Diamond Lager Yeast

[Oleson M.D.]

We brewed a Czech style Pils (Premium Pale Czech Lager - 3B) with this yeast. The beer is so close to what I sampled at the brewery in Pilsen, Czech Republic. It surpassed our expectations!

Brewed a 2nd batch yesterday, using harvested Diamond. It literally erupted like a volcano, running down the countertop, onto the floor. I cleaned it up before my wife saw the disaster! A starter was not needed, as it could have simply been pitched directly. It was only one week old after the harvest.

This will be our new "house yeast" for lagers. I like it much better than W-34/70.

Get this...I got up at 4am yesterday, for a big day of brewing. The harvested Diamond had been sitting on the kitchen countertop since midnight, warming to room temp. A one quart starter was then added to the yeast, and I went to the office to check my email...while drinking a cup of double-shot espresso coffee Americana. Before my coffee was finished, I went back to the kitchen to get some things ready. I noticed a huge puddle of foamy looking liquid, all over the counter, running down the cabinets and going onto the floor. This all happened in less than 10 minutes!!!

That yeast is hyper-potent! I won't make this mistake again!

 

[Barbarossa]

Was the first fermentation that violent? Could you have overpitched?

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Was the first fermentation that violent? Could you have overpitched?

Not overpitched. It took 5 packets for 10 gallons, first generation. 48 hour lag time.

The harvested yeast (2nd Gen) is performing perfectly. It would have been better to pitch the yeast straight from the fridge, without letting it warm up, and without a 1 quart starter. Not needed.

 

[Barbarossa]

Just checking. I find it very easy to miscalculate the yeast cell count when repitching.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

I always over-pitch, especially any high OG beer.

 

[monkeymath]

That's funny. I brewed a lager last saturday. Had the choice between Imperial L28 Urkel and Diamond Lager, went with Urkel. Made a 2l starter a couple of days ahead of time, the starter was very active. Pitched at 9 degrees celsius. It then took 30 hours for signs of fermentation to become apparent. Even then it wasn't really picking up any speed, so I ramped up the temperature slowly to 11 degrees, which seemed to help (but could also just be that it takes long to really get going, idk). Seems sort of weird for a lager yeast, I think?!

Anyways, in retrospect, it seems that Diamond Lager may have been the better option. I'm curious about the beer, anyways. Lots of eggy sulphur from the fermentor, by the way.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

So far, we are very pleased with Diamond. Both beers brewed are a Bohemian Pils (Czech Premium Pale Lager). It tastes good enough that we have lost interest in drinking my Vienna Lager, which is a good beer and made with W-34/70 yeast.

 

[Toxxyc]

I'm busy with my first ever beer with Diamond. I've chosen a Munich Helles and made a starter for the 1.044 wort before pitching. Pitched the yeast at the same temp as the wort (had them both in the ferm chamber overnight to ensure no temperature shock) and the airlock was busy less than 3 hours later. Worked like a bomb.

I'm racking the Helles off the yeast this weekend into a cube to go into the lagering fridge, after which I'm pitching an IRA wort straight onto the Diamond yeast cake. Guess that'll make the IRA more like an Irish Red Lager, but I don't mind. I believe it'll do the style a lot of justice.

I can't report on the yeast, only that it seems to have done it's job really well. The smell from the fermenter is fantastic and the yeast looked to have dropped like a rock even before I pitched the gelatin to fine. I'm planning on saving half the cake from the Helles for a future brew, perhaps a simple pale lager as well. We'll see.

 

[bkboiler]

I don't always cause a huge mess...but when I do, I'm brewing a Pilsner Urkel...

Then I say, "Diiid I do thahhhhhhht???"

 

[bkboiler]

Jk...I've got a couple packets of diamond that I'm planning to use on a helles in a few weeks. Stoked! Glad to read it's a strong starter and finisher!

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Jk...I've got a couple packets of diamond that I'm planning to use on a helles in a few weeks. Stoked! Glad to read it's a strong starter and finisher!

Note that there was a 48 hour lag on my first brew, and I pitched 5 packets into 10 gallons.

 

[Gusso]

I might try Diamond but my results so far with a single pack of 34/70 under pressure have been excellent so far. Been brewing many years but recently started doing lagers since discovering pressurized fermentation.

 

[Toxxyc]

I'm busy with my first ever beer with Diamond. I've chosen a Munich Helles and made a starter for the 1.044 wort before pitching. Pitched the yeast at the same temp as the wort (had them both in the ferm chamber overnight to ensure no temperature shock) and the airlock was busy less than 3 hours later. Worked like a bomb.

I'm racking the Helles off the yeast this weekend into a cube to go into the lagering fridge, after which I'm pitching an IRA wort straight onto the Diamond yeast cake. Guess that'll make the IRA more like an Irish Red Lager, but I don't mind. I believe it'll do the style a lot of justice.

I can't report on the yeast, only that it seems to have done it's job really well. The smell from the fermenter is fantastic and the yeast looked to have dropped like a rock even before I pitched the gelatin to fine. I'm planning on saving half the cake from the Helles for a future brew, perhaps a simple pale lager as well. We'll see.

I pitched the wort for an Irish Red Ale straight onto the Diamond yeast cake after taking off the Helles on Monday. Today, Wednesday, the airlock is already slowing down. I have never seen a lager yeast perform this fast. It was most active yesterday morning, with the airlock going like I've seen some very fast ale yeasts go when fermented fairly warm, and this is a lager yeast at 11°C. It's amazing. Smells fantastic, looks great (from what I can see through the fermenter lid), and I can't wait for this Irish Red...lager to be done.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

Yes, Diamond works fast. Brewed on 4/27, and today (Cinco de Mayo) the activity (CO2) has abated significantly.

 

[Toxxyc]

I have already decided, after this IRA I am pulling half the yeast cake at the bottom (it's getting a bit big now), and I'm making a Perle+Saaz+Mittelrfueh pilsner straight onto that same yeast. The other half will be stored, following the pilsner with an IPL. Can't wait. This yeast is epic, and the zero lag times just make it so much nicer.