On this week’s episode, it’s fully the new years which means it time to see just what we’re going to fail at this year! And we’re bringing you along for the ride! But first, a Christmas Miracle, some expired LME and being mindful in the pub. In the Brewery, Denny has some questions about dried lager yeast - can you help him out? In the Lab, we get an update on the IBU test Denny’s operating through. And then finally we hit the list - we talk about how “well” we did last year and what we plan to try and win at this year! You listeners also had a bunch of suggestions for resolutions, so let’s see! Finally, we close out with a pair of new history podcasts from Drew and get you on your merry way!
There is so much going on now with yeast genome studies, it will take some time for the information to be disseminated.
I have seen that WLP-800, the Pilsner Urquell strain was found to be an ale strain. PU pitches that in the high 30s if the tour guide could be believed.
Great! And I’ll be watching your posts teasing the podcasts more closely. Really have enjoyed the ones I’ve listened to. On the subject, I wonder if further study will find no bright lines classifying yeast? Once it was assumed all brewing yeast was cerevisiae, just every strain behaved a little differently. Maybe that wasn’t so far off. At any rate I guess it doesn’t matter what you call it when you choose the yeast that suits your brew!
This is a quite new classification for lager yeasts, and the sources from where we isolated or received the strains all claimed that the three of them were true lagers. The behavior of the strains were also compatible with lager strains. However, before informing the yeasts are S. pastorianus, we decided to check by ourselves the entire genome. We have sequenced the complete genome of the strains. This project finished less than 2 months ago, and confirmed the three of them are Saccharomyces pastorianus. In addition, the three of them belongs to the Frohberg type.
We are now in the process to change all the documentation.
For whatever it’s worth, I’d already decided that I really do not like Saf"lager" W-34/70 at any ferm temperature. It’s just not a great lager yeast, not in my experience. It’s had plenty of chances but never has impressed as well as WLP830, WLP833, Wyeast 2206, or Wyeast 2308. It ain’t the same. I’m trying hard to find good dry yeasts, but… this one didn’t cut it for me. Soon I shall try S-189.
I use W-34/70 exclusively. The liquid yeast is indistinguishable accross suppliers (Whit Labs, Wyeast…) IME, but the dry “34/70” is quite different, and I find it unacceptable. I really was warming to the idea of a dry yeast that would be a viable alternative source, but no go.
Just to follow up…on Episode 59 next Wed. 1/31 we talk to Dr. Bryan Heit, a microbiologist, about lager yeast. He confirms that all lager yeast have a greater or lesser cerevisiae component. Listen next Wed. for details.
