Pacman yeast smell?

[BlackE1]

I have been trying to make a dead guy clone. I harvested pacman yeast from bottles of dead guy. The yeast looked darker in color, compared to starters i have made with white labs or wyeast.

I made the a 2 cup starter and let it ferment on my stir plate for 4 days, then crash cooled it in the fridge for about a week. Then i stepped it up to 4 cups. When i poured the new wort in to the flask a different smell came out from the beer in the flask. I think it smells like grapefruit and possible a sour smell.
My starters use spring water, DME, DAP, starsan.
Like i said the yeast is darker kind of like peanut butter. I read in my Palmer book that means the yeast are dead.

What ever is in the flask is active and reproducing. what do you guys think, do i try to use it or do i throw it out and try again?

 

[hopsoda]

the one i made smelled really weird at first but after i steped it up a few times it started to smell more like yeast , and it was brown like you are describing ... step it up a few times and it should start to look cleaner and white as you go , mine took about 2 months before i was comfortable pitching it, and the smell changed to pleasant one. i just finished making a beer with it and its great.
i used a bottle of deadguy and a shakespear into the same starter.

I only crash cooled it to decant .... usually over night or 1 day ... a week is a little long i think

and i have ton's of the stuff now, it grows like crazy , it just starts kinda slow.
as long as your sanitation is good , it should be fine ...
don't give up on it yet.
and good luck

 

[BlackE1]

great. You gave me a reasuring feeling to keep going. I was worried i was growing something that wasnt gonna work. I am going to keep going an we will see.

 

[Chris300s]

I made a starter of Pacman from the Wyeast special release last year and it smelled like watermelon! Very weird but good as hell. I'm looking at a growler of Dead Guy right now, mmmm.

 

[BlackE1]

so i stepped it up once more based on your recommendations. Let it sit over night and i now have two layers in my flask brown layer same as before, but now on top of the brown layer is a white layer of i assume to be fresh pacman yeast.

I am very excited!!
I plan to step it up again before i brew.
Do i try to wash my starter to get just the new white yeast or just pitch the whole thing?

 

[hopsoda]

I did not wash it , just kept steeping it up until i had enough to pitch then i decanted and pitched the whole thing, although I kept a few vials of the slurry , so i wouldn't have to do it again.

I believe yeast eat dead yeast cells as nutrient , and there actually beneficial to them.

so pitching the dead cells shouldn't hurt , although you could try to separate them , and get them cleaner... might improve the taste a little.

 

[CharlosCarlies]

My one and only attempt to harvest pacman was a total failure. Yeasties were dead apparently.

 

[BlackE1]

maybe you didn't step it up enough. I was going to give up but after getting reassurance from hbt i kept going and now i am getting pacman yeast.

4 step ups from 4 bottles.

 

[ben the brewman]

I have been trying to make a dead guy clone. I harvested pacman yeast from bottles of dead guy. The yeast looked darker in color, compared to starters i have made with white labs or wyeast.

I made the a 2 cup starter and let it ferment on my stir plate for 4 days, then crash cooled it in the fridge for about a week. Then i stepped it up to 4 cups. When i poured the new wort in to the flask a different smell came out from the beer in the flask. I think it smells like grapefruit and possible a sour smell.
My starters use spring water, DME, DAP, starsan.
Like i said the yeast is darker kind of like peanut butter. I read in my Palmer book that means the yeast are dead.

What ever is in the flask is active and reproducing. what do you guys think, do i try to use it or do i throw it out and try again?

you can buy pacman yeast from many homebrew supply shops now. i was told its a year round thing now but only certin shops can get it. i recently purchased some from rebelbrewer.com

 

[ChshreCat]

you can buy pacman yeast from many homebrew supply shops now. i was told its a year round thing now but only certin shops can get it. i recently purchased some from rebelbrewer.com

I can get it at my LHBS, but for some folks it's the challenge of harvesting it themselves that they're after.

 

[Brewmasters Warehouse]

I sell Pacman yeast. It is really not too had to find.

 

[BlackE1]

I am doing it because then my brew will be that much more satisfying. There are many things you can just go out and buy, but where is the fun in that.

 

[tonyf]

I pretty much use bottle-cultured pacman exclusively (in my original excitement I put it on slants, so why not use it). I really associate the smell of pacman with a well attenuated ale... it just seems to allow the malts and hops (and even the alcohol) to really shine through. Hardly any esters, ever. But the starters look and smell just like any other starters to me. FWIW.