I am starting this thread to document my experience and the experience of other homebrewers using this strain. INISBC has awesome customer service and answers emails in a matter of hours. Check them out if you're in the Denver area.
INISBC 003 Colorado IPA Yeast
- Thread starter rupert130
- Start date
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So a quick update: I am now on step 2 of my first starter with this strain and I have noticed a nail polish like smell coming from the vessel. I spoke to Jason, a local craft brewer at Locavore Brew Works, and he has had the same experience with the aroma, but assures me that the finished product does not seem to retain this. Crossing my fingers that it will work out in my IIPA on Friday.
Another update:
I am now 36 hrs post pitch and no activity in the fermentors. Checked SG to ensure I hadn't missed it and it's unchanged. I swirled up the fermentors and raised the temp to 70°F to try to get it going, but I will have to swing by the homebrew shop and pick up a couple packs of US-05 if I don't see any change soon.
I am now 36 hrs post pitch and no activity in the fermentors. Checked SG to ensure I hadn't missed it and it's unchanged. I swirled up the fermentors and raised the temp to 70°F to try to get it going, but I will have to swing by the homebrew shop and pick up a couple packs of US-05 if I don't see any change soon.
So, where do you get it? Never heard of them.
MileHighBrewer
Well-Known Member
I know for sure Quirky carries them, i think brew hut does as well. Iirc correctly they are in 4-5 stores.
From my experience with oanother companies isolate of this strain, i would expect more attenuation then listed. I used giga vermont 3 times, and each time it fermented on the dry side, .004-.006, even with a 154 mash. Tastes great though, if you run it a little higher (72-74) you will pull more of the apricot/peachy esters (at least with the vermont ale version of this)
From my experience with oanother companies isolate of this strain, i would expect more attenuation then listed. I used giga vermont 3 times, and each time it fermented on the dry side, .004-.006, even with a 154 mash. Tastes great though, if you run it a little higher (72-74) you will pull more of the apricot/peachy esters (at least with the vermont ale version of this)
Unfortunately, after 48 hrs with no activity, I've decided to pitch some US-05. I don't understand how I could get so much growth through a 2 step starter and then have yeast that is apparently DOA in the fermentor. I saved some and will attempt another batch with a different vial before I give up on this strain
Bierhaus Brewing in Littleton also carries them
Brettomomyces
LHBS Curmudgeon
What brewery is this strain from? Never heard of them either
MileHighBrewer
Well-Known Member
Send a sample of that to the inland guys, this is stuff they'd like to be in the loop about.
This is supposedly a strain of Conan
This is supposedly a strain of Conan
HausBrauerei_Harvey
Well-Known Member
Barleyhaven also carries them. I have had fantastic results with their yeast. I have used there farmhouse strain in 4 or 5 brews, and used there 701 lager strain to make a fantastic export. I used the colorado IPA yeast once to make a great IPA. Their customer service is amazing.
I had so much email traffic with them they also offered to sponsor my Oktoberfest party this Sept, I met one of the guys this weekend and he gave me 8 free vials of 711 lager, which I pitched into 13 gallons of 1.050 helles yesterday around 5pm. It was rocking away already at 8AM this morning. I'm taking some photos of my brewing process over the next few months for there facebook page in return.
If you are in the denver area, use there yeast, support a local company. Plus they give you 200 billions cells/pack so your yeast is not only super fresh but you have to build less starter, and for 5 gallon batches you can mostly just pitch without a starter, a benefit of the bigger cell count.
I had so much email traffic with them they also offered to sponsor my Oktoberfest party this Sept, I met one of the guys this weekend and he gave me 8 free vials of 711 lager, which I pitched into 13 gallons of 1.050 helles yesterday around 5pm. It was rocking away already at 8AM this morning. I'm taking some photos of my brewing process over the next few months for there facebook page in return.
If you are in the denver area, use there yeast, support a local company. Plus they give you 200 billions cells/pack so your yeast is not only super fresh but you have to build less starter, and for 5 gallon batches you can mostly just pitch without a starter, a benefit of the bigger cell count.
Brettomomyces
LHBS Curmudgeon
That's pretty awesome to be able to just pitch a bunch of fresh yeast packs right into a lager, haha. They sound like a cool company! I will definitely be checking them out.
What fermentation temperature profile did you use? I ended up pitching US-05 after 48 hours with no activity at the low end of the published range. They e-mailed me to say that my experience has been shared by others and they will likely revise the suggested temperature range.
HausBrauerei_Harvey
Well-Known Member
I'd have to look at my notes to get the exact profile I used, but I know I used the lower end of there recommended range to start. I always over pitch by a few billion cells to be safe, FWIW. I also know I was crunched to try and get the beer in the keg asap, so I started slowly ramping up the temps after day 2, a few degrees a day. It was done in about 10 days and finished a 7.8% IPA.
I'd have to look at my notes to get the exact profile I used, but I know I used the lower end of there recommended range to start. I always over pitch by a few billion cells to be safe, FWIW. I also know I was crunched to try and get the beer in the keg asap, so I started slowly ramping up the temps after day 2, a few degrees a day. It was done in about 10 days and finished a 7.8% IPA.
Did you cold crash and decant or pitch the whole active starter? I cold crashed mine, maybe I put them to sleep a little.
HausBrauerei_Harvey
Well-Known Member
I always cold crash and decant. What are you doing for oxygenation? I have a home-made O2 wand with .5 micron diffusion stone.
I use a siphon sprayer when transferring from kettle to fermentor. I also give it a good shake before going into the ferm chamber.
HausBrauerei_Harvey
Well-Known Member
sounds like you got good aeration. I dunno what the problem was. Perhaps the yeast needs to be ramped up fast in temp like I did with it. However I gave some of my slurry to a buddy at work who does extract brews and he made a pretty good IPA with it, I actually just tried a bottle he gave me last night. It finished out well for him without any temp control. Perhaps you just got a bad batch or something.
I think the yeast just took a while to wake up. After I pitched the 05 and fermentation kicked off, I could smell some distinct INISBC 003 aromas that I associate with the starter. Nail polish-y if that makes sense. One of the pro brewers near me also uses the strain and smelled the same aroma.
has anyone used this strain and compared the flavor to the gigayeast version? is the profile the same?
Talked to one if the INISBC owners yesterday and he let me know that they had some QC issues when they moved to their new facility. It has since been worked out, but the issue affected the 003 strain in particular. He offered me a replacement vial, which I will gladly accept. Also he confirmed it is the Heady strain.
Hm. Just used this on a DIPA today. Hoping that it's not from any bad batches
The production date on mine was from about 6 months ago. If you have a fresh vial, you should be OK. If you don't see any action within 24 hrs, contact the company. I'm sure they would supply you with a new vial.
It was old. I think 4 or so months. It's definitely fermenting, but when I hear QC for yeast, I think contaminants
It was a quick conversation, but here is what I got out of it. The plates they were using to inhibit certain wild yeast were also inhibiting the 003. Most complaints were of a failure to start or stuck fermentation. Mine hadn't started in close to 48 hrs before I ended up pitching US-05. No contamination problems with their yeast as far as I know
Just brewed an APA on 8/15 using this strain. Awesome results. Fruity flavors that accentuate the Amarillo and Cascade hops. Fermented from 1.050 to 1.011. Still hazy pours coming from the keg even after a 1 week cold crash with gelatin in the fermenter.
My first starter of this was very normal. The second one, however, is throwing off large amounts of fruit. My bedroom smells like the inside of a watermelon gum package. I don't know if it's a generational thing or temperature behavior. I had it on and off in a heating pad for a bit because the weather here in CO has been throwing a fit
Beer eventually started clearing more with extended time in the keezer. The fruitiness faded marginally and gave way to an increased perception of malt. I am really liking this beer.
Boy, this yeast goes to town. 3 days at 68 and one day at 80, and it's at FG. I think that I finally got some peach from it as well. I don't think I got any on the first gen
tgmartin000
Well-Known Member
Just curious where you got the info on the cell counts? Inland Island sponsored a homebrew comp/festival I put on a few weeks back. We gave all the brewers involved a couple vials of their yeast, they were super generous about the sponsorship, it was great.
I've had good luck with their conan strain. I'll be brewing yooper's oatmeal stout with their english ale V strain, as well as an IPA with the northern cal ale, which I assume is the same as 001 next weekend. also got a vial of lacto I'll be using soon.
I just emailed them and asked about cell counts in their new packaging.
Here is their reply:
Inland Island Oct 6 (12 days ago)
to me
"Also, our new vials have the full 200 billion yeast cells that are suggested for a five gallon batch of beer. You should not need a starter."
tgmartin000
Well-Known Member
That is excellent. When did they switch to the new packaging, do you know? I have a vial from 9/15, I'm really hoping it's the 200 bn cells.
that looks cool. has anyone figured out a pitching rate/temp schedule that maximizes the fruit flavors?
HausBrauerei_Harvey
Well-Known Member
Barleyhaven told me the first time I saw their yeast that they had 200B cells. Also a direct comparison of a white labs vial showed about 2x the amount of slurry, so I figured it was correct!
tgmartin000
Well-Known Member
Perfect, thanks guys!
tgmartin000
Well-Known Member
So like this?
I fermented at 65°F and got fruity esters out of it. I'm sure if you push it to the top of the recommended range at 75°F, then you would get the max esters from it. You could also play with oxygenation and pitching rate.
I pitched more than enough this time around and did 72 for three days, 80 for one, and then 65 for a week. I still don't think I got enough. It may come down to pitching rates and O2.
Did you under-pitch or under-oxygenate?
I pitched at the standard ale rate from brewers friend .75 million cells/mL/°Plato I think. Aerated with the siphon sprayer attachment. Standard treatment I give most my ales...
I have heard overpitching leads to less ester production
Brettomomyces
LHBS Curmudgeon
Hey Terry! I actually just used one of the vial's of that North Cali from INISBC that you were giving out at the wash park event. Same date too. I'm about 10 days into the ferment on a pale ale. 1.058 down to 1.014, 75% ADF which is right in their range of 73-77.
My experience with it so far is some light peachy esters, highlights the hops pretty well, but definitely puts some finish on the malt. I figured this was a chico strain but I don't think it is, the malt flavor was definitely not what I would expect from Chico and it's a little more estery. Was trying to find out what brewery this came from, any ideas?
