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- Sep 21, 2017
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I've noticed that there isn't a lot of empirical / anecdotal information about experiences with the Darkness strain by Imperial. So, figured that I'd share some of my early experiences and continue to add to what I'm observing.
I brewed an oatmeal stout yesterday morning with a grain bill of 50% maris otter / 10% flaked oats / 9% each of victory and pale choc / ~5% each of C60 and midnight wheat. cascade and willamette for slight bitterness and complexity and a late addition of fuggles for dirt (IBU ~34). targeted 1.062 OG, hit 1.064 OG with a 90 min mash @ 1.6 qts/lb. conversion was stubborn but it got there somewhere between 60 and 90 mins.
local brew store didn't have the wyeast 1084 (irish) and i've been underwhelmed by WLP (too much fruitiness in their strains, even at lower temps) so i decided to go with Imperial's Darkness. 200B cells versus 100B which was a better pitch fit for my OG and volume. The temperature range 62-72 was much more flexible than the WLP equivalent (65-68). $2 more than WLP pack and $3 more than wyeast but i only had to purchase one pouch so it was really a savings in the end.
cooled wort to low 60's. poured about 1.5 gallons of wort through a brew bag to aerate and then pitched the yeast. yeast instructions said to store cold/pitch cold but i noticed that a little late and had the pouch at ambient (68 deg F) for a couple hours. aerated/swirled for a minute or two and then added the rest of the wort through the same brew bag for more air entrainment. Pitch time was around noon.
moved wort to a room where the ambient temp was in the upper 50's so i added a small heat pad w/ temperature controller to bring the temperature back up to 62 deg F. when i checked on things this morning at 7:30 am (not even 24 hours later), a 1.5" to 2" layer of krausen had formed and bubbling activity was steady in the blowoff bucket. Temperature had risen to 66 deg F. The sensor is taped to the exterior of the glass carboy with some insulation to isolate the cool ambient air.
Compared to my experience with WLP yeasts, the early activity at the lower range of the temperatures is a welcomed site. Previous ferments with WLP have taken 36 to 48 hours to achieve this level of fermentation when starting in the low 60's.
Like I said, these are my experiences early on in the process so far and I'm looking forward to seeing what the flavor profile will be. So far, so good. I'd be interested to hear what others have experienced with Darkness (e.g. ester/phenol balance, malt/hop accentuation, etc).
I brewed an oatmeal stout yesterday morning with a grain bill of 50% maris otter / 10% flaked oats / 9% each of victory and pale choc / ~5% each of C60 and midnight wheat. cascade and willamette for slight bitterness and complexity and a late addition of fuggles for dirt (IBU ~34). targeted 1.062 OG, hit 1.064 OG with a 90 min mash @ 1.6 qts/lb. conversion was stubborn but it got there somewhere between 60 and 90 mins.
local brew store didn't have the wyeast 1084 (irish) and i've been underwhelmed by WLP (too much fruitiness in their strains, even at lower temps) so i decided to go with Imperial's Darkness. 200B cells versus 100B which was a better pitch fit for my OG and volume. The temperature range 62-72 was much more flexible than the WLP equivalent (65-68). $2 more than WLP pack and $3 more than wyeast but i only had to purchase one pouch so it was really a savings in the end.
cooled wort to low 60's. poured about 1.5 gallons of wort through a brew bag to aerate and then pitched the yeast. yeast instructions said to store cold/pitch cold but i noticed that a little late and had the pouch at ambient (68 deg F) for a couple hours. aerated/swirled for a minute or two and then added the rest of the wort through the same brew bag for more air entrainment. Pitch time was around noon.
moved wort to a room where the ambient temp was in the upper 50's so i added a small heat pad w/ temperature controller to bring the temperature back up to 62 deg F. when i checked on things this morning at 7:30 am (not even 24 hours later), a 1.5" to 2" layer of krausen had formed and bubbling activity was steady in the blowoff bucket. Temperature had risen to 66 deg F. The sensor is taped to the exterior of the glass carboy with some insulation to isolate the cool ambient air.
Compared to my experience with WLP yeasts, the early activity at the lower range of the temperatures is a welcomed site. Previous ferments with WLP have taken 36 to 48 hours to achieve this level of fermentation when starting in the low 60's.
Like I said, these are my experiences early on in the process so far and I'm looking forward to seeing what the flavor profile will be. So far, so good. I'd be interested to hear what others have experienced with Darkness (e.g. ester/phenol balance, malt/hop accentuation, etc).