First Solo Brew w/ New Equip

[LVBen]

I have a question about this yeast...I read that it's a Rogue proprietary strain. Is this a genetically engineered yeast or something? I know that a lot of rare yeasts are sought after, such as ones used in original Belgian brews, but is it pretty common for there to be a patent...or whatever you'd use for a yeast strain? It seems a little much considering that yeasts are living things.

I haven't heard of any engineered yeasts or any patented yeasts. If you find a link to any information related to that, then please send it to me. I'd be very interested to see that. A quick search for 'yeast' on the USPTO site yields about 200 results. I glanced at a few and didn't see anything about DNA patents, but 200 is too many for me to weed through...

 

[Burgs]

If I decide to make this brew again, I think the main thing I'll improve upon is my pitching rate. This is just a touch sweet for me, like it could have finished a little drier/more abv. Not cloyingly sweet or undrinkable by any means, but it could be improved. Once it's cold and carbed I think it will be a respectable effort.

 

[LVBen]

I accidentally ended up with 6 gallons instead of 5 gallons when I did this kit, which should have made it watered down, and initially, it did seem watered down, but it has aged for a couple of months now and it tastes much better. I did a side-by-side comparison with a real dead guy ale and my kit dead guy ale. SWMBO and I both prefer the 'watered-down' kit dead guy ale. The molasses-like flavor (I'm guessing from the dark rock candy) is mellower in mine, which I think gives it a much more balanced taste.

 

[Burgs]

Dark rock candy? I think we must have different kits.

Not sure why a Dead Guy kit would have that anyway:

http://rogue.com/beers/dead-guy-ale.php

Doesn't seem like it would fit with the taste of the beer? Maybe I don't know what dark rock candy flavor would be like.

 

[Teromous]

I haven't heard of any engineered yeasts or any patented yeasts. If you find a link to any information related to that, then please send it to me. I'd be very interested to see that. A quick search for 'yeast' on the USPTO site yields about 200 results. I glanced at a few and didn't see anything about DNA patents, but 200 is too many for me to weed through...

Yeah, I noticed this when brewing a Belgian Wit I read this from White Labs under their FAQ:

"I have a question about WLP400. Can you verify that it is not genetically modified?

None of our strains, including WLP400, are genetically modified."

This led me to believe that there must be enough genetically modified strains out there, for WL to make a statement like that. When reading this thread I noticed the unique name "Pacman Yeast" so I looked it up. From RebelBrewer's website, under the product description:

"Proprietary yeast strain from Rogue breweries in Oregon."

Then from the Wyeast release statement on their website:

"... And, we have also received permission from Brett Joyce, President of Rogue Brewing, to release the Pacman strain. This yeast is perfect for brewing big, rich stouts and porters. It is a clean aggressive strain that works well at lower temperatures. 1764-PC Rogue Pacman yeast is only available to home brewers! ..."

I was just curious about how all of this works in "big business" as far as yeasts are concerned. It got me wondering what would happen if a commercial brewery used the yeast, and how they (Rogue) could prove that the other brewery didn't cultivate it themselves. You know what I mean?

 

[LVBen]

Three different links and they all have 'candy sugar' as one of the items that the kit includes:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...e967996&itemid=280377669433&ff4=263602_263622
http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/rogue-dead-guy-ale-extract-kit
http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Rogue-Dead-Guy-Ale-%2d-Ingredient-Kit.html

 

[Burgs]

Three different links and they all have 'candy sugar' as one of the items that the kit includes:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dl...e967996&itemid=280377669433&ff4=263602_263622
http://www.enstore.com/brewstock/shop/item/rogue-dead-guy-ale-extract-kit
http://www.rebelbrewer.com/shoppingcart/products/Rogue-Dead-Guy-Ale-%2d-Ingredient-Kit.html

Weird, I guess it's Northern Brewer's version that's the odd man out.

 

[Burgs]

Bottled this batch 4-13-2010, 1 case of 24 12oz. bottles, 1 case of 12 22 oz. bottles. Was a biiiiitch to bottle solo, but I think it will be worth the effort. Smells fantastic out of secondary!

 

[Burgs]

It's been two weeks in the bottle - I cracked one earlier last week and it was pretty green (read: ****ty), but I'm hoping time will be kind to it. If not, I've already got a new name picked out for it: "Fail Ale"

 

[joelmole]

It's been two weeks in the bottle - I cracked one earlier last week and it was pretty green (read: ****ty), but I'm hoping time will be kind to it. If not, I've already got a new name picked out for it: "Fail Ale"

IFA - Inferior Fail Ale

 

[Burgs]

I have cracked a few of these bottles just to see how far along they are in the carbonation process, and I'm noticing that it is waaaay cloudier than it was when I was looking at samples in secondary.

Could this be because I still have yeast in suspension that are working and haven't done their carbonation/settling to the bottom of the bottle work yet??? Sh*t is murky.

 

[Burgs]

I almost can't believe that this beer came around, but it did. When I made that last post, it looked like murky brown ale and now it's crystal clear! It could use just a touch more carbonation, and it's just starting to get warm in the house, so I'm going to let it go another week - but wow!

I guess this is one of those things that no matter how much you read about it on here - it really does teach you something to taste a batch throughout the whole process and see how it matures. I went from thinking this kit was a mistake to wanting to brew it again, but better!

 

[Token]

Amazing what a couple of weeks will do, isn't it? I'm so glad to hear it turned out to be a beer you want to brew again.... but better!

 

[Burgs]

It really is! My carbonation level is not consistent throughout all the bottles though... cracked another one to show SWMBO and it wasn't as far along as the others.

I moved it up to the top shelf of the bedroom closet, I think it will be a few degrees warmer up there. Plan is to just forget about it for a few weeks, bottle my stout in the meantime & then come back to it and put a six pack and a few bombers in the fridge for a week or so more. Hopefully it'll be awesome by then!

 

[halite]

The key is always patience, I find the best beers are those that you forgot you had a few bottles of and you find them a few months after you have finished the rest of the batch

 

[Burgs]

I'm pretty sure that I just got lucky and picked a few bottles that were somehow more carbonated. The whole batch isn't quite there yet, but I'm confident that when it gets there, it'll be great!