I have tried it and like it very much. My review is in the Bootleg Biology website. Unlike some reviewers who had slow fermentations, mine was very fast to start, cleared quickly, and seemed to need only a very short lagering period. The beer reached final gravity in five days (1.054 to 1.011, 79% AA), with the first three days at 52F and the final two as high as 78F. The result was as good or better than any of several other well-known lager strains I have tried like 34/70, WLP833, L17 Harvest, etc al. It was far better then any of the kveik strains like Oslo which are alleged to make lager at warm temps.
The one caveat that I need to mention is that the beer I made was a Fastenbier -- a lightly-smoked Märzen. It is a more flavorful beer than many lagers, so it could have masked some off-flavors, but neither I nor anyone else who tried the beer noted any. It was well-liked by all who tried it at my brew club meeting.
Not yet. I have two packs waiting to be used, though.have you used the yeast again? hopefully in something a little lighter/cleaner? i'm curious as to what the flavor profile is on this one. a cleaner lighter lager like you get with 34/70 and northern strains? or more ester-heavy stuff like you get with s33?
My most recent batch with Regal Lager was a toasted hickory bark Vienna lager. The bark's flavor is clear, but again, I'm very, very pleased with how well this blends works. Clean, crisp, and absolutely 100% lager in style. The two batches I have made with this strain have easily been the two best lagers I have made. Other strains I have used have been the Weihenstephaner, Augustiner, Ayinger, and two different Urquel strains. These strains have come from Wyeast, White Labs, Omega, Imperial, Fermentis, and Lallemand, both liquid and dried. I prefer every beer I've made with Regal Lager Blend over every beer I've made with the others.Not yet. I have two packs waiting to be used, though.
Valid questions. Your arguments against Regal Lager Blend are the same ones I have used against the various strains touted for pseudo-lager, like Lutra and Oslo. The yeasts are fine, I guess. Use them in an IPA, but really, no one is fooling me when they attempt making lagers with them. They're not necessarily bad beers, but please don't call them lagers. Even the pros. Just stop! That's where this one is different. It creates really good lager beer.what's the use-case for this yeast? For those of us without temperature control, we can't pitch at 50F as recommended. If you do have temperature control, why not use it, and get a traditional lager with traditional fermentation profile?
While I haven't followed Regal Lager's dramatic schedule of 3 days at 50F then 85-90F with other yeasts, I have done what I believe you are suggesting many times with other lager yeasts. It's the accelerated method advocated by Marshall Schott of Brülosophy. That shaves 7-10 days from fermentation, but it doesn't help with the weeks of lagering that other lager yeasts need to clean up after themselves. Regal Lager doesn't seem to need any more than 3-7 days of lagering to clear and be ready to serve.i suspect you'd get similar results with most any lager yeasts. If you can control the temperature for 3-4 days, that's when most of the ester profile is set. Then ramp to warm it up and finish instead of waiting weeks at 50F for the same process to finish.
While I haven't followed Regal Lager's dramatic schedule of 3 days at 50F then 85-90F with other yeasts, I have done what I believe you are suggesting many times with other lager yeasts. It's the accelerated method advocated by Marshall Schott of Brülosophy. That shaves 7-10 days from fermentation, but it doesn't help with the weeks of lagering that other lager yeasts need to clean up after themselves. Regal Lager doesn't seem to need any more than 3-7 days of lagering to clear and be ready to serve.
I feel like the my last pouch of Regal Lager is more powdery and clears more slowly than what I used last year. Have you tried clarifying with gelatin or Biofine Clear? My American Pale Lager brewed a couple months ago, fermented with Regal Blend, and fined with gelatin is crystal clear now.Now clearer and improved taste.
Enter your email address to join: