Another US-05 experiment... temperature fluctuations
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This is off topic, but the OP seems down with it, so here goes.
I was in on that thread Lee mentioned. My model yielded a much bigger number.
The following example is based on a beer that starts at 1.066 and finishes at 1.016. Thats 12° P or 2.28 kg extract in a 19L batch.
I got 141 kilocalories per kilogram in The Handbook of Brewing.
2.28kg * 141 kc/kg=321.48kc
Divide that by 19L and thats 16.92° C or 30.45° F
For comparison to Lees number thats 1275 BTU.
I ferment in a water bath and the beer is .5 -1.0°F warmer than the water during most of the fermentation. Thats 4.5 gallons of beer in 6.0 gallons of water in an insulated tub. I can easily believe a six or eight degree rise in still air.
I was in on that thread Lee mentioned. My model yielded a much bigger number.
The following example is based on a beer that starts at 1.066 and finishes at 1.016. Thats 12° P or 2.28 kg extract in a 19L batch.
I got 141 kilocalories per kilogram in The Handbook of Brewing.
2.28kg * 141 kc/kg=321.48kc
Divide that by 19L and thats 16.92° C or 30.45° F
For comparison to Lees number thats 1275 BTU.
I ferment in a water bath and the beer is .5 -1.0°F warmer than the water during most of the fermentation. Thats 4.5 gallons of beer in 6.0 gallons of water in an insulated tub. I can easily believe a six or eight degree rise in still air.
Back on topic, how do they taste?
Safe to say that you're not the only one!
Welp, good news and bad news I believe... I got home last night and after unpacking, went straight to the bar and got to sampling. It turned out to be calamitous. Apparently either my regulator is dying or I bumped something, because the gas pressure was set to about 3psi. As a result, the beers were drastically undercarbed. I reset the regulator and will see what it looks like tonight.
Another issue, which is the more important one- I think* my 68 degree sample picked up an infection somewhere
Either that, or it miraculously picked up some very distinct off-flavors in a short amount of time.
The 60 and 64 samples tasted very similar, with the 60 sample being separated from the 64 as more floral on the nose and more subdued in hop bitterness. The difference is very slight, however, and I doubt an average Joe Q. Drinker could tell the difference.
Now onto the 68 sample... It poured as one would expect, but it picked up a little bit of a fruity nose when chilled. Tasting revealed something completely different from initial appearance and prior flat tastings. Upon first sip, I immediately pulled a prominent-yet-not-overpowering apple/pear/stonefruit taste. It only got more pronounced as the sample warmed. It was almost as if the beer was cut with 90% beer/10% apple juice. It wasn't tart like any brett infection I've tasted, but just very fruity in nature. I won't lie- the sample wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't true to style... I honestly have no idea where it came from. I'm not sure if it's an infection or some sort of ester profile that gets exaggerated with chilling or what... But all I know is that is was not like the other two samples at all. I've made fruit beers that had less fruit taste, not gonna lie.
I really am pretty convinced it isn't the yeast, especially because I didn't pick anything up in prior samples. I wonder if I didn't sanitize my corny well enough- it was a new-to-me keg that hadn't been racked into yet...
Anyways, I'm going to give it more time to carb up at proper serving pressures, and re-test. I just fear that I may have lost one of the samples to accurately compare to, unfortunately.
Another issue, which is the more important one- I think* my 68 degree sample picked up an infection somewhere
Either that, or it miraculously picked up some very distinct off-flavors in a short amount of time.The 60 and 64 samples tasted very similar, with the 60 sample being separated from the 64 as more floral on the nose and more subdued in hop bitterness. The difference is very slight, however, and I doubt an average Joe Q. Drinker could tell the difference.
Now onto the 68 sample... It poured as one would expect, but it picked up a little bit of a fruity nose when chilled. Tasting revealed something completely different from initial appearance and prior flat tastings. Upon first sip, I immediately pulled a prominent-yet-not-overpowering apple/pear/stonefruit taste. It only got more pronounced as the sample warmed. It was almost as if the beer was cut with 90% beer/10% apple juice. It wasn't tart like any brett infection I've tasted, but just very fruity in nature. I won't lie- the sample wasn't terrible, but it definitely wasn't true to style... I honestly have no idea where it came from. I'm not sure if it's an infection or some sort of ester profile that gets exaggerated with chilling or what... But all I know is that is was not like the other two samples at all. I've made fruit beers that had less fruit taste, not gonna lie.
I really am pretty convinced it isn't the yeast, especially because I didn't pick anything up in prior samples. I wonder if I didn't sanitize my corny well enough- it was a new-to-me keg that hadn't been racked into yet...
Anyways, I'm going to give it more time to carb up at proper serving pressures, and re-test. I just fear that I may have lost one of the samples to accurately compare to, unfortunately.
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tinytowers
Well-Known Member
So in other words, anywhere from 60-68 and you'll be fine.
I had been following this thread and thought I would chime in with my current experience.
My temperature controller broke recently, so I've been fermenting in my compact fridge set at it's lowest setting. Even with that, it's really only appropriate for lagers because it keeps a wort/beer temperature (not ambient temp) of 50-55F.
I still decided to pitch some US-05 into my latest beer. It fermented between 50F and 55F for 5 days. During that time, it went from OG 1.055 to 1.018. Then I turned the fridge off and let it freely rise to 65F. 2 days later it was at a stable FG of 1.012. I mashed high and my goal was an OG slightly over 1.010.
I've read others talk about tartness or peach flavors from cool fermentation using US-05, but I'm not picking up any of that. It's dry hopping now and all I'm getting from the samples I've tried is an extremely clean ale. It doesn't have a lager yeast character to it, I would just say it's a very clean ale at this point. Or I guess I should say, it tastes nothing like beers tasted at this point in the process when I used S-23, W-34/70, WLP830, or 810. I know some like to say lager yeast leaves no character, but I say it does, and this one with US-05 doesn't come off as a psuedo-lager. It's just a very clean ale.
Of course time will tell and I'll know for sure what it's like once this batch is ready in about a month. I was just surprised to see it ferment so easily and quickly at this temperature range. It didn't stall or slow down, but then again, me letting it freely rise during the tail end of fermentation probably helped with that. At the rate it was going though, I don't see that it would have stalled.
My temperature controller broke recently, so I've been fermenting in my compact fridge set at it's lowest setting. Even with that, it's really only appropriate for lagers because it keeps a wort/beer temperature (not ambient temp) of 50-55F.
I still decided to pitch some US-05 into my latest beer. It fermented between 50F and 55F for 5 days. During that time, it went from OG 1.055 to 1.018. Then I turned the fridge off and let it freely rise to 65F. 2 days later it was at a stable FG of 1.012. I mashed high and my goal was an OG slightly over 1.010.
I've read others talk about tartness or peach flavors from cool fermentation using US-05, but I'm not picking up any of that. It's dry hopping now and all I'm getting from the samples I've tried is an extremely clean ale. It doesn't have a lager yeast character to it, I would just say it's a very clean ale at this point. Or I guess I should say, it tastes nothing like beers tasted at this point in the process when I used S-23, W-34/70, WLP830, or 810. I know some like to say lager yeast leaves no character, but I say it does, and this one with US-05 doesn't come off as a psuedo-lager. It's just a very clean ale.
Of course time will tell and I'll know for sure what it's like once this batch is ready in about a month. I was just surprised to see it ferment so easily and quickly at this temperature range. It didn't stall or slow down, but then again, me letting it freely rise during the tail end of fermentation probably helped with that. At the rate it was going though, I don't see that it would have stalled.
jcfirestine
New Member
I use this yeast all the time. I usually ferment with US-05 at 70 degrees and get a good results. Can't wait for the outcome of this experiments.
FATC1TY
Well-Known Member
I've got a batch of it going at 62* right now in a blonde ale.
I'll report back in... maybe 4-5 days after it's done and settled on what it taste like...
I can say that it's going much slower than it has in the past, with just a water bath in the garage.. I have it in a temp controlled freezer with the probe on it...
I'll report back in... maybe 4-5 days after it's done and settled on what it taste like...
I can say that it's going much slower than it has in the past, with just a water bath in the garage.. I have it in a temp controlled freezer with the probe on it...
FATC1TY
Well-Known Member
I brewed a Black IPA with US05 and fermented it at 52* for 2 weeks.
It was slow, and kept chuggin along just fine. Gave it 3 days at 68 to clean up once the krausen looked to drop.
Very clean beer, with a slight fruity pineapple/peach note. Not very noticeable.. Beer finished right where it should have as well.
Ironically, I fermented it right next to a lager I had at 49-50*.. The US05 stayed warmer on the fermenter than the lager (WY2278), the whole time.
It was slow, and kept chuggin along just fine. Gave it 3 days at 68 to clean up once the krausen looked to drop.
Very clean beer, with a slight fruity pineapple/peach note. Not very noticeable.. Beer finished right where it should have as well.
Ironically, I fermented it right next to a lager I had at 49-50*.. The US05 stayed warmer on the fermenter than the lager (WY2278), the whole time.
Thats crazy, I just used US05 for first time and I had no activity in the upper 50's...not even 60. Blow off didn't start bubbling until I let it up to around 63...I think popular opinion on here is that this yeast prefers mid to upper 60's for temp.
