Newbie question about Yeast

[arkansascontrols]

I successfully completed my first batch of Home brew a couple of weeks ago. I used an LME Pale Ale from Coopers, with included yeast, added some white sugar and Honey to the Wort (no steeping grains), and ended up with a batch of beer that while very much drinkable, is not quite what I was hoping for.

I'm definitely planning a second batch in the near future and have been considering a few options that I would like some advise on. First of all, it's important to understand that I'm a contractor working in the Middle East, specifically in a country where Alcohol is illegal. I have very secure and private quarters and the basic requirements for brewing, albeit some of them improvisations.

Based on what is actually available, my second batch will by necessity have to be an all-grain brew, in fact, I will very likely have to malt the barley myself, as crystal malt doesn't appear to be available. Yeast is available, but as you might expect Brewers yeast is not, so I'm limited to whatever types of Bakers yeast is available at the local markets.

I know I won't get a "Great" Beer with the limited resources available, but I'm hoping I can get at least a decent beer, to wash down the desert dust in the afternoons after work. The large can of Coopers LME I brought over with me, made almost 3 cases of beer, but with 4 contractors whittling the supply down, we are going to need to replenish the stock soon.

So, without further ado, here is what I have and what I know is available, any suggestions that might improve the outcome would be appreciated.

I have a 38 Liter Insulated Water cooler that I modified for my fermenter. It seals air tight and I have an Airlock installed. I have siphon hoses etc. for bottling.
I have 10 Liter cooking pot and stainless steel spoons, measuring cups etc.
I can buy whole grains, Barley, Wheat, Rye etc. but have not been able to find Hops.
I have cookie sheets, and an oven, as well as a nice cabinet perfect for Soaking and germinating my grains.

As far as yeast goes, I can get the Active Dry yeast for baking, as well as some "Instant Yeast" that comes in a small can and would have to be measured. Some of the locals use both varieties for making their "Wine-Beer" and Wine. One common system used here by the locals is to take Non-Alcoholic beer, poor it into a makeshift fermenter and toss in a little sugar and baking yeast. I haven't personally tasted it, but I can't imagine it being too good. They drink it Flat, decanting it like wine several times and sometimes filtering it though coffee filters. They call it Wine-Beer. The wine I've tasted here has a fairly strong yeast taste, reminiscent of bread that is right on the verge of molding.

I'm pretty sure I can pull off the Barley Malting process in my quarters, but I'm not sure about the flavor of the finished product made without Hops, and the yeast selection concerns me a bit. Any tips would be appreciated.

Regards,

EP

 

[evanvine]

AC
I think your best substitute for ale yeast is going to be the "Bloom" on fruit, apples etc.
This is a natural wild yeast and will not be as good as ale yeast, but if you save and wash the lees it will get better.
Best of luck!

 

[tubby_shaw]

Hi arkansascontrols and welcome to the forum :
Firstly I feel it is important to say that as a forum we are unable to condone any activity that is illegal in your place of residence.
That being said as a purely theoretical exercise it is pretty challenging :hmm:
If you feel confident that you can malt and kiln your barley then you are going to have to find a substitute to bitter your beer, try searching for "gruit" on the web and see if any of the herbs listed are available locally.
With the equipment that you list you would also be limited to batch size by the amount of wort that you could boil in your 10L pan.
As for yeast I would go with the active dry bakers yeast as there will be less chance of an infection than trying to culture wild yeast, it will unfortunately leave a yeasty/bready tasting but as Evanvine alluded to if you take a quantity of the trub from the bottom of the fermenter and wash it as in this thread CLICKY it will adapt to its new role and produce a better tasting product eventually

 

[evanvine]

Thanks TS, wasn't sure how to do the clicky bit!

 

[evanvine]

What TS says about infection is a possibility, but when you consider that Wine and Cider makers world wide who use the wild yeast, without even rinsing the fruit, don't get infections I think I would go for it!

 

[Vossy1]

Welcome to the forum ac,

I'm quite looking forward to how your post pans out. It's very similar to our Back to Basics challenge, but a bit harder.
I totally agree with t_s and ev. I'd be looking for a herb with high acid/tannin levels.
I would imagine you'll have great access to herbs so it shouldn't be a problem.
If you get friendly with the local brewers they may be able to help you out :whistle:

 

[arkansascontrols]

Thanks so much for the feedback gentlemen, And of course, I understand and appreciate your stated position particularly as a moderator of the board. Interestingly enough, I did not realize that the yeast could be so easily harvested, had I known this a few weeks ago, I would have harvested the yeast from the Coopers Pale Ale I brewed. However, I do have one small can of Hopped LME from Mr. Beer, and the packet of yeast that came with it, that I could harvest after the fact.

The question this raises though, is how much yeast is enough for a batch? The Mr. Beer LME I have is for a 2 gallon batch, the Coopers LME was for a 23 Liter Batch (6 Gal) and the yeast packet was considerably larger. I was thinking of trying to malt enough barley for another 23 liter batch, would the harvested yeast from the small packet (2g I think) produce enough harvest able yeast during the fermentation of the 2 gallon batch to supply the yeast for the larger batch?

 

[arkansascontrols]

Ironically, even though the attitude toward alcohol is changing here, and mostly the authorities turn a blind eye to it, as the real emerging problem in KSA is Drug Use, people aren't brewing beer. Wine is popular among the closet fermenters here but as Americans discovered during prohibition the market tends to lean toward the black market commercial trade. There is a supply of consistent product here called Sadiki, which is more or less a Pure Grain Alcohol that is cut with Water, and used in mixers. It's clear and easily transported and stored in Water bottles, added to NA beer to provide alcohol content etc.

In my previous post I mentioned the 'wine-beer' that was made by fermenting NA beer, and the local wine produced using bakers yeast, that is pretty much the extent of what I've found here, and most people find it's more trouble than it's worth with the Sadiki available. So getting any help would be difficult. The locals that I've shared my brew with were absolutely amazed and interested in the process, but I'm not sure they would be willing to put the work into it, since they seem to be less concerned about Quality and Taste than they are about "getting a buzz".

Of course being from the Western world, I'm accustomed to a plethora of fine beers, wines and liquors to choose from and to me it's all about the quality. I've spent months at a time here without a drop to drink, and frankly prefer to remain dry rather than to drink the local alternative.

I will definitely update the forum on my progress with the All-Grain batch, and appreciate any and all suggestions that might improve the quality of my (Hypothetical) brew.

 

[Vossy1]

The question this raises though, is how much yeast is enough for a batch?

Mr Malty
Click o.k and select repitching from slurry on the tabs.

 

[evanvine]

The more yeast you pitch the sooner the ferment finishes.
In theory you could add 1 yeast cell and the brew would eventually ferment out.
However the dreaded oxygen would take its toll, the price being vinegar!

 

[Vossy1]

True, but there are issues with adding both too much, and too little yeast.

 

[evanvine]

You can't stop there Vossy :shock:
That's like putting me on the horse and not getting the ride :nono: