Mangrove Jack's Lager yeast M84

[oxpajama]

I pitched two packets of this into 57* wort. Should have rehydrated, there was a four day lag... held it in freezer at 50* the first 24 hrs, then raised to 57*. Its currently chugging away at 49*.

9 lbs domestic pils
1/2 lb brown malt
.4 lb honey malt
mashed 153 for 60 mins, salts: .5 tsp caclium chloride, .25 tsp gypsum.
Hops: Willamette: 1/4 at 60, 4 at flame out
Amarillo: 2 at flame out

What is your whirlpool method everyone? I usually dump pellets in at KO with about half gallon cold water, hold at 170* and stir well. This time I used two big nylon bags and dipped continuously while the chiller did its thing. The hydro reading smelled like tangerines. OG 1050.

 

[RCCOLA]

It's quite the slacker when it comes to first pitching. I had the same experience with it as have others as documented in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/mangrove-jacks-yeast-410095/
And the repitch info here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/a...mangrove-jacks-new-zealand-406644/index2.html

So far I have fermented 4 batches with it. I like it for malty lagers with hop character that don't have to bee too clean. I don't like it in my house lager which needs a very clean character.

For my whirlpool I chill to 175F with my immersion chiller, toss in the hops, usually ~2-3oz, then stir for 15 mins and then resume chilling. I get great hop flavor and resiny mouthfeel from it. Known as PMF® on another forum.

 

[oxpajama]

It's quite the slacker when it comes to first pitching. I had the same experience with it as have others as documented in this thread: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f12/mangrove-jacks-yeast-410095/
And the repitch info here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/a...mangrove-jacks-new-zealand-406644/index2.html

So far I have fermented 4 batches with it. I like it for malty lagers with hop character that don't have to bee too clean. I don't like it in my house lager which needs a very clean character.

For my whirlpool I chill to 175F with my immersion chiller, toss in the hops, usually ~2-3oz, then stir for 15 mins and then resume chilling. I get great hop flavor and resiny mouthfeel from it. Known as PMF® on another forum.

So looks like you mashed in low 140s, guess I may expect this beer to be at the higher end of malty. Did you use crystal malt? or all pils? You were pleased with the results, so not a terrible choice for my first lager. Thanks.

 

[RCCOLA]

So looks like you mashed in low 140s, guess I may expect this beer to be at the higher end of malty. Did you use crystal malt? or all pils? You were pleased with the results, so not a terrible choice for my first lager. Thanks.

My mash schedules were multi-step infusions. Recipes are here with the mash schedules at the bottom of the pages in "Notes":
http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/sv-tl-le-k 1.050OG-1.014FG
http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/bitburger 1.050OG-1.014FG
http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/summer-vienna-8-gal 1.049-1.012
http://www.brewtoad.com/recipes/indio-bavarian-pale-lager 1.066OG-1.012FG

 

[beersk]

I had a 36 hour lag time on my first pitch of the M84 for my Oktoberfest, but I swirled the carboy a bit now and then before I saw signs of fermentation in the carboy. I'm now drinking the Oktoberefest and it's delicious; nice clarity, nice malty and soft character. Lagered it for close to 6 weeks. It'll probably only get better. I've read somewhere that this yeast starts to shine after 6 or 8 weeks.

 

[oxpajama]

Update:
FG 1013, Kegged 11/22, has been sitting at 32* since then.

Its quite crisp, medium bodied, hints of the hops but they are muted, great head. I will use this yeast again. An amber lager is in order. The brown malt has added complexity, I recommend it highly.

BTW I lagered in the plastic primary, no problems or off flavors. Total lager time about 7 weeks.

 

[RCCOLA]

That looks incredible, Ox. Nice work.

 

[beersk]

I used that yeast twice, in an oktoberfest and a schwarzbier. I liked it okay in the oktoberfest, but I thought it had a weird flavor in general. Wasn't a fan. My schwarzbier had an ever so slight vinegar-like aroma. But it wasn't acetobacteria, it was a function of the funky yeast and the roast malt character. And it wasn't in the flavor. I just didn't care for it.

 

[RCCOLA]

Beersk, this yeast does have a distinctive flavor. Post-ferm, my young, cloudy beer tasted like pineapple. I believe anything fermented with it needs to be gelled.

On the schwarzbier, did you check or adjust mash pH? My darker beers all had a "twang" to them before I bought a pH meter. I found out my mash pH needed to be raised with alkalinity. This eliminated my sour note.

 

[beersk]

Beersk, this yeast does have a distinctive flavor. Post-ferm, my young, cloudy beer tasted like pineapple. I believe anything fermented with it needs to be gelled.

On the schwarzbier, did you check or adjust mash pH? My darker beers all had a "twang" to them before I bought a pH meter. I found out my mash pH needed to be raised with alkalinity. This eliminated my sour note.

I did not check the pH, but adjusted the water according to Bru'n water. I also did a Hochkurz step mash. I don't think it was a sour note, just a strange aroma that I got from the combination of the roast character and the distinct (read: weird) yeast flavor/aroma. I didn't care for it much. I've got a lager fermenting now with WY2206 that I intend to use in a schwarzbier sometime soon. Same recipe. This vinegar-like aroma did not show in the flavor and did not get worse. I'm thinking it had to be a function of that yeast character with the roast character, just happened to give off that weird aroma.