Well, I did it.. I screwed up

[Big_D]

Brewed my 7th batch on Saturday, a California Common. This was my 4th brew of this recipe, it’s the beer I drink the most so it goes quick. When it came time to heat the sparge water, I do as usual and grabbed the yeast out of the fridge to warm it up too (liquid yeast). As I’m digging through bags of various hops and yeast, I find white labs oktober fest and then California ale. I grab the California and set it out. The brew goes great, transferred around 11 gals to the fermenter, finished cooling it down and pitched the yeast.

Everything’s been looking good, already dropped from 1.059 to 1.034 gravity wise. So, I go to order more supplies today, that’s when I realized I screwed up. I pitched an ale yeast (WLP001) instead of a lager yeast. A Cali Common is what it is because of the lager yeast. I head to the fridge, dig around in my magic drawer and find the lager yeast (WLP810) hidden under some larger Wyeast packs. That’s what I get for having too many refreshments on brew day!

Hopefully it turns out decent, I think I’ve essentially brewed a pale ale. Crazy thing is, white labs website shows Cali Common as a selected style for WLP001 (ale), but it’s not listed for WLP810 (lager). Why would they show an ale yeast for CC?

 

[madscientist451]

Yeah, you are supposed to use a lager yeast but ferment it warm, but your beer will still be beer and you may even like it better.

 

[jdauria]

Worse case, you have an Amber Ale instead of a Common, but it will be fine, you just may be missing the hint of fruitiness that the lager yeast at warm temps bring to a Common.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

Brewed my 7th batch on Saturday, a California Common. This was my 4th brew of this recipe, it’s the beer I drink the most so it goes quick. When it came time to heat the sparge water, I do as usual and grabbed the yeast out of the fridge to warm it up too (liquid yeast). As I’m digging through bags of various hops and yeast, I find white labs oktober fest and then California ale. I grab the California and set it out. The brew goes great, transferred around 11 gals to the fermenter, finished cooling it down and pitched the yeast.

Everything’s been looking good, already dropped from 1.059 to 1.034 gravity wise. So, I go to order more supplies today, that’s when I realized I screwed up. I pitched an ale yeast (WLP001) instead of a lager yeast. A Cali Common is what it is because of the lager yeast. I head to the fridge, dig around in my magic drawer and find the lager yeast (WLP810) hidden under some larger Wyeast packs. That’s what I get for having too many refreshments on brew day!

Hopefully it turns out decent, I think I’ve essentially brewed a pale ale. Crazy thing is, white labs website shows Cali Common as a selected style for WLP001 (ale), but it’s not listed for WLP810 (lager). Why would they show an ale yeast for CC?

We all have screwed up.
Some more than others.

 

[MHBT]

Bro! You’re good no worries bud

 

[Big_D]

Appreciate the replies! After looking at the data on White Labs site, I bumped to temp on the controller up to 70F. They're showing 68-73F for WLP001.

 

[superiorsat]

Beer is pretty forgiving in the way that it usually turns out good but maybe different than intended because of mistakes. Like the mallard effect you get from brew time naps when you boil waaaaay to long. Sounds like you brew late into the night and morning as mentioned in your other posts. Guessing you might have a brew time nap in your future.

 

[IslandLizard]

I grab the California and set it out.

[...] dig around in my magic drawer and find the lager yeast (WLP810) hidden [...]

Are you telling us you're pitching a single sleeve of White Labs (or pack of Wyeast ) yeast into a 10 gallon batch of 1.059 OG, without making a starter? Off-the-shelf yeast, stored in a fridge drawer, and for how long?

That points to what we call a (severe) underpitch. I thought that was what you were going to tell us, where you screwed up...

How old is that yeast? Had any trouble with your beer stalling mid-way, well above the projected FG?

 

[Big_D]

Are you telling us you're pitching a single sleeve of White Labs (or pack of Wyeast ) yeast into a 10 gallon batch of 1.059 OG, without making a starter? Off-the-shelf yeast, stored in a fridge drawer, and for how long?

That points to what we call a (severe) underpitch. I thought that was what you were going to tell us, where you screwed up...

How old is that yeast? Had any trouble with your beer stalling mid-way, well above the projected FG?

No, no.. lol, I pitched 2 sleeves due to the size of the batch. When I order them, I usually order in pairs and store them together. These 2 packs were actually intended for a brown ale that I’ve been mulling over for the last few months. I decided I’m going a different direction with it, going to ferment with a Hefeweizen yeast.. shooting for a banana nut brown ale. That decision partially lead to the issue as it’s the Hefeweizen yeast packs that were “hiding” the lager yeast I should have used.

I know liquid yeast packs are the pricey way to go, but they’re very convenient! Oh, and the yeast was probably 2 months old. No issues there.. after 15 hrs or so, it started dropping like a rock. It‘s at 1.015 now.

 

[Bassman2003]

WLP001 is very clean so as stated, you might like the beer equally or even more in the end. I always ferment it at 65F, so no need to raise the temperature.

 

[cmac62]

You're 7 batches in and doing 10 gallons with an Ispindel. Dang I've been brewing going on 10 years and I can count the 10 gal batches on one hand, and still no Ispindel. Of course I don't really want to deal with all of that tech. Enjoy the beer. It should be a good beer either way.

 

[Big_D]

Are you telling us you're pitching a single sleeve of White Labs (or pack of Wyeast ) yeast into a 10 gallon batch of 1.059 OG, without making a starter? Off-the-shelf yeast, stored in a fridge drawer, and for how long?

That points to what we call a (severe) underpitch. I thought that was what you were going to tell us, where you screwed up...

How old is that yeast? Had any trouble with your beer stalling mid-way, well above the projected FG?

This discussion has had me thinking/researching quite a bit. I've come to realize I have a LOT of studying up to do when it comes to yeast! I thought it was a much simpler subject than what I've found over the last day or so!

 

[balrog]

thought it was much simpler subject than what I've found

We've all been hit with this.
Juss you wait, 'Enry 'Iggins, juss you wait, till you decide to go down the <sparge|water|pH|spund|noboil|multi-yeast|etc> rabbit hole....

 

[IslandLizard]

This discussion has had me thinking/researching quite a bit. I've come to realize I have a LOT of studying up to do when it comes to yeast! I thought it was much simpler subject than what I've found over the last day or so!

Glad to hear you picked up on the hint.

This yeast pitch calculator (link below) can help in estimating how many cells you have at hand and how many you'd need for a "proper" pitch rate, and how to get there.
There's a bit more to it, such as common sense and experience from previous batches, when making estimates of cell count vs. viability, etc.
But it's a decent tool and guide:
http://www.brewunited.com/yeast_calculator.php

 

[Bassman2003]

Glad you found the path. Yeast management has one of the most profound impacts on your beer of anything you can do as a brewer. We all start out dumping a vial in and thinking we are good to go. But if you want to progress, you realize there is a lot more to it. I have gone to yeast freezing so I always have yeast around and when I use it, I build up plenty of fresh cells.

 

[kevin58]

This yeast pitch calculator (link below) can help in estimating how many cells you have at hand and how many you'd need for a "proper" pitch rate, and how to get there.

And then just when you get your head wrapped around pitch rates and cell counts you read about the Shaken, Not Stirred starter method where cell count is not as important as cell health. It never ends.

 

[Big_D]

And then just when you get your head wrapped around pitch rates and cell counts you read about the Shaken, Not Stirred starter method where cell count is not as important as cell health. It never ends.

I’m beginning to find that out!

 

[Big_D]

Well, it’s definitely coming along. Pulled a sample today, has good color and smells wonderful (hints of fruit and bread). It’s very similar to what I normally see at this point. Only difference really is in the numbers. It started out with an OG of 1.059, which is about 0.008 higher than what this recipe normally yields. I did notice the wort being a little darker than normal after the boil, the G40 is obviously more efficient than my G30. The crazy part is, it’s down to 1.003 now.. wow!

It will be interesting to see what this matures into!

 

[Sammy86]

That’s what I get for having too many refreshments on brew day!

If I had a dime for every time I saw this exact sentence on this forum...I could pay someone to brew my beer at home for me!

 

[Big_D]

If I had a dime for every time I saw this exact sentence on this forum...I could pay someone to brew my beer at home for me!

Lol.. pretty sure you warned before my first brew day!

Bad thing is, I know I haven’t learned my lesson! Brew day and a cold one (or three) just go hand in hand for me.

 

[JP_BeerFan]

<Bob Ross mode enabled>

It's not a screwup, it's a happy little yeast experiment!!

<Bob Ross mode disabled>

 

[Big_D]

Here‘s an update just in case someone happens to find themselves in a similar situation. The batch has matured nicely, it’s been right around a month now. By the numbers, it finished out around 7%.. doesn’t seem to be that hot though when drinking. It’s nice and smooth with a great flavor.. pretty much an Amber. Everyone that’s tried it so far likes it, might have to save it as another go to recipe.

 

[NightFlight]

Is that a boxed Keezer? Ridiculously nice tap setup.