What’s on the go?

I have family coming in at the end of the month, so I am brewing up a simple Bitter/Mild tomorrow. Pale malt, a little crystal, oats, Goldings hops and S-04. Should have it fermented out over the weekend, condition and keg. Should be a tasty session beer for the summer.

Every now and then lately, on a couple batches, people have been telling me they get a slight banana sensation even though I’m using 001 and keeping the temp cool (66-ish, I’d say). Online searches seem to suggest some sort of yeast straining from lack of starter, lack of oxygenation, or wrong temps. I know I have the temps right, and I make a 2000mL starter, but all I do for oxy is shake the carboy... I do get lazy and sometimes do a stirplate and sometimes not, so there’s that.

Thoughts?

Originally posted by drowland
Every now and then lately, on a couple batches, people have been telling me they get a slight banana sensation even though I’m using 001 and keeping the temp cool (66-ish, I’d say). Online searches seem to suggest some sort of yeast straining from lack of starter, lack of oxygenation, or wrong temps. I know I have the temps right, and I make a 2000mL starter, but all I do for oxy is shake the carboy... I do get lazy and sometimes do a stirplate and sometimes not, so there’s that.

Thoughts?

Do you get that character?

Maybe they have no palate.

Originally posted by CLevar
Do you get that character?

Maybe they have no palate.

If it were me I might switch to a different strain and see what happens. US-05, maybe use two packs just to be sure you get your cell counts. I never do anything to oxygenate beyond pouring it from the brew pot, and stirring after pouring in the yeast for about 20 seconds. I guess I also do stir quite a bit while it’s cooling.

I usually use WL001 with a 2000mL starter, sometimes with a stir plate, sometimes not.

Pretty big weekend for MatSciGuy and I-

5x10gal batches of dark sour (currently fermenting in a freshly emptied red wine barrel, 4th beer we have put in there)
10 gal of a black ale fermenting on a gen 2 yeast cake
10 gal of black ale racked to a whiskey barrel with buckwheat honey (the additional beer will be used to top the barrel up further)
5 gal of sour cherry imperial porter bottled
5 gal of barrel aged rye saison bottled.
5 gal of a barrel aged sour beer racked onto black raspberries
5 gal of a barrel aged sour beer racked onto dragonfruit (Thanks Homer!)
40 gal of a "Hoppy Hefe" (Not really...only 20% wheat) raked to kegs and carboys.
40 gal of a barrel aged sour beer racked to our pharmaceutical tank so we could free up the barrel.

Jesus...that looks like a lot when written down

Cold crashing the first dry hopping of a ~4% abv pale ale loaded with Galaxy.

Brewed a triple batch of a light Czech lager - shooting for ~3.5% abv, loaded with Saaz. Two fermenters on WLP833, and the third with a Hill Farmstead culture that I use occasionally for saisons.

Bottled a flanders red and reused a portion of the roeselare to ferment a sour porter. This will be the third go around with this yeast.