Flying Dog Gonzo Imperial Porter Yeast ?

[legaleagle]

Someone brought some bottles of this to a party today. Nice beer. I see the bottle have a noticeable, fairly thick (for a bottle) yeast cake on the bottom. So, I kept a bottle and brought it home thinking I might harvest it and make a starter.

Does anyone know if this is main fermentation yeast or just a bottle conditioning yeast? Is it worth harvesting? If so, what kind of characteristics does this yeast impart on beers? Thanks.

 

[vitoma]

Was the bottle drank at the party? If so, I would be too afraid of possible contamination by this point to want to try to use it.

 

[legaleagle]

no, it is an unopened bottle. kept cold from party to my fridge. so, it should be fine to use, theoretically.

 

[legaleagle]

found this searching on the internet:

Flying Dog Ale Yeast - Wyeast VSS Release
Characteristics
As part of the Wyeast VSS (Very Special Strains) program, Wyeast has partnered with Flying Dog Ales to release their house ale yeast to homebrewers.
From their website/blog, here's what Flying Dog had to say about the yeast:

"The Flying Dog Ale strain is an unruly mutt, and to brew with it you must be willing to “Cut the Leash” as our Flying Dog Brew Crew does in our “Snake Dog” IPA, “Road Dog” Porter, “K-9 Cruiser” Altitude Ale and “Doggie Style” Classic Pale Ale."


This sounded intriguing enough, but I needed to know more, so I emailed Flying Dog with some questions about the yeast. Matt Brophy, Head Brewer at Flying Dog was kind enough to write me back with the following :

"As far as specs are concerned it is an ale yeast that we let ferment at 70F. Attenuation is in the 68 to 72 percent range, but proper aeration is important to get full attenuation. It has good flocculation characteristics and tends to leave a good deal of maltiness in the finished beer. It is good to see that brewers are excited about using our strain."


Sounds like a fun yeast with a lot of uses. I'm especially delighted to see the 70 degree fermentation temperature because, for us that do not use refrigeration, 70 degrees during the upcoming spring and summer months is definitely do-able. Sounds like I have some IPAs, APAs, Porters, and who knows what in my future.




Yeast Specifications
Typical Use : A wide range of ale styles
Attenuation : 68 to 72 percent
Flocculation : Medium to High
Ideal Temperatures : around 70 degrees