What's Brewing this Weekend?

This sounds incredible. Love 1469.

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Yesterday I brewed a Rauchbier. Smoked the grains last Friday over Beechwood. 11 gallon batch into the fermentators at 1.055. 90% Pils, 10% Munich. Added 10 oz. chocolate rye to the Vorlauf for color. 34/70 and S-189 blend pitched at 48F.

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Why blend the two? I generally use 34/70 for average-strength lagers and S-189 for high gravity, but never considered using both at once. For me, the only difference is that S-189 seems to take longer to attenuate, but I’ve achieved 11% with the Hurlimann strain, so it’s definitely a workhorse. Rauch recipe with home smoked malt sounds amazing.

To me, 34/70 is crisper than 189. 189 comes off fuller with more malt emphasis.

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I’ve brewed Raichbiers with S-189, and liked the malt and smoke expression. I’ve done 34/70 yeasts in Raichbiers and those finish dry. Matheis Trump has stated the use a blend of 34/70 and another Weihenstephaner strain. So I said why not try this, as I had plenty of both on hand.

Very cool, I’m not a fan enough of smoked beers to brew (let alone finish) an entire Corny, but I may try your yeast blending technique with my next Maibock. Malty, dry, and strong is right in my wheelhouse.

I started blending yeasts several years ago and have been very happy with the results. We all know what the price of liquid yeast is these days. :roll_eyes: As I brew 10 gallon batches, I usually use two different yeast strains for each five gallons that goes into the fermenters, then when I rack the finished beer into kegs, I then dump the yeast from both fermenters into a single growler, topped with a can of PBR. Blended yeast! I used to separate the yeast cakes, but then I was stuck with two growlers occupying space in the keezer.

When I next brew 10 gallons of a similar style, I will just split the stored blended yeast into the two primary fermenters. I have done this with Belgian yeasts (saisons and Trappists), British ales, and German lager yeasts with great results. This spring I plan to brew Belgian singles split with WY3787 and Omega Saisonstein, then using the stored blended yeasts eventually in a 1.080 tripel-like wort. Pretty confident that these beers will rock.

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I’ll report back after lagering as to how I think the 2 yeasts performed on the Rauchbier.

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I am brewing the @garyg Mai Mai Mai Bock recipe from Zymugy tomorrow. Gotta clean up the brewgarage today though….

Not brewing but just racked my oatmeal stout to my corny for secondary fermentation

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