I have previously made 3 batches (helles,maibock,oktoberfest) using
WLP830 german lager. All these batches turned out phenomenal. I was
unable to aquire the german lager yeast this time and will be using
the WLP838 southern german lager yeast. Im curious to see what the
characteristics of these batches will be compared to the other batches
if all other aspects of my process are constant.
-Thanks
We've used 830 and 838 interchangeably without any trouble. To be
honest the only difference I've noticed is that that 838 is a *very*
fast and strong fermenter, so if you do a diacetyl rest check your
gravity every day or you'll buzz right by the 67% mark .... In general
the 838 will finish a lot sooner than the 830. YMMV.
I've read that the 838 leaves a "maltier" finish but we haven't been
able to do a side-by-side comparison. They taste pretty similar to me.
JB
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John Bleichert syb...@earthlink.net
The heat from below can burn your eyes out!!
Yes, i did notice that sucker started fermenting right away. I already
have an oktoberfest thats been fermenting for 4 weeks at 50 with the
wlp838. it was already fermenting after 15 hrs which i thought was
crazy since i only used 36oz of starter and pitched at 48F. . i just
took it out 2 days ago for the diacetyl rest so hopefully it was
pretty much all done. When i used the german lager with a
slightly smaller starter it took 4 days to start when i pitched cold
lol. Thanks for the info.