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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Brewing Discussion --> 090 gave up and left me in the lurch

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tracebusta
Charter Member
Somerville, MA
155 Posts


I had a vial of 090 that I had been using for about 8-10 batches. Make a starter, harvest off that, make a starter, harvest, etc. I had made a pale ale with it, OG was 1.059 and after three weeks it was only down to 1.026. I found this out when it was in my bottling bucket, so I racked it back into the fermenter on top of the yeast and added a couple tablespoons of sugar to hopefully wake up the yeast. After a week, it had only gone down to 1.022.

The next batch I had made with that yeast was the day before I tried bottling the pale ale. I made a stout with an OG of 1.061. After three weeks fermentation the gravity had only gone down to 1.030 (aiming for 1.010). Son of a bitch. I had a pack of US-05 sitting around (had it for a month or two in the fridge, unopened), so I sprinkled some into my tube that holds my hydrometer sample, and threw the rest into the fermenter with the stout. I didn't rehydrate because it was a whole pack going into 2.5 gallons of 1.030 beer. Cut to a week later and the hydrometer sample is still sitting at 1.030. I still have yet to take a sample from the fermenter itself, I was using the sample tube as a guide.

My to-do list for tonight: 
* Pick up some distilled water just to make sure my hydrometer is calibrated correctly. 
* Check the gravity of the rest of the stout. 

Let's say the beer still hasn't moved lower than 1.030, should I try another pack of US-05 but rehydrated?




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Definitely check the hydrometer.   If its right, I don't see what you have to lose by rehydrating a pack and trying again...but it doesn't sound good.



Posted 34 days ago.

mutedog
Washougal, WA
29 Posts


hmmm, is 090 a killer yeast?



Posted 34 days ago.

testingapril
Charter Member
Atlanta, GA
595 Posts


> hmmm, is 090 a killer yeast?

I've never heard of killer beer yeast, only wine.




Posted 34 days ago.

tracebusta
Charter Member
Somerville, MA
155 Posts


Not counting these last two batches, 090 is fantastic. San Diego Super yeast - it has a very clean flavor like US-05, 1056, and 001, but with a higher alcohol tolerance. Great attenuation and generally works pretty fast. 


Brulosopher initially turned me on to it, and I've used it for every "clean" beer I've wanted to make for the past few months. Normally it's great, I'm not sure how it pooped out on me. 




Posted 34 days ago.

skitzo2000
Pittsburgh, PA
42 Posts


I ran into a similar issue with 090.  The first vial I had only made it through about three harvests(off the starter) before it just didn't seem to attenuate well.  Sounds almost exactly like your situation.  The second vial I bought has been going strong for about 5 harvests and so far so good.  So I think you really have to handle this yeast well or it can turn on you pretty quick.

Now why US-05 didn't continue where the 090 left off?  Thats a mystery to me.  I have to question your hydrometer on that one.  US-05 hydrated or not, should be just fine munching on 2.5 gallons of 1.030.




Posted 34 days ago.

ingoogni
nl
314 Posts


Yeast stop because there's a lack of something.

Try add some zinc (50 mg pills you get from the health shop) 0,15 mg Zn/liter
Try add some nutrients.
Harvest a part of the yeast including wort, add to a starter with the amount of nutrients the manual says you need for the whole batch, once it shows life stir for 12 hours add the whole to the beer. Size of the starter should be relative big.

Do you add nutrients to your starter?
Do you oxigenate the starter and or wort?






Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by ingoogni

tracebusta
Charter Member
Somerville, MA
155 Posts


This strain is now gone. I threw the remainder in this stout figuring I would just purchase a new strain.

For starters I don't add any nutrients, I do the standard 100mg DME to 1 liter of water. Let it spin for about 48 hours then pour off my harvest, crash the rest then decant before pitching. The wort gets "oxygenated" by shaking the carboy. I have the aeration stone, just need to pick up the oxygen regulator and oxygen tank.




Posted 34 days ago.

ingoogni
nl
314 Posts


DME has less FAN than "real" wort so then it is especially useful to add a good nutrient. Try stirring for less time, at 48 hours the sugars and other nutrients are depleted and the oxygen still keeps "boosting" the yeast. The yeast gets exhausted by too long stirring/oxygenation. At our level 12 - 16 hour should do.

Although targeted at pro brewers, this presentation by Greg Doss is excellent material:
www.mbaa.com/districts/Northwest/Even...




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by ingoogni

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