Duff yeast????

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timtoos
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Duff yeast????

Post by timtoos » Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:50 am

Hi all,

Brewed a Taylors landlord clone the other day and used Wyeast 1469 yeast. This yeast was cropped from a batch of beer I made a few months ago. I made a starter with it and it took off after 24 hours on a stir plate and I ended up with what look like a healthy starter.

I brewed this on Sat 9/10/21 and the fermentation took off well, dropping to 1.022 by Monday. However, it appears to have now stalled, at about 1.018.

The OG was 1.044.

The mash temperature was 66C.

This was the first crop from the original yeast so its not generations old.

Looking at my notes on the previous brew, I had the same issues with it seems a stuck fermentation. The notes mention that I roused, so I roused this brew last night and again this morning as there is no airlock activity, no change in gravity but theres a bit of yeast on top.

Its the typical landlord grain bill as what MM sell.

Do you think its a yeast issue? Is it worth getting another pack of 1469? Other brews ferment well so I think the braumeister temperature probe is ok.

Thanks

timtoos
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Re: Duff yeast????

Post by timtoos » Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:02 am

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Just checking my tilt log and it appears the beer gravity has dropped in a big way - no showing 1.013 whereas before a manual test showed 1.018 when the tilt was reading 1.020/1.019.

You can see on the tilt log that its dropped since I last roused this morning. Not done a manual test since but the trace shows how static the gravity was until it was roused.

Could it be a layering effect - never had that before? I cant see it fermenting so much in such a short period of time.

PS, the arrow pointing to the black line shows manual test results.

timtoos
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Re: Duff yeast????

Post by timtoos » Wed Oct 13, 2021 1:35 pm

Nah, its back to where it was. Most likely the tilt settling back down. It took a few hours but its now reading where it was before the beer was roused.

The mash temperature was correct according to the recipe so yeast? Anyone else had yeast like this? Other 1469's I've had over the years have just eaten through and finished, not seem to stall like this one.
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Eric
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Re: Duff yeast????

Post by Eric » Wed Oct 13, 2021 2:24 pm

I've not used 1469, but have extensively used British sourced Yorkshire yeasts and other similar British yeasts.

The first time I used what was said to be a yeast of equivalent origin to Timothy Taylors, within hours of pitching there was a massive head. So I sat back and waited what I thought was sufficient time for the yeast to finish and sampled the gravity. The wort was clear and the gravity only a few points down. So I roused it and waited again to find a repeat of the first stage.

If 1469 is a genuine Yorkshire type yeast it needs regular rousing and temperature should be allowed to slowly rise until it reaches 22 or 23C. The temperature at which I pitch varies, but is often 18C although is often colder in winter with both yeast and wort within a degree or two. By the following morning there will be a decent krausen which will be lifted and doused back using a large sterilised spoon. (I should automate this process.) This is repeated about every 3 hours until the depth of yeast is starting to decline, usually the following day, and after a satisfactory gravity reading the yeast is cropped to leave a thinner covering for protection. When gravity is a point or two above racking gravity, the green beer is allowed to slowly cool to cellar temperature for racking a week from brewday.

Tilt have their purposes, but also have their limitations and I am happier the read the yeast cap and taking samples for gravity readings. I don't think your yeast is duff, but could probably be better if regrown from a small sample in new wort well enriched with nutrients. Suggest you raise the temperature then give the yeast a good rousing.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.

timtoos
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Re: Duff yeast????

Post by timtoos » Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:13 pm

Thanks Eric. Great advice. I did another rouse this evening and did raise the temperature up to 21C, so I am glad I'm doing what you suggest. I will up the temperature again tomorrow and hopefully do another rouse.

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Eric
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Re: Duff yeast????

Post by Eric » Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:11 pm

timtoos wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 6:13 pm
Thanks Eric. Great advice. I did another rouse this evening and did raise the temperature up to 21C, so I am glad I'm doing what you suggest. I will up the temperature again tomorrow and hopefully do another rouse.
Try one rouse at a time.Observe how yeast responds to your inputs. Parting the yeast covering will expose any activity. I use the laser beam on a cheap infrared thermometer to observe below surface yeast activity when the yeast cap isn't in continual replenishment, but this might depend on clear wort from the kettle.

Living in the North East I rarely need refrigeration during fermenting, insulation and heating mostly provide suitable fermentation temperatures. Unroused Yorkshire yeasts will just slowly tick over unless flocculating top covering is returned into the wort. This enables fermentation to be brought to all but a standstill at the brewer's will by not rousing, then the beer will clear as it cools to cellar temperature, there is no need to chill provided the wort was clear from the kettle.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.

timtoos
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Re: Duff yeast????

Post by timtoos » Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:14 pm

Thanks Eric. There is so much to learn :-)

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Eric
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Re: Duff yeast????

Post by Eric » Wed Oct 13, 2021 8:00 pm

timtoos wrote:
Wed Oct 13, 2021 7:14 pm
Thanks Eric. There is so much to learn :-)
Always is, always will be.
Without patience, life becomes difficult and the sooner it's finished, the better.

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