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Just read this from our good friend Nosybear,
http://appliedzymurgy.com/2014/10/29/an ... xperiment/
And It got me thinking. I regularly re use my yeast for about 10 generations, before tossing it and starting out fresh. This has worked well for me, as I wash and re pitch at proper rates, and if anything seems sour or nasty, I don't use it.
However, this weeks brewing involved a wlp 001 cal ale yeast about 5 generations in, And I noticed that although the last two beers were well fermented and taste fine, they have been reluctant to clear. My American Amber Ale, kegged three weeks ago and cold stored from that time is still slightly cloudy, and the Honey Blonde Ale kegged this weekend was just as cloudy going in to the keg after three weeks in the fermenter. The American Brown, which is the beer before the Amber, is crystal clear, so it was only the last two beers. Perhaps in the washing process, I collected a mutation that tends not to drop out as easy, and it has propagated to the point of being dominant, or at least plentiful enough to effect clarity. If indeed that is the case, I don't believe that this characteristic will diminish, and any future beers will be slightly hazy.
To be safe I tossed the yeast and started fresh. Something that home brewers can do easily, that commercial breweries find cost prohibitive.
Thanks Nosy for the getting my mind working in that direction. Love your blog.
http://appliedzymurgy.com/2014/10/29/an ... xperiment/
And It got me thinking. I regularly re use my yeast for about 10 generations, before tossing it and starting out fresh. This has worked well for me, as I wash and re pitch at proper rates, and if anything seems sour or nasty, I don't use it.
However, this weeks brewing involved a wlp 001 cal ale yeast about 5 generations in, And I noticed that although the last two beers were well fermented and taste fine, they have been reluctant to clear. My American Amber Ale, kegged three weeks ago and cold stored from that time is still slightly cloudy, and the Honey Blonde Ale kegged this weekend was just as cloudy going in to the keg after three weeks in the fermenter. The American Brown, which is the beer before the Amber, is crystal clear, so it was only the last two beers. Perhaps in the washing process, I collected a mutation that tends not to drop out as easy, and it has propagated to the point of being dominant, or at least plentiful enough to effect clarity. If indeed that is the case, I don't believe that this characteristic will diminish, and any future beers will be slightly hazy.
To be safe I tossed the yeast and started fresh. Something that home brewers can do easily, that commercial breweries find cost prohibitive.
Thanks Nosy for the getting my mind working in that direction. Love your blog.