other at 62 F. As I...