CastleHollow
Well-Known Member
I've had a problem with my last two batches using a 3rd (and then a 4th) generation of washed Bell's yeast, and wanted to see if anyone had insight on what might be happening:
I've been using a harvested Bell's yeast strain for a few years. It's a great strain, I use it primarily for my house pale ales and IPAs. Shared some yeast with friends, they love it, too. In March I brewed a THA clone using a 3rd generation jar, which turned out very well (competition scores 35+) except for one thing--super high carbonation levels. Big foam on the pour, dense head. I bottle carb'd to 2.2vol CO2 so it was unexpected.
Two weeks ago, I bottled a Maharaja clone that I brewed using the yeast cake from that THA batch. Everything went well in the fermentation, dropped from 1.087 to 1.018 and stabilized in the secondary. No signs of infection, the beer tastes exactly as it should, however I have that same over-carb issue after only two weeks in the bottle. Supposed to be only 1.9vol CO2. I moved everything into the frig to arrest any further activity and save the batch.
I prime with dextrose. My bottling procedure is the same on all of my batches (oxyclean wash, hot water rinse, dry, starsan rinse, fill, cap.) I've used the same equipment on other batches without any issue, so I can rule out any problems there.
Any thoughts or anyone experience something similar?
I've been using a harvested Bell's yeast strain for a few years. It's a great strain, I use it primarily for my house pale ales and IPAs. Shared some yeast with friends, they love it, too. In March I brewed a THA clone using a 3rd generation jar, which turned out very well (competition scores 35+) except for one thing--super high carbonation levels. Big foam on the pour, dense head. I bottle carb'd to 2.2vol CO2 so it was unexpected.
Two weeks ago, I bottled a Maharaja clone that I brewed using the yeast cake from that THA batch. Everything went well in the fermentation, dropped from 1.087 to 1.018 and stabilized in the secondary. No signs of infection, the beer tastes exactly as it should, however I have that same over-carb issue after only two weeks in the bottle. Supposed to be only 1.9vol CO2. I moved everything into the frig to arrest any further activity and save the batch.
I prime with dextrose. My bottling procedure is the same on all of my batches (oxyclean wash, hot water rinse, dry, starsan rinse, fill, cap.) I've used the same equipment on other batches without any issue, so I can rule out any problems there.
Any thoughts or anyone experience something similar?
