Cause of better beer

[dude1]

I brewed a clone of the Heady Topper that turned out to be superior to my other beers in terms of "physical" qualities (body, viscosity, bubbling,...)

It benefited from 4 slight changes in my usual brewing habits:

- 60' mash at 151°F (66°C) instead of 153°F (67°C)
- 90' boil instead of 60'
- 25 days in bucket instead of 14
- Wyeast 1056 liquid activator instead of US-05 dry yeast

Out of these 4 changes, which one would you say is the most likely to have caused this better-than-usual beer?

Thanks

 

[wilserbrewer]

5. recipe

Just kidding...might your fermentation temps been cooler than other batches as we are now in cooler weather?

Happy thanksgiving

 

[dryboroughbrewing]

Did you mess with the bucket less? (And therefore introduce less air) Do you have temp control, and if not is it cooler than the first time?

 

[dude1]

I ferment at 64°F (18°C) with a chamber.
My guess is that it's a combination of all the different good practices I put in this beer.
Thanks for your answers!

 

[goforevercrazywithit]

I'd say out of your choices the yeast caused the greatest change

 

[Black Island Brewer]

How about "which made the most difference, in descending order"

1) Yeast selection can impart a huge difference, even in the same wort
2) 25 days vs 14: not letting the yeast finish the clean up can make a big difference. Now with a HT clone, the 14 day vs the 25 day may not be valid- longer could result in the whirlpool hops flavor contribution fading more
3) 90 minute boil - increased maillard reactions may result in a maltier, more complex beer
4)no one is going to be ableto taste the difference between those two mash temps

But like wilser said, stable and lower fermentations temps can make a big difference too.

 

[LLBrewer]

The only thing likely to make a big difference, assuming all other variables REALLY were the same (kind of hard to do in the kitchen or garage), is the yeast. I doubt any of the other points would make a very big difference at all.

 

[Braufessor]

1056. US05 can be weird in my experience.
The one that almost certainly had nothing to do with better beer was the 2 degree change in mash temps.