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	FORUM ON BEER, HOMEBREWING, AND RELATED ISSUES
		Digest Janitor: pbabcock at hbd.org


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Contents:
  Weissbier yeast ("Kai Troester")
  Re: Hefeweizen and wit brewing ("David Houseman")
  RE: Refractometers (Rob Schlank)
  Refractometers ("A.J deLange")


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Date: Tue, 21 Jul 2009 23:38:56 -0400
From: "Kai Troester" <kai at braukaiser.com>
Subject: Weissbier yeast

According to Kristen England's yeas origin chart (posted here
http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm) WLP 300 and WY3068 are both the W68 strain
from the Weihenstephan yeast bank. This should not be confused with the
Weihenstephan brewery. Other Weissbier strains from that yeast bank are WLP
351 / WY3638  (W175). Based on what I have seen in various papers the W68
seems to be the most popular
Weissbier yeast among German brewers and it is likely that the Weihenstephan
brewery uses it for its
Weissbier. It is also my favorite as it gives a very nice clove character
even w/o a ferulic acid rest.

As for the banana and bubble gum I found that the most popularWeissbier in
Germany is of the neutral type (Erdinger, which is more an American Wheat
based on its taste). The majority of the other brands are dominated by
phenolic notes (clove). When I was there last Summer I found only one or two
where the fruity aroma (banana) dominated. That was surprising to me as I
expected more Weissbiers to be of the estery type.

As a side note. In Bavaria wheat beers are called Weissbier regardless of
color. There are Helle (light), Dunkel (dark) and Kristall (clear, filtered)
versions of Weisse or Weissbier. The rest of Germany seems to call them
Hefeweizen.

Kai




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Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 07:37:58 -0400
From: "David Houseman" <david.houseman at verizon.net>
Subject: Re: Hefeweizen and wit brewing

In my reading and experience to enhance clove-like phenols in Weizens, use 
the ferulic acid rest at 113oF for 20 minutes.   To increase esters ferment 
warmer (high 60's).  The Rule of 30 is good.  IMO what is happening is that 
the lower pitch temperature is slowing yeast reproduction and esters are 
formed at lower pitch rates and lower O2 rates.   All of these factors 
affect ester production.    Another is that I've found that Weizen yeast 
really like open fermentation.   Doesn't have to be uncovered, just larger 
fermenters with a lot of open surface area and no back-pressure.   One of 
the best Weizens I made was to simply use a kettle as a fermenter and I 
placed a loose fitting lid on it and fermented in my warm laundry room. 
Great clove, banana and bubble-gum.

Dave Houseman 



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Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:21:52 -0400
From: Rob Schlank <rschlank at comcast.net>
Subject: RE: Refractometers

I have used a refractometer for several years now.  For me it is most useful
for checking pre-boil gravity since you do not have wait for a large wort
sample to cool before getting results.  For OG and FG I still use my handy
Hydrometer as I find it to be more user-friendly and less susceptible to
human error.  The small sample size makes dilution from water more likely.

The following tips are from BYO and some just from me:

1 - make sure to stir your wort thoroughly before taking a pre-boil sample.
This will help to homogenize the wort so that you get a more accurate reading.

2 - Fill the bulb of the pipette (sample dropper) and then invert and place the
bulb in a cup of H20 to cool.  This is important even for refractometers with
ATC (Auto temp compensation) as your sample can evaporate and therefore
increase the reading.  Simply swirl the bulb in the water for a few seconds.

3 - Squeeze a few drops of wort back into the kettle (or the water cup) to
remove any air from the pipette.  This helps to alleviate the air bubble issue.

4 - Close the cover on the sample carefully with the back end closest to the
hinge touching first.  This also helps to keep out air bubbles.

5 - If you are not using software, a simple 4x multiplier of Brix to SG will
give you a decent estimate of your gravity within a point, so 10brix is 1.040

Also, if it is your first time using a refractomer, you will need to ake sure
it is calibrated by testing with water.  This is also a good time to pre-focus
the refractometer since this can be a pain in the butt.

Finally, don't be concerned about small grain pieces or other detritus in the
sample.  I have not found this to effect the reading.

I hope this helps,

- --
Rob Schlank


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Date: Wed, 22 Jul 2009 09:45:48 -0400
From: "A.J deLange" <ajdel at cox.net>
Subject: Refractometers

I posted the other day that my refractometer stopped agreeing with  
hydrometers when the wort turned turbid with the thesis being that  
scattering ruins the readings. So this morning I put a little sucrose  
in some DI water and got a reading of 11.8. I then added enough PVPP  
to make the solution milky and checked that with the refractometer. It  
now read 12.0 Brix so it appears that if turbidity is a factor, it is  
a small one - unless, of course, yeast cells scatter in a different  
way or refract.

A.J.



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