Wlp006 Bedford British review

[Northern_Brewer]

I'm afraid I've always assumed "dusty" necessarily meant a poor floc yeast. I'd love to read more, if you happen to have any lit you could point me to. Many thanks!

Well you're correct. Where it gets complicated is that brewers are only interested in clear beer, which is a question of how well the yeast drops. If the yeast is "sticky" it flocculates into big lumps that drop quickly - WLP002 & 1968 are classic examples of this. Hefe yeasts don't flocc and stay in suspension. But then Windsor is an example of a yeast that doesn't need to flocc in order to overcome gravity and drop out of the beer, the individual yeast cells are more dense than beer. So it's possible to have crystal-clear beer with Windsor, but because the yeast doesn't stick together like WLP002, it will 'puff up" in the bottle with the slightest nudge. I think I've still got an odd bottle of Windsor beer kicking around, I'll try and do a photo over Christmas.

 

[user 246304]

Well you're correct. Where it gets complicated is that brewers are only interested in clear beer, which is a question of how well the yeast drops. If the yeast is "sticky" it flocculates into big lumps that drop quickly - WLP002 & 1968 are classic examples of this. Hefe yeasts don't flocc and stay in suspension. But then Windsor is an example of a yeast that doesn't need to flocc in order to overcome gravity and drop out of the beer, the individual yeast cells are more dense than beer. So it's possible to have crystal-clear beer with Windsor, but because the yeast doesn't stick together like WLP002, it will 'puff up" in the bottle with the slightest nudge. I think I've still got an odd bottle of Windsor beer kicking around, I'll try and do a photo over Christmas.

Fascinating. Thanks Northern. I'll see if Briggs et al/M&BS covers some of this, like I said, never considered it, appreciate you bringing it to our attention.

 

[bierhaus15]

Bierhaus, you mention good for moderately hopped. For more aggressively hopped, does it accentuate harsh edges, or does it lose some of the bitterness and/or character you'd expect by your hop bill/regime?

Finally, you mention powdery.

It lets hop character come through well for a full flavored UK yeast, although it does tend to soften the overall hop character and bitterness. I tend to take a minimalistic approach with my bitters and don't use much crystal malts, and helps with hop character and drinkability with this one. That said, what makes this yeast so nice is that you can go heavier on crystal and end up with a very tasty round and fruitier flavor profile as well.

Per powdery, this yeast flocculates well - I would not say "highly" - but it does not form a firm, concrete like sediment. It can be somewhat easily roused into suspension and takes a while to drop out of solution when that happens. It fines beautifully though. Powdery is a common term for this type of behavior and there is a fair amount of technical info on the reasons for it. Zinc being a major one.

 

[HTH1975]

Do you use o2 or just shake your fermenter? I have been thinking of getting a stone and regulator to oxygenate but haven't done it yet.

This is my aeration process that follows what we do at work - the wort is just splashed down the side of the FV wall. In my home setup I just let it run off into the FV from a few feet up (kettle on top of the cooker, and FV on the floor - works a treat).

 

[user 246304]

View attachment 603724

This is my aeration process that follows what we do at work - the wort is just splashed down the side of the FV wall. In my home setup I just let it run off into the FV from a few feet up (kettle on top of the cooker, and FV on the floor - works a treat).

That is one insanely beautiful wort, HTH. Inspirational, haven't had a wort like that in a long time.

 

[HTH1975]

That is one insanely beautiful wort, HTH. Inspirational, haven't had a wort like that in a long time.

Thank you for the compliment - I’m glad to say I get nice clear wort like that all the time. Key is Irish moss, a good strong boil, then a quick chill followed by a rest for around half an hour while the break material falls to the bottom. I then crack the valve very slowly and let the wort run off (never more than halfway open).