Workhorse Yeast

[W0nderW0man]

I decided to start a new thread as it may attract different readers than my previous thread about stirring or not.

So I made a lager and tried the Workhorse yeast with it. I let it ferment at 18-19 degrees and it seemed alright but also seemed to slow down quite quickly. I didn't measure the gravity until day 12, at which point it had fallen from og 1.042 to 1.016 (or 1.014, was hard to read because it was so thick). I put it near the radiator for a few days and swirled it a little and it seemed like it either came back to life or the CO2 got woken up. I measure the gravity two days ago and it was the same, today at day 16 it still is 1.016 when measure the glupy stuff from the bottom, or 1.014 if I leave the sample to settle a little. (it may as well have been 1.014 4 days ago).

it really should be as far down as 1.010 according to the recipe builder, so I'm not sure if it's stuck or finished. I really would like to use the fermenter tomorrow.

Has anyone had any experience with this yeast? I heard both good and bad and decided to give it a try.

 

[VillageBrew]

It's in my Cereal Beer which has got a week or so to go in the garage before I tuck into it.... Once I break into a couple of bottles I'll let you know how it's been behaving.

 

[W0nderW0man]

It's in my Cereal Beer which has got a week or so to go in the garage before I tuck into it.... Once I break into a couple of bottles I'll let you know how it's been behaving.

How did it perform for you during fermentation? I know it sounds daft but I would really like to bottle it tomorrow as I need the fermenter... To be honest, I may not have had as good an efficiency as the recipe suggested so I may never reach the suggested 1.010.

 

[VillageBrew]

Yep - I had a similar experience, but there is probably quite a lot of unfermentable material in my beer (mainly from oats). Once it stayed down at 1.014 for a day or two I dropped it into the mini kegs. It only took about 4 - 5 days to get down to that.

 

[W0nderW0man]

Yep - I had a similar experience, but there is probably quite a lot of unfermentable material in my beer (mainly from oats). Once it stayed down at 1.014 for a day or two I dropped it into the mini kegs. It only took about 4 - 5 days to get down to that.

I think mine was quite quick, too. After two days I saw a krausen, that was gone after half a day or so, then it smelled a bit "sour" (just the normal kind from fermentation) and gassy, and that was it then. but I didn't take any samples until day 12...

It is a very cloudy beer, which I usually don't mind, but this one being a pale Pils I really would have liked it a bit clearer, but well... It might still clear out some more as it does have a high floc. it tasted very yeasty on day 12, today it tastes really nice. very light (so I do think that my efficiency may not have been very high)


edit: So... when I do bottle, should I leave the bottles indoors for another week or two to condition until I move them into the garage?

 

[LarryF]

WW, I use it as a warm weather yeast as it's got a high temperature tolerance, I use this and the Mauribrew 514 over the summer months as I don't have temperature control to lower the temp, no brew fridge just a heat band and a timer. Saying that though I've got a packet left from over from the summer so I'm using it on my current brew as the pack goes out of date before the hot weather temps will kick in this year but it's been in the fridge since I got it. The krausen on it's not the same as it was over the summer months but quite dense, I'm now running the FV at 20-21c and it seems to be going well, I'll know more next weekend when I take a SG reading. Both this and the Mauribrew are brilliant over the summer months, you don't have to worry about temperature spikes as they can handle it without producing off tastes. I recently let a batch using Safale S05 get to 27.3c (idiot that I am) and have ended up with something that tastes like I should rub it on instead of drink it, a real medicine taste, a very unforgiving yeast. With some lemonade and lime cordial I can just about get away with it. Anyway back to the workhorse, I used the dry pack and the trub over the summer, on my first brew I got 93% attenuation but that seemed very high to me at the time but I did have an FG of 1004. Using the trub I got an attenuation rate of 83% which at that time of year is what I'd expect, them yeasties do love the warm.

 

[VillageBrew]

Judging by my experience with it I would say you are safe to bottle now. I then left mine indoors for two weeks and am trying to be patient enough to leave in the garage for two full weeks (can't guarantee that will happen...)

Mine is also quite cloudy (still) but I put that down to my BIAB inexperience and not planning ahead enough to account for volume lost to trub, boil off etc. As a result I ended up adding a lot of trub into the fermenter, so I'm not expecting a crystal clear brew. I'm not using any fining as I'm trying to keep to minimal additional ingredients.

 

[W0nderW0man]

WW, I use it as a warm weather yeast as it's got a high temperature tolerance, I use this and the Mauribrew 514 over the summer months as I don't have temperature control to lower the temp, no brew fridge just a heat band and a timer. Saying that though I've got a packet left from over from the summer so I'm using it on my current brew as the pack goes out of date before the hot weather temps will kick in this year but it's been in the fridge since I got it. The krausen on it's not the same as it was over the summer months but quite dense, I'm now running the FV at 20-21c and it seems to be going well, I'll know more next weekend when I take a SG reading. Both this and the Mauribrew are brilliant over the summer months, you don't have to worry about temperature spikes as they can handle it without producing off tastes. I recently let a batch using Safale S05 get to 27.3c (idiot that I am) and have ended up with something that tastes like I should rub it on instead of drink it, a real medicine taste, a very unforgiving yeast. With some lemonade and lime cordial I can just about get away with it. Anyway back to the workhorse, I used the dry pack and the trub over the summer, on my first brew I got 93% attenuation but that seemed very high to me at the time but I did have an FG of 1004. Using the trub I got an attenuation rate of 83% which at that time of year is what I'd expect, them yeasties do love the warm.

Thank you. I do think that the "low" temp of 18-19 didn't help, but I wanted it to be as clean tasting as possible for the lager. So how long does it usually take for your ferments then? does it sound like my brew is stuck or do you think it may just be done? I guess if it's stuck there's nothing I can do and may as well bottle it?

 

[W0nderW0man]

Judging by my experience with it I would say you are safe to bottle now. I then left mine indoors for two weeks and am trying to be patient enough to leave in the garage for two full weeks (can't guarantee that will happen...)

Mine is also quite cloudy (still) but I put that down to my BIAB inexperience and not planning ahead enough to account for volume lost to trub, boil off etc. As a result I ended up adding a lot of trub into the fermenter, so I'm not expecting a crystal clear brew. I'm not using any fining as I'm trying to keep to minimal additional ingredients.

haha i did exactly the same! I accidently poured the whole lot in the fermenter and then realised I should have kept back a litre or so with the trub... so yeah, one other reason my brew is a bit cloudier, and I didn't use moss or anything.

I think I will try and let it run through a mussling bag or something to keep the worst out. Might just call it a Bohemian Summer Pilsner

 

[LarryF]

I've very recently started doing a 3 week ferment, I had a Wherry that I used Mauribrew 514 trub on and gave it two weeks in the FV and ended up with bottles that are fizzing up when I crack them, raising the yeast and I'd primed them with 1/2tsp of sugar. I released the pressure on them all and re-sealed them and two weeks later they're fine but it did get me thinking that if the Wherry had had three weeks in the FV this would never have occurred. I do believe as well that the longer ferment period helps with clearing the beer. If your brew is stuck you have options but you've covered off the most obvious, you've stirred it and moved it somewhere warmer, so as I see it you've got two choices, you can stir in 1tsp of yeast nutrient but however good your sanitation is it's an infection risk. Or, you could just leave it, give it three weeks in the FV and then bottle/keg it and I think if you do you'll end up with something very nice. It's funny, I've always found the cheapest and most important ingredient in HBing is the hardest one to deal with, patience, such a pity I can't order that online.

 

[W0nderW0man]

Haha you say it! Thanks for your advice. I will think about what to do and take another sample tomorrow too. I sterilised the bottles and stuff, they're waiting in the oven, so i may just go ahead and bottle it... I guess I could open one in a week and see... I've got experience with "bottle bombs" lol, as I overprimed my first AG brew and it just seems to get worse every time I open a bottle and the swing tops shoot off into the garden! (I open them outdoors lol=) although I did prime them according to the brewersfriend priming calculator.