simplepleasuresbrwery
simplepleasuresbrewery
Hi All
This is my first post to this forum - I have been brewing for over 4 years. I do a lot of harvesting of yeast from starters - have made starters from my very first homebrew and have a technique where I calculate the starter volumes using Homebrew Dad's Yeast Starter calculator and BeerSmith. I tend to shake my yeast starters in a conical flask at 160-200rpm using an old lab gyrator. I have over 40 yeast strains at various generations and have only ever had about 5 stuck fermentations.
Now to my issue - it is getting quite difficult to get new yeast of different strains during the prolonged lockdown here in the Scotland so I thought I would embark on an experiment with older yeast harvesting (this month I am making lots of 10 gallon batches - splitting and pitching different yeast strains in each 5 gallon batch). I decided to start the experiment with a 3yr old saison yeast wlp565 (which is tricky when new) - no issues made 2 starters a 3l starter and then a 2.5l. Harvested enough for another batch and pitched. Saison fermented well and ended nice and dry - even better than wlp568 in the other fermenter.
Thought I would do the same with wlp 090 vs wlp 001. WLP090 a little older at 4yrs (stupid really) - here is where disaster struck. WLP090 - starter again same method as saision yeast and nice layer of yeast to pitch. Did not start for 72hrs when I observed I think I had a little krausen- see photo attached. Odd smell and beer tasted a little bitter (however I never taste it at this point normally/never open my beers when fermenting and it is a high IBU beer). Now at about 84hrs more kraussen and then beer has dropped I think 12points (refractometer adjusted measurement). Smells quite sweet vinegary when I open fermenter.
Over the last 48hrs I made another starter and pitched this now - did not really flocculate during cold crash so pitched all of it.
As I never look at my beers during fermentation - steel fermenter bucket and think best to leave yeast alone when started. Is my beer infected? Any help much appreciated
This is my first post to this forum - I have been brewing for over 4 years. I do a lot of harvesting of yeast from starters - have made starters from my very first homebrew and have a technique where I calculate the starter volumes using Homebrew Dad's Yeast Starter calculator and BeerSmith. I tend to shake my yeast starters in a conical flask at 160-200rpm using an old lab gyrator. I have over 40 yeast strains at various generations and have only ever had about 5 stuck fermentations.
Now to my issue - it is getting quite difficult to get new yeast of different strains during the prolonged lockdown here in the Scotland so I thought I would embark on an experiment with older yeast harvesting (this month I am making lots of 10 gallon batches - splitting and pitching different yeast strains in each 5 gallon batch). I decided to start the experiment with a 3yr old saison yeast wlp565 (which is tricky when new) - no issues made 2 starters a 3l starter and then a 2.5l. Harvested enough for another batch and pitched. Saison fermented well and ended nice and dry - even better than wlp568 in the other fermenter.
Thought I would do the same with wlp 090 vs wlp 001. WLP090 a little older at 4yrs (stupid really) - here is where disaster struck. WLP090 - starter again same method as saision yeast and nice layer of yeast to pitch. Did not start for 72hrs when I observed I think I had a little krausen- see photo attached. Odd smell and beer tasted a little bitter (however I never taste it at this point normally/never open my beers when fermenting and it is a high IBU beer). Now at about 84hrs more kraussen and then beer has dropped I think 12points (refractometer adjusted measurement). Smells quite sweet vinegary when I open fermenter.
Over the last 48hrs I made another starter and pitched this now - did not really flocculate during cold crash so pitched all of it.
As I never look at my beers during fermentation - steel fermenter bucket and think best to leave yeast alone when started. Is my beer infected? Any help much appreciated
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