5 Yeast Experiment

[FSR402]

could you get an off flavor due to pitching an asston of yeast for such a small amount of wort?

 

[MSAstoria]

No, I didn't use a full vial. I keep a frozen yeast bank, and I did 1 cup starters for these.

 

[FSR402]

No, I didn't use a full vial. I keep a frozen yeast bank, and I did 1 cup starters for these.

you keep a yeast bank of cheap dried yeast? What's the chances that you're "yeast bank" in contaminated?
Not to nitpick but this should have been done with "fresh" from the pack yeast not something that could have mutated

 

[Zen_Brew]

Just slightly off topic but I saw some suffering emptying those gallon jugs of Rossi wine.

Use the wine to make Sangria. Even cheap wine will make a decent sangria. It's a great refreshing chilled beverage on a hot summer day. Here is a recipe I use with a lot of success. I usually find a $5 or $6 bottle, but I have had friends use this recipe with wine they didn't like with good success. Step up the recipe for gallon jugs. Don't skimp on the liquor, makes it very yummy and increases the kick. Also really has to sit overnight for everything to come together.

Sangria
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 1 (750 milliliter) bottle your choice red wine
• 1/2 cup triple sec
• 1/2 lemon, sliced into rounds
• 1 orange, sliced into rounds
• 1/2 lime, sliced into rounds
• 1/4 cup white sugar (optional)
• 2 cups ginger ale or 7-up
• Add or substitute fruit as available
• Sub rum if desired for brandy or go half and half
• Add peach schnapps or sub for triple sec or half and half
DIRECTIONS
1. In a large pitcher or bowl (64 oz or larger), mix together the brandy, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda or ginger ale just before serving.

2. If using apples add them either into the serving glass or just an hour or two before serving. The apples soak up too much alcohol overnight and become harsh.

 

[MSAstoria]

you keep a yeast bank of cheap dried yeast? What's the chances that you're "yeast bank" in contaminated?
Not to nitpick but this should have been done with "fresh" from the pack yeast not something that could have mutated

Unless you consider vials from White Labs "cheap dried yeast," then no, I don't. I keep a yeast bank of relatively expensive, liquid yeast (and a few that I've cultured from bottles).

I suppose there's always a possibility that my bank is infected. You're right, if I were writing a dissertation on this, I would have used fresh yeasts, but I'm not going to go out and blow $35 on five gallons.

As for the possibility of mutation, most of what I've read on this board suggests that fears about yeast "mutating" are pretty exaggerated. It's more a matter of natural selection than mutation. In any event, I'm not that worried--none of the yeast I pitched was more than 2 generations removed from the vial, and the California and English actually were fresh.

 

[Reno_eNVy]

It's more a matter of natural selection than mutation. In any event, I'm not that worried--none of the yeast I pitched was more than 2 generations removed from the vial

Yeah, it doesn't seem like 2 generations would create any problems, I have some whitbread at 3rd generation now with no weird off-flavors.

(I apologize in advance for the population genetics lecture!!!) I haven't read much about mutations in yeast strains on this forum, but natural selection is HIGHLY unlikely the be the culprit. NS actually has little or nothing to do with evolution, really.

Neutral Theory (which is now generally accepted) will give some insight to what could possible be happening, but not likely as it's only been 2 generations. As Neutral Theory states, almost all genetic variability is caused by random mutation and genetic drift, meaning it is actually kind of likely that a random mutated allele could have spread throughout the population (by random genetic drift and chance, not NS) and created slight off-flavors.

 

[FSR402]

So today I brewed up a light and boring beer so that I could see the effects that different yeasts have on beer. I bought 5 different dry yeasts then brewed up this beer...

Unless you consider vials from White Labs "cheap dried yeast," then no, I don't. I keep a yeast bank of relatively expensive, liquid yeast (and a few that I've cultured from bottles).

So what one was it?

 

[weirdboy]

So what one was it?

You just quoted two different people, who followed two different processes.
So, the answer is "both".

 

[FSR402]

You just quoted two different people, who followed two different processes.
So, the answer is "both".

Yeah I see that now. The first time I posted in here was to the OP and I never even noticed that the answer I got back was from someone else.

 

[MSAstoria]

Yeah, sorry to cause confusion, and I didn't mean to hijack the thread; just seems like two of us had the same basic idea around the same time.

Anyway, since 4/5 of my latest batch seemed fine going into the bottle, I'll have tasting notes up in another week or so. And in the meantime, I've bleached the bejeezus out of everything, and replaced my hoses. Hopefully this doesn't happen again.

 

[budbo]

I'm not that worried--none of the yeast I pitched was more than 2 generations removed from the vial, and the California and English actually were fresh.

I have gone as far as 6 generations with no issues (just make big starters and refresh out of that)

 

[taylornate]

Yeah, it doesn't seem like 2 generations would create any problems, I have some whitbread at 3rd generation now with no weird off-flavors.

(I apologize in advance for the population genetics lecture!!!) I haven't read much about mutations in yeast strains on this forum, but natural selection is HIGHLY unlikely the be the culprit. NS actually has little or nothing to do with evolution, really.

Neutral Theory (which is now generally accepted) will give some insight to what could possible be happening, but not likely as it's only been 2 generations. As Neutral Theory states, almost all genetic variability is caused by random mutation and genetic drift, meaning it is actually kind of likely that a random mutated allele could have spread throughout the population (by random genetic drift and chance, not NS) and created slight off-flavors.

You appear to have misinterpreted neutral theory.

Evolution 101: Neutral Theory
The neutral theory is easily misinterpreted. It does NOT suggest:

• That organisms are not adapted to their environments
• That all morphological variation is neutral
• That ALL genetic variation is neutral
• That natural selection is unimportant in shaping genomes

The data supporting and refuting the neutral theory are complicated. Figuring out how widely the neutral theory applies is still the topic of much research.

It's more a matter of natural selection than mutation.

Natural selection includes mutation.