We Have a Project - PACMAN YEAST!

[runhard]

Has anyone seen this available from one of the online homebrew shops? Austin Homebrew doesn't have it yet...

I went by Austin Homebrew yesterday and they have it in stock as of that morning. I got the feeling they expect it to sell quickly so you may want to holler at them and place an order. I didn't notice on their window if their open or not on Monday.

Jeffrey

 

[Desert_Sky]

Well the pheonix LHBS said they wont have it until next Friday, so looks like Im going to have to wait.

 

[Klainmeister]

that's ok, i have mine in my fridge because i am in the midst of moving so brewing a batch isn't really a good idea. but man, i can still dream about recipes right?

 

[Exo]

I'm now re-considering a clone brew using PacMan yeast. Maybe I'll be brewing a series of beers using it. I'm now a fan of Shakespeare Stout. It's everything Guinness lacks, IMHO. Of course, the Guinness we poor f**kers in the US have to drink tastes like toilet water.

Here's another AG consideration. Possibly I'll do both the Dead Guy clone and the Shakespeare Stout clone.

Not a fan of the residual grapefruit taste on my palatte and back of the throat tingle for a stout (fine for an IPA) but I attribute this to the Cascade used for bittering.

So, here is my clone of Shakespeare Stout.


Shakespeare on Crack:

5.5gal recipe with 77% efficiency
OG: 1.061
IBU: 70
60min boil
expected ABV: 6.3%ish


Grains:
7.5# Maris Otter
2# Crystal 90
1# Flaked Oats
1.25# Roasted Barley
.5# Chocolate Malt

Hops:
1.25oz Chinook (AA 12.1) (pellet) 50min remaining
1.5oz Cascade 15min remaining

PacMan yeast

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Since the introduction of PacMan yeast is such a limited offer, does anybody wanna try doing exactly what isn't recommended? I'm thinking about brewing a Dead Guy clone, harvesting the yeast, and repeating the process over and over (assuming the recipe is good...), allowing it mutate a little. Using it in the same recipe each time with excellent sanitation should produce decent results, don't you think?

 

[disaffected]

I wish I was more experienced and knew what I was doing. Dead Guy Ale and Shakespeare Stout are my two favorite Rogue brews. If this yeast is expected to be available for a limited time, I'd sure like to give one of the clone recipes y'all come up with a try.

Yuri_Rage, what do you mean "doing exactly what isn't recommended?"

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Yuri_Rage, what do you mean "doing exactly what isn't recommended?"

For homebrewers, it's usually recommended to only use the same yeast for 2 or 3 brews, with the assumption that mutation and contamination by wild yeast will render the original strain less effective. However, bigger brewhouses perpetuate their yeast strains almost indefinitely by placing tight controls on their brewing process. My suggestion is to mirror the "big guys" with this yeast by brewing a single style with the strain and keeping an extremely sanitary environment.

 

[Exo]

I picked my pack up a few days ago. I had plans on starting with a Dead Guy clone, moving to a Shakespeare Stout then doing some washing of the yeast and trying something new. I have my recipes set for both.

Or do something folks aren't supposed to do and brew both a Dead Guy and a Shakespeare then combine the yeast and wash them, saving them for some other strains.

I guess it all depends on how my brews taste in the end...but I sure like Pacman in the Rogue brews.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

For homebrewers, it's usually recommended to only use the same yeast for 2 or 3 brews, with the assumption that mutation and contamination by wild yeast will render the original strain less effective. However, bigger brewhouses perpetuate their yeast strains almost indefinitely by placing tight controls on their brewing process. My suggestion is to mirror the "big guys" with this yeast by brewing a single style with the strain and keeping an extremely sanitary environment.

The big guys have labs which grow the yeast from a clean starter strain every time. They don't actually re-pitch. No matter how clean you are at home, I wouldn't risk going more than 3 pitches. If you want to split that Pacman for multiple brews, you can split it and freeze it in glycerin. Then you can use each one of the divisions three times. You should be able to get at least four vials for storage, so that's 12 brews anyway.

 

[disaffected]

You mean propylene glycol? Mix the yeast directly in the glycol? It has a freezing point of -60 F in a 100% solution, about -34 in a 50:50 solution with water. Your yeast won't actually freeze in a typical freezer, but maybe that is the point? I keep my deep freeze at -10 F, which definitely wouldn't freeze either of those two solutions of propylene glycol.

 

[Chairman Cheyco]

http://www.ipass.net/mpdixon/Homebrew/Freezing Yeast.htm

Whoops! I meant glycerin. I'll go back and change it so nobody dies!

 

[Yuri_Rage]

If you want to split that Pacman for multiple brews, you can split it and freeze it in glycerin. Then you can use each one of the divisions three times. You should be able to get at least four vials for storage, so that's 12 brews anyway.

I suppose that's probably a better idea - and you could stretch it to 30+ brews by re-pitching a few times. Then again, I could invest in some slants and actually do the laboratory-style yeast propagation that the "big guys" probably use.

 

[Exo]

yea, wasnt that...anti-freeze? LOL!!!

 

[Grimsawyer]

3 days ago I started a batch of 1.077 OG beer with a new pack of pacman yeast. I haven't seen the inside of my carboy churn so FAST!!! It's moving faster, ALOT faster, than my wort with an airstone in it!!! Not a huge krausen but ALOT of co2 being produced and churning. It's NUTS!!! I love pacman yeast! I wonder if you go to the brewery they'd give you some used yeast straight from a fermenter. I mean, don't they just toss it anyhow? *shug* I'd love to show up and get more yeast than what a starter yields then put it on glycerine and make starters from that. hehehe *evil grin* Has anyone else been on one of the rogue brewery tours? I must say it was a relegous experience. It is something I won't forget anytime soon. I ony live 80 miles from it but with my wierd work schedule I don't make it to the coast very often. oh well, I will return, soon, and I will imbibe more Old Crustacian and more Brutal Bitter!:rockin:

 

[Grimsawyer]

I recently fell in love with amarillo and simcoe hops in concert together. Here are two beers I have made so far: Peg Leg Pale Ale AND... Dubbel Booty And one I have been playing with. Again, with Simcoe and Amarillo hops. Leviathain After that barleywine I'll have enough yeast to make 20-30 batches or so if I glycerine the yeast cake and make starters, then glycerine those yeast cakes make starters and go to 3rd generation. Think I'll try some other hops soon. Maybe some single specialty grains to really nail down their flavors as well. *shrug* Anyhow, the Peg Leg Pale Ale Is ROCKIN'. Very tasty and it hasn't aged 3 weeks yet. Poped a top on one of the 6 bottles tonight to see how it was going... It seemed fully carbonated. This rogue yeast acts FAST! Anyhow, these are some ideas I've had. If they inspire some, GREAT! If my ideas can be improved apon EVEN BETTER!!! I don't claim to know everything, in fact, I'm just blundering along happily. And thank you to everyone who has helped me in the past. I do appreciate all of your imput! :rockin: :rockin:

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Here's my plan for my first PacMan brew (15 gallon AG):

Floor Kill Ale

26 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US
8 lbs Munich Malt - 20L
4 lbs 8.0 oz Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L
2.00 oz Pearle [8.00%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) 18.5 IBU
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00%] (60 min) (First Wort Hop) 9.2 IBU
2.00 oz Pearle [8.00%] (20 min) 10.2 IBU
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00%] (20 min) 5.1 IBU
2.00 oz Saaz [4.00%] (5 min) (Aroma Hop-Steep)
3.00 tsp Irish Moss (Boil 10.0 min)
1 Pkgs Rogue PacMan (Wyeast Labs) (at least a healthy 1L starter)

Est Original Gravity: 1.069 SG
Est Final Gravity: 1.013
Estimated Alcohol by Vol: 7.3%
Bitterness: 42.9 IBU
Est Color: 16.1 SRM

Probably a single step mash around 154-ish. It's a very Dead Guy-ish recipe...or at least that's the intent.

EDIT:
Brewed this last weekend (1 Dec), and it's coming along nicely.

The reason for the name is this: a "floor kill" is what happens when you scrape your adversary off on the ground (floor) in air-to-air combat - almost always making him a dead guy.

 

[Klainmeister]

Ok guys, so I started a batch a while ago when i first started this thread and now have the finished product, thought it's still a little green, here's my reaction. IT'S DAMN GOOD. I basically tried to make a dead guy type ale, with a little variations in flavors. The color is dead on, the flavor is fantastic, very heavy ale with nice maltiness and some good hop character. It's ages 2 weeks in bottles after 1 week primary, one week seconday. Here's my recipe, i highly recommend it:

Klain Corpse Ale:
PACMAN Yeast
8 lbs Light LME
12oz Caramunich
12oz Munich malt
6oz Crystal 40L
6oz Carahell
1 tsp Irish Moss
1 tsp Gypsum
1oz 7.2% Perle Bittering
.5oz 7.2% Perle Flavoring

Take it for what it's worth guys.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Bump...now that there are some folks online...any comments on my recipe above? Still very new to the AG thing, so I'm sure it could be tweaked a bit.

EDIT: With the speed at which this keeps moving to the bottom of the "New Posts" list, I either created the perfect recipe, or no one wants to read about PacMan anymore. Or no one likes me...

 

[Klainmeister]

i would reply if i did AG but i just do specialty. But, just to let you know Pacman is a pretty amazing yeast. That first batch turned out great and hat 78% att. and then just for ****s i decided to make a Belgium Dubbel on top of the yeast cake and made it really heavy. Ended up getting above 12% ABV and it taste fantastic. So, if you are considering going high gravity, do it, it can handle it, and handle it well. Thank you Rogue!

 

[BrewmanBeing]

I plan to do an Imperial ale with this yeast.

 

[seyahmit]

Hi Yuri, I am going to brew a Dead Guy clone as well. I'm loving the Pacman yeast so far. I did a Brown Ale with an OG of 1.066 and got it down to 1.012. I will be sampling some today. I also have a 60 Schilling Scottish Ale in the primary right now acting as a starter for my Dead Guy clone that I will brew a week from this Saturday.

I will be using this yeast as long as it is available for purchase or as long as I can successfully reuse it from batch to batch.

 

[Grimsawyer]

Wonder how high this yeast will go. I know it'll go 12.5 from the brewery tour. Wonder if it could crest 15%... *evil grin* I am thinking about making a 1/2 gallon batch with an OG high enough to make a 20% beer and just see how high it gets. If nothing else I can chug what I get and get a killer buzzzz goin after the test... LOL!!! :rockin:

 

[Fiery Sword]

Well, my first Pacman experience was an interesting one. I had the Pacman shipped from Austin Homebrew to Boston w/ the icepack. When it arrives, the package was still cool and not puffed up at all, which was encouraging. I cooked up a liter starter and pitched it into a flip-top w/ fermentation lock. Then I went bowling while my bro babysat the goods. About an hour later, I get a call saying the thing is foaming right up through the lock.....aggressively! I couldn't get home in time, but the emergency plan ended up being cleaning and sanitizing a gallon growler, blowing it off, transferring the starter to it and hooking up a blow off tube. By the time I get home, the thing is chugging away blowing off crap like it's a 5 galon batch!!! This Pacman stuff is nutty!

I figured it would be best to get the wort (AHS Shakespeare Stout Clone) out the door ASAP, so she's going to be pitched within the next hour or so. Can't wait to see what this stuff will do with the whole batch!!!

 

[Grimsawyer]

A few weeks ago I made up a 7.5ish % batch of beer to get enough yeast together to make a barleywine. 7 or 8 days ago I put that 11.5 ish percent wort on top of that cake. I think 4 days ago the bubbles stopped coming out of the blow off tube. I am sure that it's done fermenting ALREADY!!! that pacman stuff is incredible. I think I need more carboys for secondary fermenters. I know that 7.5ish beer I made was done fermenting in about the same time. I just need a day off from work to get the smaller beer in bottles so I can get my barleywine off the cake. hehehe, that cake is goin in a gallon growler for sure.should last quite awhile. :rockin: Can't wait to goof off and see how high of an ABV I can get before it dies!!!!! That's going to be fun!!!

 

[dOGHAIR]

1111111111

 

[dOGHAIR]

1111111111

 

[dOGHAIR]

1111111111

 

[Yuri_Rage]

And again, I'd like to know what's to stop us making a huge starter and storing lots and lots of first generation (or is it second) yeasts on glycerin in the freezer?

Absolutely nothing. I was just thinking about doing this with my next batch - a 15 gallon brew. I'm planning on harvesting the entire yeast cake and storing it in a large jar or 2L soda bottle. I'll probably just refrigerate it and use it as required to make a starter whenever I want to use PacMan.

 

[dOGHAIR]

1111111111

 

[dantodd]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycerol

edit:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cryoprotectant