Anyone use this yeast a lot? Know it inside and out? Brewed a rather robust porter/stout with an OG of 1.091 on Wednesday. Was a small 3g experiment so I didn’t have perfect temp control. Pitched around 55 and kept it in a 61* room, had to move it to the 55* garage when it climbed close to 67 (all internal measurements) and then pulled it inside to a 68* room as it slowed. Not perfect I know but internal never got above 68 . Anyways I hit target FG in 4 days and it’s insanely clean. I’ve read about quite a few breweries using this yeast as their house yeast due to its large ferm temp range and being relatively clean through a wide range as well as floccing well and being a fast fermenter. Just wondering if anyone has any recommendations on pitch rate, temps, O2 for this yeast. Might try brewing a bunch of different styles with it.
Gigantic Brewing uses it as their house strain, and they tend to focus on lots of west coast hoppy / high gravity beers. I have done a couple of ales with it - one DIPA and one Pale ale, both I used a middle of the road 0.75/mil /*plato pitch rate and oxygenated .. I noticed that it ferments so fast you could miss it, and forms very little krausen. It is surprisingly clean (like low ester). I fermented around 68 both times. Its a good yeast I think you could do a lot of things with it. I'd have to check my spreadsheets for attenuation %
1728 is Brew Betty's preferred 'clean' ale yeast. I know it very well in terms of various pitch rates, DO, fermentation temperatures, OG, and wort sugar content. Ask me anything about it. wy1728 >> wy1056 > wy1272
Sweet. Love to hear your thoughts. Even though the Imperial strain is supposed to be the same the ferm temps and attenuation are a little different. Is it similar to 002 in that it doesn’t like complex sugars? Needs a really low initial mash rest to get good attenuation. Haven’t invested in the DO meter yet but I do have a flow meter so interested to know your thoughts in O2 levels. Also ferm regime, diacetyl production, etc. basically any tips or insight. I was blown away by the speed and clean profile with such a high ABv beer at such a low temp. Yeast was absolutely ripping at 60. I needed to put the blowoff inside a much larger bucket than I ever have.
I can't speak for the Imperial strain, but will assume it's the same as 1728. It will eat the complex sugars. The average attenuation is better than Wyeast suggests. For example, a 1.065-1.070 OG will often finish in the 1.008-1.012 range. 1.010 is common. That is with a 150F 60 minute mash. The wort DO levels don't need to be precise or measured. If you don't infuse any oxygen, and 30% underpitch, it will make some fairly strong banana. A standard pitch with no O2 will make moderate to mild banana. 30 seconds of O2 with a standard pitch might make a tiny bit of banana or be clean. 60 seconds of O2 with a standard pitch or 30% overpitch will be clean. I do a 1-2 day diacetyl rest at 70F and haven't observed any diacetyl issues. It works well in the high 50s to low 60s. That it where I use it the most. Mid to high 60s are fine too. It may take 18-24 hours to get ripping in the colder range, but a 1.065 wort is usually done in 5 days. I have only fermented it in the 70s a few times and don't recall any problems with esters or fusels. That is one thing I like about it compared to Chico. The booze is clean and smooth. Chico makes me feel drunker than I should be even if it's fermented at a steady 66F. Another thing I like about it is it's very flocculent. No need for finings or a cold crash. Fairly clear beer gets transferred into the keg on day 10. The last thing I like about it is the flavor profile it produces. It's clean, but it has some character that seems to enhance malt flavor and aroma in a 'beery' way. That probably doesn't make any sense. I just like what it does to malt compared to Chico.
Thanks for the tips. The banana comments are intriguing to me. Ever intentionally tried to make a Hefe with it? I’m actually interested in making a beer with banana without the clove. A POF- yeast would make sense. I know a brewery that’s won GABF for cream ale, IPA, American wheat, IIPA, and American Black Ale all with 1318 and he said he’s even made a Hefe with it. Will it flocc quickly if you soft crash it to 60 from 70? What’s your idea of a normal pitch rate? .75 or 1? Just got a microscope but haven’t had the time to sit down and start doing cell counts. Hopefully sometime this winter.
Never tried to make a hefe with it, but I have intentionally made various levels of banana for other beers. It won't produce any phenols, so it should work the way you want. Yes, it will flocc well from 70 crashed to 60. That is exactly what I do. Ferment cool. Hit it with a heat belt on day 4-5 for 1-2 days, then back down to 60. 'Standard homebrew pitch rate' for ales in this context is 0.75. I don't count yeast with a microscope. Everything is a calculator estimate. If you want banana from 1728, pitch less yeast and use less or no oxygen. The biggest banana it can make is easy to notice. It might take an extra day to finish.
I thought about this for a bit. It appears as if I'm pumping 1728 as a flawless super yeast. The worst thing 1728 ever did to me was producing shitty vodka notes when I tried to drink it sooner than the schedule mentioned ITT. After a few extra days of cold conditioning, the vodka was gone forever. It's a forgiving yeast.
I really loved the 60 shilling I brewed from Brewing Classic Styles, which called for 1056. More recently I brewed a Wee Heavyish beer with1728. These beers were separated by 5-10 years, not to mention gravity points. I liked both. What characteristics make 1728 better, in your opinion. Btw, glad to see you back here.
Wider temperature range. Ferments clean and fast at 60. Can produce some banana if desired. More flocculent. Don't need finings or cold crash. Smoother booze in terms of feeling less drunk at the same abv. Less likely to produce headaches, cotton mouth, hangovers, spouse beatings, etc. A little fuller mouthfeel. Makes beer that tastes more beery. Ferments fairly dry, but leaves behind good malt aroma and flavor. Enables Scottish accent while drinking. Aye. I'm not saying Chico is bad. It's very popular for a good reason.
