Pictured Above: (Left) Wyeast 2206, (Right) White Labs WLP838
Note: Due to the fact that caps were not secured, very low carbonation was the result - almost flat.
Note: I am no longer writing a blog. I am only providing notes, observations and data records of my homebrew batches. I am exploring a variety of ingredients, brew waters, temperatures and recipes. I will be analyzing taste and suggesting possible improvements that can be made to the next batch. I may make some yeast reviews here. Taste is subjective. Make what you want to drink. Draw your own conclusions.
Tastings: Both were tried various times to see if I could note anything different from the 4th to the 5th week. Wyeast Bavarian Lager 2206 is the drier taste of the two. This one tastes a lot like most of the German lagers that I can remember. Lack of a diacetyl rest and I still couldn't taste the diacetyl. White Labs WLP838 is malty, less dry, almost vinegar taste or slight sulfur I'm noting. After the 4th week, the sulfur was becoming more faint with WLP838 - 5 or 6 weeks may bring it down more. May test this one again in the future as these results may be inconclusive due to the open caps.
Possible Error: Miscalculation of the brew water for this one needs a 2nd test in the future. Onset of a cold and sinus may have kept me from a good taste test. Off flavor may have come from my Mr. Beer brewing caps that were loose during fermentation and lagering. I assumed I could keep the bottles from building up too much pressure during fermentation by loosening them. It could have been contaminated with wild yeast that may have been present in the air of the beer fridge.
New Ideas & Improvements: Best to taste without anything eaten in the last hour. Cheese, pretzels and nuts tend to skew the tasting results. Will lager after capping the bottles from here on. Don't want to introduce extra diacetyl nor other wild yeasts in the air that might bring off flavors. May test these same yeasts again after bottling and capping. I'm suspecting the Oktoberfest beers come closer to the Munich water profile; I will try to hit that with my brew water. Will try varying yeast levels in each bottle of the same batch to see if that makes a difference.
Note: Due to the fact that caps were not secured, very low carbonation was the result - almost flat.
Note: I am no longer writing a blog. I am only providing notes, observations and data records of my homebrew batches. I am exploring a variety of ingredients, brew waters, temperatures and recipes. I will be analyzing taste and suggesting possible improvements that can be made to the next batch. I may make some yeast reviews here. Taste is subjective. Make what you want to drink. Draw your own conclusions.
Tastings: Both were tried various times to see if I could note anything different from the 4th to the 5th week. Wyeast Bavarian Lager 2206 is the drier taste of the two. This one tastes a lot like most of the German lagers that I can remember. Lack of a diacetyl rest and I still couldn't taste the diacetyl. White Labs WLP838 is malty, less dry, almost vinegar taste or slight sulfur I'm noting. After the 4th week, the sulfur was becoming more faint with WLP838 - 5 or 6 weeks may bring it down more. May test this one again in the future as these results may be inconclusive due to the open caps.
Possible Error: Miscalculation of the brew water for this one needs a 2nd test in the future. Onset of a cold and sinus may have kept me from a good taste test. Off flavor may have come from my Mr. Beer brewing caps that were loose during fermentation and lagering. I assumed I could keep the bottles from building up too much pressure during fermentation by loosening them. It could have been contaminated with wild yeast that may have been present in the air of the beer fridge.
New Ideas & Improvements: Best to taste without anything eaten in the last hour. Cheese, pretzels and nuts tend to skew the tasting results. Will lager after capping the bottles from here on. Don't want to introduce extra diacetyl nor other wild yeasts in the air that might bring off flavors. May test these same yeasts again after bottling and capping. I'm suspecting the Oktoberfest beers come closer to the Munich water profile; I will try to hit that with my brew water. Will try varying yeast levels in each bottle of the same batch to see if that makes a difference.
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