Omega Lutra yeast?

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I just finished making a starter from my package of luthra that came in and I plan to brew 11 gallons of A session ale Tomorrow Using just pale malt with a little bit of instant rice and some Cascade Hopps.
Only doing this because my firm chamber is at 85° because fermenting something with tropical Ipa yeast so might as well do all at once.
 
Well the fast fermentation time claims are spot on.... we'll see how it ends up. 3 days to drop krausen, but my spunding valve was acting up. It's had 5-25-2-30 psi so far... mostly higher psi though. Bought a blowtie kit and will happily discard my current valve. It was ok for low psi, but always finicky at the higher-end.

Edit: Blowtie is the way. No messing with it at all, just set it and it holds that pressure. Has been off gas and sitting in the box for 2 days now and still holding 8 PSI. That would never happen with my other spunding valve.
 
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Update: Crashed in the keg yesterday and carbed overnight. Honestly this really reminds me of Nottingham. Notty would be a little clearer right now, but not much. Flavor is the same as a clean notty ferment, which to say it's very neutral. I went 90 pitch, then 85 the rest of the way at 5 psi. Took it down to 1.007, which is lower than I see with notty.

So, looks like lutra doesn't have a huge future in my brewery, though I'll keep it around as it is indeed convenient, not having to worry about ferment temp is a big plus, but I can easily control my temps if needed, so it's not vital.
 
I pulled another sample last night and it’s cleaner but still not lager clean or lager like. I’m still in the kolsch boat. The keg got bumped after my pour so I’m going to give it a few days to settle back down before pulling another sample. So far I don’t hate this yeast. I don’t love it either. I would steer clear of marketing this as a “lager like” yeast though. Is it the cleanest Kveik yeast I’ve had so far? Yes and by a mile. Is it clean as far as an ale yeast would go? No. Will keep updating as I sample this weekly. Have a feeling this keg is going to last awhile
 
brewed a 10 gallon batch with pale ale and some instant rice on Thursday.
started cold crashing yesterday.
but man it fermented down to .002 from 1.045.
that's crazy fast.
the hydro sample was 85 degrees though so i couldn't tell you how it tasted because hot beer.....blech.

i'll give it a few days at 45 then give her a taste.

edit: this beer is is very crisp and clean tasting. i need to carb it up and let others try to decide if it needs some dry-hopping.
 
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...I have a ton saved from overbuilding a starter for a hard seltzer.

What does a seltzer starter look like? Sugar and yeast nutrient? Wort?

Also, I read somewhere that yeast used for seltzer isn't good for beer afterwards, something about it losing it's ability to break down the more complex sugars. Any experience with that?
 
What does a seltzer starter look like? Sugar and yeast nutrient? Wort?

Also, I read somewhere that yeast used for seltzer isn't good for beer afterwards, something about it losing it's ability to break down the more complex sugars. Any experience with that?

when i do seltzer it's just yeast, sugar, and nutrient.
followed by additional nutrient daily to keep things chugging along.

i've read the same thing about yeast losing it's ability to ferment complex sugars when you use it in a starter.
i've never tried to re-use yeast from wine, seltzer, and beers over 8% because the intertubes told me not to.
 
Sampled again last night and flavor is the same. So I’m saying myth BUSTED! This is not a clean yeast and I could not in good faith recommend this for pseudo lagers. I still stand by my original thought this would make a passable Kolsch. Outside of that I’d say it’s false advertising. Buyer beware
 
Man, do I love this yeast. I brewed an Azacca pale ale two days ago. Just a basic recipe meant to be a hop sampler. I pitched lutra around noon into the 1.060 wort at 65 degrees. I set my inkbird to 67. By yesterday morning, the gravity was down to 1.048. I upped the temp last night to 69 to help it finish, and as of this morning, it's at 1.011. It may go a little further, but not much. So terminal gravity in less than 48 hours from pitch. I'm very excited to see how it comes out.

I have only brewed hoppy beers with it, so I can't weigh in on its profile with a clean lager-like beer. But I love it as a US-05 replacement. I have started relying almost exclusively on Lutra and Bell's house strain when I need a clean ale yeast.
 
Also, how many generations has everyone gone with this yeast? Does it get weird after a few or does it stay pretty much the same?
 
Sampled again last night and flavor is the same. So I’m saying myth BUSTED! This is not a clean yeast and I could not in good faith recommend this for pseudo lagers. I still stand by my original thought this would make a passable Kolsch. Outside of that I’d say it’s false advertising. Buyer beware
You’re doing it wrong.
 
I'm on gen 4, pitching gen 5 in a couple days. did a real clean 5 gal ferment(no trub or hops clean) and dried the slurry.
I get a tang from my dry Hornindal and want to see if it might be from the drying process.
 
I'm only on Gen2, waiting on ferm to finish. First pils-like had the white grape pretty much to the keg end, was done no pressure, normal pitch rate (0.75 M mL × °P), ferm 80F. This batch, also no pressure fermentation, same pitch rate, but 68F ferm temp. If it also gets the grape, I am willing to try one last time with pressurized fermentation before giving up. It's not controlled experiment as generation number may be involved, hence your question @lumbergh .
 
You’re doing it wrong.

If you’re going to say I’m doing it wrong then mind providing tips to keep it clean? I fermented at 68f-70f with 4.4 grams a yeast nutrient in a 5.5 gallon batch. Pitched 1.5 liters. I think if the batch was closer to 30 ibus this would be perceived as being “clean”. That’s actually on the to do list ;)

Edit: The only potential solution I’ve seen so far is to pressure ferment. This is not stated by Omega so I was putting the yeast to use using Omega’s recommendation of keeping fermentation temps low. Heck I even used their Lutra Helles recipe! So far using their recommended recipe and fermentation conditions leads me to say this is not a clean yeast. I would be up for receiving a sample of something that was fermented with this yeast and is actually clean! As of now I will say from my own experience I would not call this clean. It does have a musk. Even with 2 months of lagering and gelatin
 
For what it’s worth, last night I pulled the last half pint of my Schwarzbier I brewed back in September using Lutra. Tasted great after a few weeks in the keg. I did not notice any off flavors during its entire 9 month life. Just a clean tasting beer. I’d gladly brew this beer again with the same yeast.
 
I got tang from Mangrove Jack Voss. I didn't care for it. Fingers crossed this doesn't have the same tang.
 
I got tang from Mangrove Jack Voss. I didn't care for it. Fingers crossed this doesn't have the same tang.

I definitely did not get the kveik twang. I know exactly what you're talking about btw! I got that with Hothead (Omega) and Voss (Lallemand). I do think Lutra has it's place but I haven't exactly figured out just where yet
 
I think the Mangrove Jack Voss is the same as the Lallemand Voss. I think part of the issue is that I bottle. Any time I got some of the yeast from the bottom I got the twang. It might be best for kegging. Keezer is being pieced together.
I bottled a sierra Nevada pale ale-ish beer the other day with Lutra. I'll see in a few weeks how it turns out. My first attempt with Lutra.

Pitched in the low 90s in a mid 70s room. Wrapped a blanket around the fermenter.
 
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I'm giving it another go on a 1.052 American red. Simcoe, Chinook and red-x malt. Basically because we have finally summer in Germany and I don't have temperature control. Kveik and saison time it is!

So far, I also agree with @rtstrider , this is definitely not a lager-like yeast. It is relatively clean, very clean for kveik, but still kveik and certainly no lager like yeast.

I will ferment this one at 35c to see where this will get me.
 
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Ok, I just pitched a 7 month old harvested Lutra sludge from a low og Ale (around 1.032), that I brewed in December. I devided the sludge into 3 jars and one of them had the pleassure to being dropped into this 1.052 OG, 30 Ibus red ale wort. Wort temperature around 32-35 C, so the upper end of the recommended range, wrapped in a sleeping bag.


....half an hour later, airlock action. This is a beast.
 
Ja red ale was bottled yesterday after seven days of fermentation. Fg was a bit high due to mash temperature f up, ended up with mashing in at 69c. A bit high .. so fg1.016 and hopefully no bottle bombs.

The sample tasted really really good. Much better then my low og ale I brewed with it before. No twang at all, very clean
 
Trial#2 Lutra Pils. This time at 68 instead of 80, no pressure ferm again. 10 days in FC then kegged and dropped in freezer a couple hours (not your classic cold crash but all I got right now). Used Saaz not Perle/Mittelfruh, and this is….not too shabby. No white grape this time, still a bit musty, need to let it sit and see where it is in a week.
68756D0F-5A39-4469-AE45-BC92D240B994.jpeg
 
Trial#2 Lutra Pils. This time at 68 instead of 80, no pressure ferm again. 10 days in FC then kegged and dropped in freezer a couple hours (not your classic cold crash but all I got right now). Used Saaz not Perle/Mittelfruh, and this is….not too shabby. No white grape this time, still a bit musty, need to let it sit and see where it is in a week.
View attachment 733062

Looks good!
 
After a few months in the kegerator Lutra has finally cleaned up. I think it would make a decent cream ale yeast only if you are able to filter, have a floating dip tube, or have nothing but time on your hands to lager this for a few months before tapping. This yeast has a musk to it though. I'm not throwing in the towel completely on it yet though. I may try a pilsner (insert hop here) smash and shoot for 30 ibus. If anything that may help cover up the musk a bit more. This would be a few months from now though. I have quite a few recipes lined up before then :)
 
This is my first go with this yeast. I'm brewing a Pils (NB Legend of Lutra). Contrary to the almost universal experience with this yeast, it's been 3 days since I pitched a full package into a 5 gallon batch at 78F, and still no airlock activity. I oxygenated the wort before pitching, but did not make a starter. Starting gravity was 1.053. I just pulled a sample and it's down to 1.032, so something is happening. I'm just surprised at the lack of airlock activity. Should I just wait it out?
 
This is my first go with this yeast. I'm brewing a Pils (NB Legend of Lutra). Contrary to the almost universal experience with this yeast, it's been 3 days since I pitched a full package into a 5 gallon batch at 78F, and still no airlock activity. I oxygenated the wort before pitching, but did not make a starter. Starting gravity was 1.053. I just pulled a sample and it's down to 1.032, so something is happening. I'm just surprised at the lack of airlock activity. Should I just wait it out?
You got a leaky fermenter, of course you should wait till it is finished.
 
walk away!

I always say use the smell test. Do you smell the fermentation (fruity, yeasty, etc depending on the yeast) ? If so, it is happening and escaping, just not through your bubbler as desired. Bucket lids can leak, my Big Mouth bubbler can leak around the lid gasket but more typically around the #10 rubber stopper. I just fiddle and twist until it seals.

But you have direct confirmation of fermentation with the dropping SG. But don't mess wiffit.
 
Easy enough to walk away, although it is contrary to my experience with every other yeast I've tried. I'd be surprised if my fermenter is leaking - it's a SS Brewtech Brewbucket with a blow-off tube attached - and its never leaked before. But I suppose the gasket could be getting old? Who knows. I'll leave it be and test it again in a few days.
 
Easy enough to walk away, although it is contrary to my experience with every other yeast I've tried. I'd be surprised if my fermenter is leaking - it's a SS Brewtech Brewbucket with a blow-off tube attached - and its never leaked before. But I suppose the gasket could be getting old? Who knows. I'll leave it be and test it again in a few days.
I've had a SS Brewtech bucket for about 5 years and it's seen probably 75-85 batches run through it, and two times it didn't create a good seal. No clue why. I pulled the lid off after reaching terminal gravity and the gasket looks good. Best I can tell, the blow off elbow nut got loosened and you can't tighten it once it's closed.

I transferred to a keg within a day or so of terminal being reached (once positive pressure was lost) to prevent oxidation. Both batches came out well.
 
I had my first bottle of my red X lutra ale yesterday. Damn, that one was good! Not fully carbed yet but surprisingly not much greenish taste either.

No kveik tartness!

Only problem is that this yeast likes to stay in suspension. This doesn't impact the taste as much as other yeasts would though. In a few weeks it should have cleared on its own.
 
The keg is almost kicked now. I have maybe 2-3 pints left. It'll be finished either tonight or tomorrow. I will say this really cleaned up towards the bottom of the keg. Still not lager like but really passable as a clean ale yeast if you give it time to settle/condition. That right there is key. It has to lager (or be filtered) or it has an in your face musk. So far I do not see many, if any, advantages using this over a "regular" strain. I'm not done tinkering with it though. Plan is to get a floating dip tube and play around to see how that works out with this yeast ;)
 
There's quite a bit of "there" there at 70F, @DuncB , and it seems to throw a whiff of sulfur on the pour, but I don't get the taste so much over the pilsy-grainy and yeast ester. I will hopefully have some remaining when I get refrigeration back in a week or so, but @rstrider may be right about cali-common/kolsch direction. To me, this is nice, but slightly muddy, not intensely crisp, lager. I do not do lagers myself, tho, due to time commitment required.
 
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