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Beer Head Retention

Beer head formation and retention can tell you more about your brewing process than you could have imagined, as you will soon see. Shortfalls in your brewing practices can be robbing you of that long lasting head that you are seeking on your favorite pint.

So, what makes beer foam?

LTP1 is a low molecular weight compound and is the primary substance in your beer needed for head formation. It has been shown that during the wort boil this compound is denatured and converted from an inactive form to a form that will actively make good foam in your beer.

Protein Z is an albumin, which means that it is soluble in water and coaguable by heat. This compound has a higher molecular weight than its partner, LTP1, and is the primary substance in your beer needed for head stabilization, or retention.

From what we have discussed, you may think that simply adding malts high in protein, such as wheat malt, are the answer to creating and retaining more foam. I have read this in the past, tried this, and have had no success, because it is almost certain that the malt bills that I used at the time were overflowing with enough proteins to create and retain beer foam.  One thing that might help for certain recipes is adding 1/2 pound of flaked wheat to the mash (or steep for extract brewers). Extract brewers in general may struggle with head retention depending on the age and quality of their extract. This is one more reason for extract brewers to take the plunge into all grain brewing.

So, where is the foam?

ANSWER: Foam destroying compounds that exist in your beer, bottles, kegs or glasses are robbing you of the foam that you strive to create. This is where the lack of foam, or lack of foam stability, can indicate flaws in your brewing process. Here are some examples:

• High alcohols (fusel oils from high fermentation temperatures, under pitching)
• Low carbonation levels (bubbles drag these proteins to the surface, causing more bubbles, more foam)
• Shaking kegs during carbonation (causing your beer to foam can use up these foam producing compounds before the beer ever meets the glass)
• Fat (soap scum or other fats occupy space on the surface of the beer, reducing foam)
• Protease production from stressed yeast (under pitching or under aerated, high gravity fermentation)

Good brewing practices are essential for good foam formation and foam stability. Here are some things to keep in mind when exploring how to improve beer foam creation and stability:

• Fermentation temperature must be proper for strain used (Belgian and German strains can tolerate more heat typically, others not so much)
• Vigorous boils are necessary to denature LTP1, so that it becomes an active foam producer
• Use the proper yeast pitching rate for your volume, OG and beer style (lager vs. ale)
• Make sure you have proper carbonation levels
• Proper water chemistry – see the brewer’s friend water chemistry calculator
• Clean all glassware (carboys and glassware)
• Adequately aerate the wort prior to fermentation
• Avoid the use of chilies, cocoa or any other food that contains fats or oils
• Do not shake your kegs to speed carbonation

You can easily determine if your beer is lacking foam forming compounds (ProteinZ or LTP1) or if you have too many foam killers such as the ones listed above. Here is a simple test:

• First, shake the problematic beer you are about to test
• Pour the beer into tall, clear and CLEAN glass
• Observe the amount of foam

If the shaking and the pouring has created foam, then your beer most certainly has all of the protein Z and LTP1 needed to create beer foam. If this is the case, your brewing processes may require some refinement as stated in the factors above. Your beer probably has some foam killers lurking in it that will not allow for a long lasting head.

If, however, the shaking and pouring do NOT produce foam, you may wish to experiment with the addition of malts that are high in proteins, such as wheat malt. A lack of foam after shaking almost certainly points to a lack of foam producers.

There are numerous factors that come into play when discussing beer foam formation and stability. Many studies have been completed, many resources written, and this article is by no means a complete resource on how brewing processes and chemistry affect this facet of beer production. This is, however, a very eye opening look at how good brewing practices can affect the production and stability of that sometimes elusive foam! The importance of solid brewing practices cannot be overstated.

For more resources on beer foam and stability:
https://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices/35-head-retention/747-head-games

https://www.byo.com/stories/article/indices/35-head-retention/625-fabulous-foam

Posted in Brewing | 5 Comments »

Yest Review SafLager W-34/70 Dry

An excellent property of dry brewing yeast is that they have a very high cell count, they store well (years) and the yeast are packed with nutrient reserves which allow for fast starts. When brewing lagers, the vast majority of yeast strains are liquid yeast strains, requiring large starters for lager beers. Liquid yeasts contain a much lower cell count and lack the nutrient reserves that the dried yeast strains hold. For this reason it is nice that there are a few dried lager yeasts available to home brewers. Here is a review of Saflager W-34/70, a very popular (worldwide) German lager yeast strain.

• Starter recommended?: YES and NO **see commentary below.
• Starter size (for 5 gallons): 3L
• Starter OG: 1.040 – 1.050
• Starter incubation time: 24-48 hours
• Blow off recommended?: NO
• Optimum fermentation temperature: 48F-59F
• Suggested ambient air temp during first 24 hours of fermentation: 53F
• Suggested ambient air temperature after 24 hours of fermentation: 53F
• Scent during fermentation: Sulfur
• Flavor profile: Very malty and clean, great for German lagers and pilsners, low diacetyl
• Flocculation: Medium
• Attenuation: 73%-77%

**Being that W-34/70 is a dry lager yeast, a yeast starter is not necessary under one condition… you pitch enough of the re hydrated dry yeast to properly inoculate the wort.  www.MrMalty.com contains a yeast pitching calculator which will guide you as to how much dry yeast you will have to pitch in your lager.

**A lager with an OG of approximately 1.050 will require (2) 11g dry yeast packets, OR a 3 liter starter. In this case I would prefer to pitch (2) packets of re hydrated yeast and forgo the starter, here is why. The dried yeast is ready to ferment, it is packed with nutrients, and while using (2) packets you will meet or slightly exceed the required yeast count for your wort. Even a 3 liter yeast starter, though still meeting the required yeast count for your wort, will have burned up much of the stored nutrient reserves that were in the dry yeast prior to creating the starter.

Pitching the re hydrated dry yeast will give you a faster start for this reason. Two packets of W-34/70 will cost you about $6.00, . If you prefer to create a starter while using W-34/70, see how to make a yeast starter at brewersfriend.com.

When pitching lager yeasts, there are two methods by which to do it, pitching warm or pitching cold. A warm pitch will take place at a temperature of 65-70F, then the temperature is slowly lowered to the ideal fermentation temperature of 48-59F. This is done by some brewers to accelerate the start of the fermentation and lessen the lag time, it will also require a slightly lower pitching rate for these reasons.  There are concerns however of off flavors being produced from the limited time at warm temperatures, but the yeast can clean this up with a diacetyl rest after primary fermentation.

Pitching cold is simply the process of pitching yeast at fermentation temperatures ranging from 48-59F. This will result in a slightly longer lag time and require a healthier yeast count to get fermentation started in a timely manner. This is preferred however by many lager brewers to avoid any possibility of off flavors that can be created during a warm pitch.

Considering the high quality of this yeast strain, the ease of use as a dry yeast and its popularity in brewing circles around the world, it is a must try both for the novice and advanced lager brewer. Buy (2) packets, rehydrate them and pitch straight into your wort.

The beer turned out very clean, slightly malty, it was a great example of a German Pils. I am enjoying it thoroughly after about 2 months of lagering. Enjoy!

Posted in Yeast Cultures | 1 Comment »

Randall Enamel Test For Even More Hoppiness in Your Beer

In recent years, craft brewers (especially in the Pacific Northwest) have tried to push the envelope on hop flavor in beers, from increasing the aroma and flavor hops to aggressively dry-hopping. For fans of that style, there is one more step that can be taken to add extra hop flavor to beer, and that is using the Randall.

The Randall sits between a pressurized keg of beer and the tap; the cylinder is filled with hops, and the finished beer is forced through the hops before being drawn from the tap. The alcohol in the beer strips the resins from the dried hops; the combination of pressure & alcohol essentially creates a “hop tea” with the beer. The final product has a unique hop flavor & aroma, as well as a distinct mouth-feel. Nicknamed the “Enamel Animal”, the Randall gives the beer a tremendous hop punch, as well as giving an odd sensation on the enamel of one’s teeth.

One charm of the Randall is that any beer can be used with any hop; not only does the Randall expose non-brewers to the role of hops, but home-brewers wanting to learn how a specific hop smells & tastes have no better resource.

The Randall has a few significant drawbacks that make it an exotic item. (I had to make a special appointment with the brewmaster at Hopworks Urban Brewery) As pointed out by Hopworks Brewmaster Christian Ettinger, the hops in the chamber provide a lot of nucleation sites for the dissolved CO2. In non-brewer speak, the beer is incredibly foamy coming off the tap.

As the beer flows through the hops, it compresses them, which means the hoses often can become clogged. And, since the Randall has a fitting to both the tap line and the keg line and runs pressurized beer, extra care needs to be taken in fitting all the components together. Rare is the Randall set-up that doesn’t leak.

Lastly, the hops in the Randall do need to be changed out after a few quarts. Given the price of hops to most home-brewers, unless you’re buying in bulk, or growing your own, it’s a costly treat.

Still, with all these downsides, is it worth it? If you are at this website, the answer is most certainly yes!  If you are a hophead, (if you love the smell & taste of hops), it’s the purest pleasure you can have.

Posted in Fun | 1 Comment »

The Four Brewing Seasons (1 of 4)

Each season has at least one beer style that it is known for, if not several. This is part one in a four part (season) series about these seasonal brews. Winter is quickly approaching, and has already placed some parts of the US and other countries in its grip, so there is no better time to discuss winter beer styles and share some recipes.

Winter beers are typically (not always) dark beers with relatively high levels of alcohol (ABV). These beers are not your typical summer quaffers that are made to satisfy a thirst, no, these ales and lagers are typically like a meal in a glass. Full bodied, robust, spiced (or not) and made to be sipped during the cold winter months while they warm you from the inside out. The spiced versions often utilize spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cardamom and allspice.

All of this being said, you will find that winter ales and lagers come in all colors, spiced and un-spiced, heavy hitters with ABVs exceeding 10% ABV and lighter quaffers that will come in at or about 4% ABV. Here are a couple recipes, one from each genre.

Belgian White Winter Ale (5 gallons)

This ale is light in body, light in color and just plain refreshing. It is spiced with coriander and bitter orange peel (a famous combination), but also receives some of its spicy nature from the Wyeast 3944 and its phenolic character.

MALT BILL:
Belgian 2-Row 4.00 pounds
Belgian White Wheat 3.00 pounds
Flaked Oats 0.75 pounds
Carapils 0.50 pounds
Flaked White Wheat 0.50 pounds

Mash at 155F for 90 minutes

HOP BILL:
Hallertau .50 ounce 60 mintues 7.7 IBUs
Crystal .50 ounce 60 minutes 6.3 IBUs
Hallertau .50 ounce 5 minutes 1.5 IBUs
Crystal .50 ounce 5 minutes 1.3 IBUs

SPICES:
Bitter Orange Peel 2.00oz 15 minutes
Coriander Seed 1.50oz 5 minutes

YEAST:
Wyeast 3944

FERMENTATION:
Ferment at 68F for 3 weeks

RECIPE STATISTICS:
OG: 1.049
FG: 1.012
IBU: 16.8
SRM: 4.3
ABV: 4.86

Samichlaus Clone (5 gallons) (BYO 150 Classic Clones Edition)

This lager should be brewed in the spring if you hope to have it ready in time for winter sipping, and I do mean sipping. A heavy hitter with the grain bill of a 10 gallon brew, boiled down to 5 gallons and then inoculated with the yeast from a nearly 2 gallon starter… this is the definition of specialty beer.

MALT BILL:
Pilsner Malt 21.00 pounds
Vienna Malt 2.00 pounds
Carahell Dark Malt 1.50 pounds
Cane Sugar 2.00 pounds

Step mash to rest at:
104F for 15 minutes
122F for 15 minutes
140F for 15 minutes
158F for 45 minutes

Collect 13 gallons of wort and boil down to 5 gallons. Yes, collect 13 to achieve a final volume of 5 gallons! If you are using propane to boil, you will need to have a spare gas tank at the ready!

HOP BILL:
Northern Brewer 1.50 ounces 60 mintues 28.8 IBUs
Tettnang .50 ounce 15 minutes 2.3 IBUs
Hallertau .50 ounce 2 minutes .3 IBUs

SPICES:
Bitter Orange Peel 2.00oz 15 minutes
Coriander Seed 1.50oz 5 minutes

YEAST:
WLP 885 (7L starter!!!) The yeast must be treated well, and the size of the starter is not only to manage the high OG, but also to create a large enough cell count to overcome the cool fermentation temperatures of this lager. Remember to oxygenate your wort very well prior to pitching, your yeast will need all the help that they can get. See How to Make a Starter here at www.BrewersFriend.com

FERMENTATION:
Ferment at 52F for 30-45 days
Rack to secondary, add fresh yeast and allow temperature to rise to 60F, then lager for about 180 days at 38F

RECIPE STATISTICS:
OG: 1.139
FG: 1.034
IBU: 31.4
SRM: 15
ABV: 14%

Winter brews are typically specialty beers and therefore the style specifics are wide open. Try one of the above recipes the next time that you brew a winter lager or ale, or formulate something that fits your tastes. Who cares about style points here, brew what you like and offer your friends and family members something special when they arrive for winter visits.

Posted in Recipes | 3 Comments »

Holiday Spice Ale – Ready in a month

A lot of breweries sell a “winter beer” or “Christmas beer”, and they’re typically high-gravity, with complex flavors. Our brewing group wanted something that was exactly the opposite: a low-gravity, easy-to-drink beer that would complement our turkey with cranberry sauce. This is pretty similar to most “holiday spice beer” recipes you’ll find, with one nice difference. Most of those recipes call for cinnamon sticks to be ground and cloves to be crushed, and generally have you doing a lot of work to get your aroma & flavor right. We use allspice; it lets you get those cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg flavors & aromas without having to work at it. The other charm of this beer is its speed. Two weeks in the carboy, two weeks in the bottle, and it’s ready to go. It’s easy to drink, goes well with a meal, and makes a great gift.

Holiday Spice Ale (all grain)

Style: American Ale
OG: 1.048
FG: 1.013
ABV: 4.6%
IBU: 19
Volume: 5.5 gallons

Grain Bill:
5.5 lbs Pale Malt (adjust to suit your efficiency factor)
1 lb Belgian Aromatic
1 lb Honey Malt

Adjuncts:
1 lb Honey
1/8th pound Molasses

Hops:
Bittering Hops: 1.5 oz Fuggle (60 minutes)
Flavor Hops: .5 oz Fuggle (10 minutes)

Yeast: Wyeast 1028 London Ale

Extras: 2 tablespoons ground Allspice, added to the last 10 minutes of the boil.

Posted in Recipes | 15 Comments »

Stir Plates and Growing Brewing Yeast Quickly

Creating a simple yeast starter as outlined here at brewersfriend.com will greatly increase your yeast cell count, but there is a way to easily supercharge this process. By using a stir plate you will be able to grow nearly 100% more yeast cells using the same volume of starter in the same amount of time. Basically, for the same investment in yeast, time and starter liquid, you will be able to double your yeast production with a stir plate.

A stir plate is a simple machine consisting of a base which houses a motor with variable speed control. Fig 1. This motor is used to spin two precisely spaced magnets, which in turn will spin a magnetic stir bar inside your flask. The intent here is to use this stirring motion to:

1. Keep the yeast in suspension
2. Release CO2 from the starter solution
3. Continuously aerate the starter liquid

Fig 1.

There are several important guidelines to follow when utilizing a stir plate to create a starter:

1. Ideally, boil the starter wort in the flask that you will be using to create the starter, this will help to sanitize the flask.
2. DO NOT use an airlock on a stir plate starter as it will impede the ability of the stir plate to exchange CO2 from the fermentation for O2, which will help grow yeast.
3. DO use foil to cover the top of the flask instead of an airlock.
4. Ferment the starter at 75F – 80F. While not optimal for flavor production, you are trying to grow yeast, and warmer temperatures will accelerate this process.

By doing the above, you are creating the perfect growing environment for your yeast cells, allowing them to grow at a much greater rate than they would with the use of a simple starter with no stir plate. After the starter has fermented out completely (approx 24 hours), remove the starter from the stir plate and chill so that the yeast may settle. After a short period of time (several hours), the yeast will form a nice thick slurry in the bottom of the flask, allowing you decant the starter wort prior to pitching. Decanting is required since the wort has been oxidized and fermented at a higher temperature than is optimal for most yeasts (75F-80F recommended). Though this temperature is excellent for yeast growth, it does not leave a very favorable flavor in the starter liquid.

Our yeast pitching calculator makes choosing and hitting your desired pitch rate very simple.

Our calculator will allow you to enter all of the vital statistics about your wort so that it can properly calculate the number of yeast cells you will require, the required volume of your starter wort and the volume of yeast slurry that you must pitch to meet your ideal pitching rate.

Below is a side by side comparison of the number of yeast cells created in a 1.5L simple starter (no stir plate) and a 1.5L stir plate starter. The results may surprise you!

Starter volume: 1.5L
Amount of Yeast used in starter: (1) Liquid Smack Pack / Vial – 100B cells
Fermentation Time: 24 hours
Temperature: 75F (recommended to quickly grow yeast)

Using the above criteria, a simple starter will produce approximately:

182 billion yeast cells, pitch rate of 0.71 M cells / mL / °Plato (just below the pro recommended pitch rate)

Using the above criteria, a stir plate starter will produce approximately:

282 billion yeast cells, pitch rate of 1.09 M cells / mL / °Plato (a very healthy pitch rate)

As you can see from the above comparison, utilizing a stir plate you are able to increase by 100% the yeast growth with the same amount of starter wort while using the same amount of yeast pitched into said starter. Conversely, you can also create the same amount of yeast in a stir plate starter as you are able to with a simple starter, with nearly half the starter volume. The latter is of great interest to lager brewers who will routinely need to create very large starters to reach the proper pitching rate for their lager beers. Lagers will routinely require a 3L-4L stir plate starter. If you utilized a simple starter (no stir plate), you would be in the neighborhood of 6L to reach the proper pitching rate.

Posted in Beer Styles, Yeast Cultures | 24 Comments »

Recipe OktoberFEAST Ale AG (5.5 US gal.)

With fall just around the corner, cooler temperatures and shorter days are on there way. This calls for a maltier, less hoppy, less zingy beer to satisfy us on those cool evenings around the fire. As the temperatures go down, the ABV of seasonal beers goes up. To speed up the process, this Oktoberfest beer is not a classic Maerzen lager, but an ale.

The following recipe is based on 75% brew house efficiency, see an explanation of brew house efficiency here at Brewers Friend.

Style: Maerzen (ale)
BJCP Guidelines:
OG: 1.050-1.056
FG: 1.012-1.016
ABV: 4.8-5.7
IBU: 20-28
SRM: 7.0-14.0

Recipe Targets:
OG: 1.056
FG: 1.014-1.016
ABV: 5.3%-5.5%
IBU: 24.1
SRM: 13.5.
Volume: 5.5 gallons

Malt Bill:
Belgian Pilsner 4.25 lbs
Vienna 2.25 lbs
Munich 20L 2.00 lbs
Aromatic 1.00 lbs
Crystal 20L 1.00 lbs
Crystal 40L 1.00 lbs

Water Profile: Munich water profile to accentuate malt flavor.

Ca: 88 SO4: 11 Mg: 3 Na: 10 Cl: 2 HCO3: 156 Alky: 240

Mash in with 23.0 quarts (2qt/lb) of water at 167F to rest at 158F for 60 minutes. This water was also treated with Five Star Buffer 5.2.

Mash out at 168F utilizing additional infusions or direct heat.

Collect 8.0 gallons (adjust to compensate for your own boil rate) at a SG of 1.039

Boil for 100 minutes with the following hop schedule. (Adjust your qty. to adjust for any difference in AA value)

Hops:
Tettnanger 3.3AA 1.00oz 100 minutes
Tettnanger 3.3AA 0.50oz 45 minutes
Tettnanger 3.3AA 0.50oz 30 minutes

Chill wort to pitching temperature, see an explanation of “no chill” brewing here at brewersfriend.com.

Yeast: SafAle S-04 11g packet.

Fermentation Temperature: 65F

Time in Primary: 14 days

Carbonation: 2.5 volumes

Posted in Recipes | 4 Comments »

Identifying Hops Techniques

It’s the season to harvest, and if you’ve been diligent and foresighted, you have a nice crop of well-labeled hop plants, and have no need for this article.

However, if the labels you planted next to the vines have faded & run since you planted them, or if your hop harvest didn’t come from a garden, but from a fortunate find of a hop plant at the state park or growing over the fence from a neighbor, identifying what you’ve got is a bit more important to you.

Visually, one species of hop cone looks much like another, so just looking won’t help. Aroma can be a huge indicator of the hop type, so you should start with that. If your hops are dried (which they should be, after harvest!), they won’t have a lot of aroma initially. Take the cone between your palms of your hands, rub your hands together, and then cup them near your nose and inhale. The hop aroma should be strong enough to identify any significant aromatic markers, such as the citrus aroma of Cascade or Centennial hop.

Some folks claim that the only way to really identify a hop is to brew with it. While that might work, there’s an easier way to identify the flavors & bitterness of a hop without risking a batch of beer. Once you’ve crushed the hop between your hands and smelled the aroma, throw your teakettle on the stove & heat some water to boiling. Making hop tea is the next-best thing to brewing with it, so toss your crushed cone in a cup and add boiling water. Let it steep for about five minutes to fifteen minutes, and then smell the aroma again. It should be fainter, but still the same notes as you smelled before. Strain the hops out of your tea, and then take a sip of the tea, checking for both flavor and bitterness. Because it’s a small amount of hop, steeped for a short amount of time, bitterness will be minimal (relative to your beer), but a highly bitter hop will be noticeable.

One word of caution: do not chew on the hop directly. It’s tempting and a fun prank to play on novice brewers, but the intensity of the bitterness will drown out other flavors in the hop, making identification harder, not easier. You get better flavors and a better balance from making the ‘tea’, and your palate isn’t smothered afterward.

Posted in Hops Growing, Ingredients | No Comments »

Fall Hop Harvest Guidelines

Now that you have spent the entire growing season diligently caring for your vines, it is time to harvest what can turn out to be copious amounts of hops on healthy, mature plants. The following will cover some guidelines for you to follow in order to assure that you are harvesting your hops at their peak of potency and freshness. A little study in this area will allow you to accurately time your harvest so that you can maximize your return on your annual investment in water and time.

Take note, the following guidelines are on a cone by cone basis, rarely, if ever, will all of your cones be ready for harvest simply because some of them are presenting the signs that they are ready to harvest. Harvests can many times take days, or weeks to complete in separate stages for the home brewer. Hops farmers will often harvest everything at once, but at home you can take more care.

1. Hop cones appear less “tight”, the leaves of the cone are visibly “opening” (Fig 1)

2. The bases of the hop leaves are showing ample amounts of bright yellow lupulin (Fig 2)

3. When squeezed, the cones emit the fragrant scent that you would come to expect from fresh hops (pungent, fragrant)

4. When the cone is squeezed between your fingers and released, it feels papery, resilient, not green and hard

5. The small bract leaves at the base of the hop stem are beginning to dry and the tips are browning (Fig 3)

(Fig 1)

(Fig 2)

(Fig 3)

Typically when you observe a hop cone presenting all of the above traits, there will be an ample number just like it, enough to justify harvesting all of those that have peaked. Those cones that do not exhibit the signs listed above are best to be left alone until they do. It can take days or even weeks for them to mature.

Once you have harvested the ripe cones, it is time to prepare them for preservation. Hops have several enemies when it comes to maintaining their characteristics.

1. Temperature

2. Oxygen

3. Time

Hops must be stored cool, or better yet frozen. The oils that exist in the lupulin glands are volatile and do not store well at room temperature. These oils are also easily oxidized, which means that long term storage planning must include some sort of vacuum packaging. Lastly, even if you have frozen and vacuum packaged your hops, time is one enemy that you cannot avoid, that is, unless you actively brew and use your hops!

To prepare your hops for storage as discussed above, they are typically dried. You can freeze them wet, or use them wet in a specialty beer if you like! There is a school of thought, however, that believes that freezing WET hops will actually serve to preserve the hops longer, though drying them is the norm. (Source Charlie Papazian, Homebrewers Companion)

To dry the hops you can use many methods, but stay away from cookie sheets and ovens if you can. Hops are fragile, their oils and thusly their characteristics are extremely susceptible to degradation from high temperatures, best to dry them slowly and naturally. Food dehydrators have been used with success, or another method that is used with great success is the box fan and window screen method.

(Fig 4)

If you have a home, you most certainly have windows, and you most certainly have some window screens to go along with them. You can use some chairs, 5 gallon buckets, really anything you can think of to support the window screen horizontally above the floor. Now, you must do the same with a cheap box fan from any retail store… supported above the floor (to allow it circulate air), but below your window screen, facing upward.

You can then spread your freshly harvested hops across the screen in a singular layer and turn the fan on low. You don’t want the hops flying all over your garage, but you do want to promote drying and air circulation. Agitate the hops periodically to ensure even drying of all of the hops. Allow this process to carry on until your leaf hops are papery and sufficiently dry to store. Once this is accomplished, vacuum seal and freeze any hops that you do not intend to use right away to preserve them.

When you are picking, make sure to keep the different varieties you grow in separate containers and drying screens as not to mix them up.

Posted in Hops Growing | 1 Comment »

White Labs WLP300 Yeast Review

White Labs has always been a favorite of mine, no matter the yeast variety, they produce excellent beer and are very reliable yeasts. Aside from the fact that you get a great product, you get a really cool test tube looking vial that is already labeled, which you can use to store harvested yeast after your primary fermentation is complete.

One yeast that I can give nothing but rave reviews to is the WLP300 German Hefeweizen yeast. From the quick start, the raging fermentation and excellent final flavor profile, this yeast is a show stopper in your summer Hefeweizen. Below are some stats on this yeast and how I have effectively used it in my beers. Mrmalty lists this as the strain as Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen Yeast.

• Starter recommended?: YES
• Starter size (for 5 gallons): 1 quart
• Starter OG: 1.040 – 1.050
• Starter incubation time: 24 hours
• Blow off recommended?: YES
• Optimum fermentation temperature: 68F-72F
• Suggested ambient air temp during first 24 hours of fermentation: 65F
• Suggested ambient air temperature after 24 hours of fermentation: 70F
• Scent during fermentation: Bananas
• Flavor profile: Bananas and cloves
• Flocculation: LOW
• Attenuation: 72%-76%

Liquid yeasts yield a much lower cell count than the common 11g dry yeast packets. Dry yeast are also packed with nutrients and reserves so they are ready to ferment immediately after being re hydrated, liquid yeasts are not. This is why a starter is imperative. 24 hours is all that is really required to get this yeast really cranking and ready to pitch. See how to make a yeast starter at brewersfriend.com.

Typically with this yeast, my beer OG is low, 1.040 – 1.050 and the volume is 5.0 gallons. For the proper pitching rate for the above described conditions you will need about 158 BILLION yeast cells, requiring a 1qt starter. Quickly boiling up some DME OR using your actual wort from your brew and allowing the yeast to incubate for about 24 hours is all that you need to get this yeast ready to brew.

The ambient air temperature is important to note with this yeast as it ferments. Optimum fermentation temperatures are tight, between 68-72F, so temperature control is imperative for good consistent results. After pitching, this yeast will require approximately 8-10 hours to show real visible signs of fermentation. Fermentation is violent, heating up the wort to at least 5-7F greater than the ambient temperature. Therefore when fermentation begins, it is best to keep the ambient temperature at approximately 65F for the first 24 hours of violent fermentation, after this point you should safely be able to raise the ambient temperature to 70F to finish the remainder of the fermentation. Due to the violent fermentation associated with WLP300, a blow off tube is required, you can expect up to a quart of fluid to blow out of a typical 6 gallon fermenter.

Please note that on each vial of White Labs yeast it claims to be pitchable yeast, direct from the vial. While this may be true, in most cases you will be under pitching into your wort, experience a longer lag time and a less desirable fermentation.

See how to brew the CCB Hugh Hefeweizen with this yeast at brewersfriend.com.

Posted in Yeast Cultures | No Comments »