Experiment Questions

[livelyjay]

I brewed a 5 gallon batch for a Firestone Union Jack clone, but lesser ABV. I wanted to experiment the difference between yeasts. Here's the recipe:

Light LME 8.6 lbs
Munich malt .75 lb
CaraPils .50 lb
Caramel 10L .50 lb

Magnum 1oz pellet at 60 min.
Cascade .5 oz leaf at 30 min.
Centennial .5 oz leaf at 30 min.

Steep grains in 2 gallons for 60 at 155-158. Raise to 168-170 for 15 minutes, rinse with 1 gallon at 170 degrees. Add magnum and boil for 30. Add Cascade and Centennial and boil for 15. Add LME and boil for 10. Add Whirlfloc tablet and boil for 5. Chill to 68. Strain into primary, shake vigorously, pour half into another primary. Pitch separate yeast into each primary. Yeasts are Safale US-05 and Wyeast 1272 (American Ale 2).

OG was 1.06.

At four days the Safale is down to 1.016 and the Wyeast is down to 1.020. The flavors are leaps and bounds different. Safale is kind of bland with some citrus and floral to it. Wyeast is very sweet with a much stronger citrus/floral flavor.

Is this what I should expect from these two yeasts? The gravity is going towards the predicted 1.012/1.016, but the flavor is just so much stronger with the Wyeast. Just curious.

 

[Bensiff]

In my experience 1272 has more flavor than its Cal ale counterparts. However, there are plenty of variables that can impact your experiment. The act of shaking then pouring half could result in one having more dissolved O2 than the other. Your pitch rates may not be identical and your fermentation temps will impact the outcome as well.

 

[didinho]

Interesting,keep us updated as the beer is ready!

 

[livelyjay]

In my experience 1272 has more flavor than its Cal ale counterparts. However, there are plenty of variables that can impact your experiment. The act of shaking then pouring half could result in one having more dissolved O2 than the other. Your pitch rates may not be identical and your fermentation temps will impact the outcome as well.

I also shook them up in their respective containers after the split. Not familiar with pitch rate as I just poured in each yeast container into the 2.5 gallon batch. The result from 1272 definitely falls in line with their description. Surprised with the lack of character from the US-05.

 

[m00ps]

Ive had Union Jack a few times, and I dont think that hop bill looks right for it. That beer has much, much, much more hop character than a measly 2oz would give. I guarantee you its bombed late in the boil and in the whirlpool.

 

[Bensiff]

I also shook them up in their respective containers after the split. Not familiar with pitch rate as I just poured in each yeast container into the 2.5 gallon batch. The result from 1272 definitely falls in line with their description. Surprised with the lack of character from the US-05.

That is exactly why folks use the Cal ale strains, very little noticeable yeast character which allows the malts and especially, the hops to shine through. For future experimentation reference, read up on pitching rate though, it will help you compare apples to apples better.

 

[Bensiff]

Ive had Union Jack a few times, and I dont think that hop bill looks right for it. That beer has much, much, much more hop character than a measly 2oz would give. I guarantee you its bombed late in the boil and in the whirlpool.

Yeah, that isn't their hop bill. It is one of the beers I have cloned and it turned out to be pretty dead on and my hop bill was nothing like that. I'd post it but Brewpal was kind enough to have some glitch which wiped all my recipes and many others...and they seem to be silent on the matter, so much for that app. Anyway, doesn't really matter much for the experiment though, same wort into two different carboys is all that matters.

 

[livelyjay]

I've never had Union Jack before but most of the recipes I saw on BrewToad had this or a similar lineup with most of the hops going in dry for a week. From what I am tasting there is no way this is even close to an IPA. The Safale is now down to 1.012 and the Wyeast is around 1.017. It's pretty wild the difference in flavor which is what I was going for with this batch. Not sure I really like the flavor of either one though. Maybe dry hopping with change it enough for me to chew through it.

Thanks for the tips and I'll check out pitch rate next time around. Since I have some people's attention, I'd like to ask about using LME and DME. Is there any point in putting in extract early in the boil? Sometimes recipes call for LME early and other times it calls to drop it in with 15 minutes left.

 

[m00ps]

The general consensus is that adding ti early can result in scorching the extract whether its liquid or dry