Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my wheat?
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:27 pm
by brewjedi
I've had a batch of bottled Honey wheat in the fridge for 2 weeks after 2 weeks room temp and 2 week ferment(one week secondary + 2 day cold crash). If I pour it really careful I get clear beer but any jolt at all and I get sediment in suspension. Its 50% wheat, 25% pale, 25% pils in a 10 gallon batch + 4.5 lbs wild flower honey. Single infusion mash @153, vorluaf and fly sparge. The sparge was a little fast. I did pitch a crap ton of WLP001 CA Ale.
So there seems to be a less floculent yeast on top of a solid cake. Is this typical for wheat? Did I pick up something from sparging to fast?
Don't get me wrong, I'm not the one that minds haveing cloudy wheat beer, but I do want to understand why this is the only batch that has done this and I have to make it again because it's damn good. I have a lot of equipment and process options available to me so don't be shy about suggestions. Thanks in advance for your input.
Re: Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my whe
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 12:55 pm
by snowcapt
Its a wheat beer. Less flocculant yeast.
Re: Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my whe
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 1:57 pm
by spiderwrangler
snowcapt wrote:Its a wheat beer. Less flocculant yeast.
But he said he pitched WLP 001, yes? If it were wheat beer yeast, they would be less floccy... I would just give it longer in the ferementor.
Re: Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my whe
Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2012 3:56 pm
by snowcapt
Sorry I blew up.
Re: Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my whe
Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 1:15 am
by Ozwald
Or possibly precipitated proteins?
My only thought on the yeast side stems from:
brewjedi wrote:I did pitch a crap ton of WLP001 CA Ale.
Which leads me to believe it was a re-pitch or a starter. If it's a re-pitch I would ask how many generations & the procedure used in rinsing the yeast out. During my yeast experiments I did find that it's pretty easy to turn 001 into non-floccing dust.
Re: Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my whe
Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 7:27 am
by spiderwrangler
I was thinking proteins, but that's a good point that less flocculant 001 may have been selected for, especially if it was multiple generations taking the yeast from secondary to repitch...
Re: Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my whe
Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 9:14 am
by Ozwald
spiderwrangler wrote:I was thinking proteins, but that's a good point that less flocculant 001 may have been selected for, especially if it was multiple generations taking the yeast from secondary to repitch...
What I found was that when you're rinsing the yeast & discarding the top/bottom (heads/tails if you wish) that with 001 especially, it's extremely beneficial to throw out just a little extra from the top portion. It seems to take a very minute amount to make your colony dusty after just 2 or 3 gens. The english yeasts that I've worked with seem to be a bit more tolerant. This is just from experience.
Re: Why does sediment float off yeast cake so eazy in my whe
Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2012 9:38 am
by spiderwrangler
Yeah, that make them less floccy too... especially if both were being done.