Bottle Harvest Success - Pacman Yeast

[guest1525228310]

Pacman yeast (maintained by Wyeast)is quite popular with some US brewers and is a yeast used by Rogue Brewery in Oregon.

 

 

One of my favorite beers is Rogues Dead Guy Ale. Interesting that Rogue describe it as a German Maibock style (which is a lager) but brew it with an ale yeast.

 

I picked up a bottle of Rogues Brutal IPA which also uses Pacman and brought back to Oz on a recent trip. We finally got around to knocking it over and chucking the dregs on the stir plate.

 

It took a while to get itself together but on second step up to 1L this morning after 6 hours it looks like a winner.

I will give it a run instead of US05 on my next clone of this beer.

 

[Wayne (Captain Yobbo)]

I am considering re culturing little creatures yeast and giving it a go in a few brews. The variety of yeasts available is astonishing and the yeast makes up most of the flavour profile so there are that many varieties to sample ha ha excuses to try different beers lol

[LordEoin]

I heard that some breweries use a different yeast for carbonation and bottle conditioning (paulaner sticks in me head for some reason).

Anyone know if this is true?

And if it is, what beers do it?

 

[guest1525228310]

While I too have read much speculation from posters that some breweries do this I have yet to see any conclusive argument.

 

In most cases it would seem to me to be a time wasting exercise by a brewery. Unless a brewer had some incredible super strain of yeast that they were trying to protect why would they go to the extent of filtering out all the yeast that is already there to introduce a different strain?

This would would seem to me to be adding another unnecessary step that must add costs and slow down production. The last thing a producer needs to do in a competitive marketplace is to raise the cost of production for no improvement in the quality of the product. In most cases breweries are trying to get their product to consumers as quickly as possible to free up the equipment for the next batch.

 

There are so many other variables that the brewery can keep commercial in confidence that make it extremely difficult for others to exactly replicate their product. Things like the details of the grainbills, water profiles, mashing details,boil times, hop schedules, fermentation temperatures, etc,etc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LordEoin]

why would they go to the extent of filtering out all the yeast that is already there to introduce a different strain?

This would would seem to me to be adding another unnecessary step that must add costs and slow down production.

They'd just need to kill it, then it would drop out.

 

Extracting your yeast strain is not hard or expensive in the grand scheme of things.

 

From there, it's just a matter of force carbonating the beer or just priming it and introducing another yeast.

 

For example, Budweiser. One of the most commercially viable beers, but I challenge any man here to grow their yeast from even a slab of cans of bud.

 

[Guest]

AFAIK, it is true, yeast is added back after it's filtered, the cost of having a brew sit and chilled is prohibitive so it's filtered and then the yeast is added back, not always the same yeast as the primary. AFAIK Coopers are one of the few that reintroduce the Primary strain.. I may have got things a little confused there but I think thats the tall and skinny of it.. no doubt Paul may be able to shed some clearer light on it.

[LordEoin]

Aye, it makes sense that some yeast will be better for fermentaion and others will be better for carbonation.

[Scottie]

I have read the same thing from some of the yeast doctors on AHB. Apparently the labs such as Wyeast and Whitelabs "steal" the yeast from craft brews the same way that home brewers do. I didn't know that [surprised .

 

A couple of the experienced brewers over there don't attempt to harvest from the bottle or rinse from the trub, they just purchase the appropriate strain split it and then step it up when they are ready to use it.

 

I find this yeast stuff very interesting. There is so much to learn about brewing that taking up this hobby must be a good brain exercise i.e good for your mental health as long as you don't drink too much [lol]

 

[guest1525228310]

They'd just need to kill it, then it would drop out.

 

Extracting your yeast strain is not hard or expensive in the grand scheme of things.

 

From there, it's just a matter of force carbonating the beer or just priming it and introducing another yeast.

 

For example, Budweiser. One of the most commercially viable beers, but I challenge any man here to grow their yeast from even a slab of cans of bud.

 

It is not just as simple as killing it and having it drop out. It would still need to be removed and that would entail filtration. How would you the kill the yeast in the fermenter ?

The process would need to be - filter it out then add it back. You only want yeast in the bottle if it is to be bottle conditioned / carbonated. Otherwise you aim for a bottle free of sediment of any kind.

If you are not bottle conditioning then you filter and pasteurize. Bottle conditioned beer is not pasteurized.

 

Budweiser lager is not bottle or can conditioned. It is pasteurized and I too will join your challenge to any man to grow yeast from a Bud can because all was yeast was filtered out before packaging and pasteurization. The last thing these big lager brewers want is a lot of unsightly yeast(dead or alive) cluttering up the bottom of a bottle or can.

 

[LordEoin]

So basically, you agree with me that removal of the fermentation yeast is a simple and commercially viable process?

 

I think i've already covered your other points.

[guest1525228310]

 

I think i've already covered your other points.

 

How were you going to kill those yeast and have them drop out Lord?

[Hairy]

AFAIK' date=' it is true, yeast is added back after it's filtered, the cost of having a brew sit and chilled is prohibitive so it's filtered and then the yeast is added back, not always the same yeast as the primary. AFAIK Coopers are one of the few that reintroduce the Primary strain.. I may have got things a little confused there but I think thats the tall and skinny of it.. no doubt Paul may be able to shed some clearer light on it.[/quote']

I think you are right Yob. PB2 mentioned this in a thread about reculturing Coopers yeast.

 

The fresh yeast is introduced and therefore the yeast in the bottle has only gone through the secondary fermentation process where it only had to chomp through simple sugars.