First AG Galaxy Single Hop Brew

[nbpicklesno2]

With the Adnams yeast, it may be a good idea to top crop the FV possibly three times, 12 hour, 24 hour and 36 hour (use the second crop for your next brew) and see if that kept the excessive krausen at bay a little.

 

[MyQul]

If you really want to observe the magnificence of your brew.Cover the FV with cling film and you can look at it anytime you like without risk

 

[Tony1951]

Yeast: planning to use some Adnams yeast recovered from Ghost Ship Keg

Just noticed this remark in your first post in the thread Dudeness, sir...... I bet this is the cause of the problem.... Just thinking aloud here, if you can say that while typing silent thoughts.

 

[HisDudeness]

Why do you think that would be the problem? The yeast starters I cultured from it didn't develop the mould and I still have a jar in fridge that seems fine

 

[HisDudeness]

With the Adnams yeast, it may be a good idea to top crop the FV possibly three times, 12 hour, 24 hour and 36 hour (use the second crop for your next brew) and see if that kept the excessive krausen at bay a little.

Think this is definitely a good idea the krausen picked up a lot of trub and other crap that kind of congealed into a solid mass on the top, scooping this off would probably help it drop out and not go rank!

 

[Tony1951]

Why do you think that would be the problem? The yeast starters I cultured from it didn't develop the mould and I still have a jar in fridge that seems fine

OK - I must be wrong then. I. didn't know those facts. It would be interesting to see how they do in a wort. Thanks for the info.

 

[HisDudeness]

OK - I must be wrong then. I. didn't know those facts. It would be interesting to see how they do in a wort. Thanks for the info.

Sorry if that came across a bit abrupt was just typing out a quick answer at work, just wondered if you had some experience of using keg yeast that was similar. From what I can gather online it seems to be a fairly safe method of harvesting yeast, just like bottle cultures but on a bigger scale I.e the yeast should be kept sterile under the beer so unlikely to be the source of mould unless it's been left open to the air for a while

 

[Tony1951]

Sorry if that came across a bit abrupt was just typing out a quick answer at work, just wondered if you had some experience of using keg yeast that was similar. From what I can gather online it seems to be a fairly safe method of harvesting yeast, just like bottle cultures but on a bigger scale I.e the yeast should be kept sterile under the beer so unlikely to be the source of mould unless it's been left open to the air for a while

Don't worry at all Dude. I didn't take it that way. I was just guessing without enough info at hand about the process. I hope you get to the bottom of it.

 

[HisDudeness]

So found a couple of bottles that looked pretty clear of mould and had them in the fridge for a few days to try it out. Couldn't resist a test while brewing my porter earlier and considering the mould and only being in the bottle for 11 days its looking pretty good!

A little bit young tasting and could be a bit more carbonated but that said I am pretty chuffed its clear, fruity and crisp :grin: hopefully the bottles which have a bit of mould at the top wont be too badly affected if they taste like the first one and are going to improve over the next few weeks this batch wont be lasting very long!

Thanks again Clibit for inspiring another AG convert, you da man! :drunk:

 

[HisDudeness]

Been in the bottle over a month now and it's getting drunk pretty quickly now! First of all I think this brew is a great example of not being too hasty to chuck a batch down the drain, thanks to those who counselled the wait and see approach when what looked like terminal mould issues arose, I am so glad I didn't abandon this one as in the end it seems to have come through pretty much unharmed which is great considering it was my first AG brew. While sanitation is clearly a top priority this has also made me realise that beer is actually pretty resilient and is quite difficult to completely ruin if you follow a sound method.
In this case what I think was mould forming in bottles eventually seemed to disappear and drop back into the sediment and didn't seem to have a major effect on taste. I think it might have affected carbonation though as it is lacking a bit of fizz and needs pouring in from a height to get a decent head on it.

Taste wise it is very nice and similar to Old Golden Hen which was the sort of flavour I was aiming for. There is a subtle spicy note from the Adnams yeast which is quite distinct, the Galaxy hops have a lovely fruit salad flavour with melon the predominant taste for me. If I did it again I wouldn't waste them on bittering though and would use purely as a late addition. I like the character from the Adnams yeast but I'm not sure I will use it too much more it clumps together and form solid islands of krausen that won't drop out and in this case provided a medium for infection. It also stays very loose in the bottle and doesn't compact at all which makes it a bit of a pain to pour. On the plus side it is very attenuative and a fast fermenter. Overall it's better than any kit beer and comparable to a commercial beer the first of many hopefully!