First batch of Pilsner style beer with Baja dry lager yeast. Pretty standard pils recipe I have used many times. Slightly undershot my gravity on this brew for a starting OG of 1.044. Terminal gravity 1.009
50/50 Best pils and Heidelberg
Perle hops single addition for mid 30’s ibu
Pitched heavy at almost 2 grams per liter.
Pitched into fermenter as knocking out low 70’s and then dropped temp to 48F in about 30 minutes.
Fermentation took 12 days with a slow ride to 53F
Capped fermenter for natural carbonation.
Dropped 2 degrees F per day to 37F held for a week. Then drop to 34F and keg.
Beer is a bit young but this yeast is extremely clean and crisp and drops very bright. I think it might be too clean for some lager styles but in a pils of sorts it definitely hits the “crispy” note.
Will use again. Nice to have another great dry lager yeast in the toolbox!
MDL: Thanks for posting that. I have been keeping my mind on this yeast because I am a fan of 940 (brewing batches with it right now) and if the yeast has the same character then having it in dry form would be nice. Are you saying you pitched around 40 grams of yeast? Damn, that’s a lot. Are you familiar with 940 at all and if so, do the strains seem similar? Cheers and thanks again.
Batch size is 34 gallons knockout into fermenter. Purchased a 500 gram brick from MoreBeer and pitched half(250 grams) dry into FV during knockout. Knock out temp low mid 70’s and set temp on fermenter to 48F. Glycol brought it down about 30-40 minutes after pitching in the dry yeast.
I have not used 940.
The AEB strain this is repacked from is called “Fermolager Crisp”. The crisp part is spot on.
Oh sheesh, that’s a lot of beer. I get it now. Yes, I remember the name Fermocrisp Lager and also remember that the strain itself is supposed to come from Mexico City. I’m pretty sure 940 is supposed to be Modelo’s yeast so this one is either THAT strain or else the other large Mexico brewery Moctezuma which brews Dos Equis, Sol, Tecate, Indio, Bohemia, etc. I was just talking on another board with someone who is considering getting a brick and maybe they’ll share some with me. The idea of buying 500g of dry yeast that I have never used before is a little weird. I’m quite certain I’ll like it but it would be cool to test drive 12g of it first.
BTW, it appears that MoreBeer is getting ready to sell this yeast (Cellar Science BAJA) in 12g packets “soon” - whatever that means. So I no longer have to find 9 other people to split a brick with.
I also posted this on another thread that mentioned Baja.
I received two 12g packets of the Baja yeast from Morebeer and I’m looking forward to using it in some lagers here soon. WLP940’s description used to say, “Used by a large Mexican brewery” but the Baja description clearly states that this is Modelo’s yeast. I’m using 2124 at the moment but the Baja will be fired up here at some point.
I have a Pub Ale up next (session strength APA kinda thing).
Then, I plan a SMaSH (Pale malt + Pacifica hops) that I want to use Baja with. I am targeting a lawnmower beer I associate with easy drinking, hot wx Mex lagers.
Refresh my memory… did you buy the brick of Baja or the smaller packs. Curious how much you’ll pitch. If I made a 1.050 lager would I use one pack of Baja or two?
MoreBeer says, “Two sachets are enough to treat a 5–6 gallon batch. When calculating for larger batches, use at a rate of 2.5–4 grams per gallon of wort. We recommend rounding up by one full sachet rather than measuring out the yeast exactly.”
novalager is… heh something new. the lallemand pitch size calculator indicates it requires 14.8g of yeast for a 1.048, 5 gallon pitch while at the same temp and size diamond required 26.5g of yeast.
The literature on it explains that it is very close to an ale yeast. I am curious just how fruity it is. S-23 is marketed as fruity but I don’t taste any fruit in light lagers made with it. I am wondering if Novalager will be similar. I plan to brew a beer that could handle a bit of fruit just in case.
Do you have lager yeast strains that you consider to be better than others? I have three lager yeast strains that I consider to be my favorites and in no particular order they are WLP940 Mexican, Wyeast 2124 Bohemian and Omega Bayern which is also Wyeast 2352. If someone says, “This yeast is the same strain as [one of my favorites]” and I try it and don’t get the same character… I know it right away. I just made a starter with 2124 and took a whiff of the package after pitching it. It’s distinct. 940 [to me] is also very distinct and if I can get it dry that makes things easier for me. When I eventually brew with this Baja yeast, I will be able to tell if it’s the same as 940 [Modelo’s yeast] or not. That’s what I’m trying to distinguish. If it is… fantastic. If it’s not… then I just go back to buying 940, making a starter for it, etc.
