Any guesses on what this is? Fermentis S189 perhaps?
So far have brewed with their German and Berlin and results have been great.
Considering it’s called Baja, I would assume it’s in the Mexican lager world. If that’s true, it makes me doubtful it’s S189. But that’s a lot of guessing on my part.
Yes, the Baja name is confusing. I was guessing 189 based on the assumption their German and Berlin are Fermentis 34/70 and S23 respectively. All guesses though……
From that page:
My guess would be a dry version of Omega 113 or White Labs 940 which happens to be one of my favorite lager yeast strains and the strain I am brewing with right now. This is supposed to be Modelo’s yeast. Somewhere in there Wyeast came out with a liquid yeast called Mexicana (or something) and I feel like it was Wyeast 2005. It was NOT like 940 so my guess on that was it was from the other large Mexican brewery that makes Dos Equis, Sol, etc. Cerveceria Moctezuma. So this MoreBeer yeast is one of those two strains… that’s my guess. I always said that if someone came out with a dry equivalent of 940 and also a dry equivalent of Omega Bayern, I would consider ditching liquid yeast altogether so this is good news.
I look forward to trying this dry Mex Lager yeast.
Just received a brick of this. Will report back when I brew up a batch.
I’d be surprised if Morebeer was tooling up a production run of a new dry strain. Fermentis yeast is available in 10KG packs so I’m betting the whole cellar science line is a repack. But……I could be wrong!
Someone on another board mentioned this “repacking” and also went as far as saying that this yeast is actually Lallemand Diamond which is mind-blowing because I was hoping it was a dry version of WLP940/Omega 113.
Which board is this on? I haven’t been able to find any chatter on this yeast yet.
Has anyone contacted morebeer.com, and asked about this yeast?
HERE. Many of the same people that hang here.
18 hours ago denny said:
"Considering that I have yet to find a dry yeast that’s really close to the liquid equivalent, don’t get your hopes up too soon
Ken replied: “True. I like Diamond but I don’t think I get the same OOMPH! as I do with 2124.”
Stand by for a full split batch analysis of these two yeasts. Diamond vs 2124, a brewing yeast shootout.
As for this topic here on this thread, I am skeptical. Very skeptical.
That was me that postulated it might be Diamond repackaged. I don’t know anything. I believe Cellar Science repackages all their yeasts and noticed there was a question/answer on the Baja product web page about Diamond pitch rates. Why discuss Diamond pitch rates on the Baja page?
Definitely some degree of confusion on the website as to recommended fermentation temperatures - in one spot it is 48-50F, in another it is 64-72F. I am guessing that it is more like 48-58F for the recommended range, but that is just a WAG on my part.
Your points are valid. There is some confusion. I’ll post the reply I get from MoreBeer (if I get one…) here so we’re all on the same page. I hope the guys at Cellar Science aren’t rebranding some other strain as “Mexican” thinking that homebrewers will snatch it up because it’s the first and only dry Mexican lager yeast available. I will be quite disappointed and discouraged if that’s what they’re doing here.
What is it that makes a Mexican lager yeast different than say a German one?
Or different from a Bavarian one? An American one?
That is the million dollar question.
I can’t say for sure but do you brew with different lager yeasts and notice a difference in their character? There is something about 940 that is very distinct to my tastebuds. I can say the same about 2124. I can’t put my finger on it but I know it’s there. Also, 2308/838 has a very distinct character that I can pick out in a commercial beer. I can’t describe it with words. Also, I’ll go back to what I said: AFAIK there is no dry yeast out there marketed as a Mexican lager yeast but this one is marketed that way. So if you’re suggesting that this could be a German yeast then why not say so? Because they want to get people interested in the first and only dry Mexican yeast on the market? That would be underhanded, IMO. Your question could be stated as what makes a Czech lager yeast different from an American strain or any other combination. We brew with what is appropriate for the style (at least I typically do) so words matter. Sure I have made a helles with 940 and it came out great but I knew there were probably more suitable yeast strains out there for a helles including Bayern, 2124, 2308 and a number of others.
When it gets right down to it, how much real, that is, able-to-taste-the-difference, exists between lager yeasts?
Not talking about dry vs wet, but dry vs dry, and wet vs wet.
I am willing to bet there is little difference that the average beer drinker can reliably detect.
Yes, I notice differences, but a lot less than in ale yeast. Very minor differences. But why is “Mexican lager yeast” a big deal? We habv no idea of this is 940 originally, and even if it was, if it produces beer anything like 940 does. I worry less about the name and more about the beer it produces. And yeah, what makes a Czech lager yeast different than an American one? Shouldn’t they be chosen based on results, not name?
I agree