What are you brewing?

[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

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I started using 200g of dextrin malt in my brews for head retention recently. The difference it makes is staggering. My beers now present with a persistent head and good lacing on the glass and it looks awesome. Literally looks and behaves like commercial lagers now. I'm not adding it to all my beers, but those where head makes a difference (like in my Helles mentioned above) it made a HUGE difference. I won't brew without it where I remotely want it ever again.

I get that without any fancy specialty malt ... just plain pilsner malt does the trick. I make ALL my beer now with just pilsner .. no need for pale malt.

[Dewald Posthumus Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dewald Posthumus]

I exclusively use that now

Ditto, it's just brilliant!

[jakeslouw Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jakeslouw]

I get that without any fancy specialty malt ... just plain pilsner malt does the trick. I make ALL my beer now with just pilsner .. no need for pale malt.

To be pedantic: Pils malt is a pale malt............only a different variety. Head is a byproduct of protein residue in beer.

As for Pils versus SAB: different cultivars, seasons, water, nutrition etc. It would appear that European varieties have higher protein and lower starch yields. SAB is based on the Clipper variety engineered by the Australians in the 60s: winter rainfall and late summer maturity versus Europe which is usually spring to early winter.

[BeerHolic Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BeerHolic]

To be pedantic: Pils malt is a pale malt............only a different variety. Head is a byproduct of protein residue in beer.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

To be even more pedantic, pils malt is just pale malt that's not dried at as high a temperature, resulting in a lighter colour and sweeter notes. That's literally all. Some places sell it as "extra pale" malt.

I get that without any fancy specialty malt ... just plain pilsner malt does the trick. I make ALL my beer now with just pilsner .. no need for pale malt.

Heh, mine doesn't. At all. If I make just a plain beer without dextrin, it's well carbonated and pours well, but the head falls flat in seconds and then it looks like a glass of flat beer (no matter how well it's carbonated). It just happens

[Dewald Posthumus Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dewald Posthumus]

Jeez, that's just weird. I have not used Carapils in ages, and no head retention issues at all. I've also been trying some more wheat in my beer - up to 5%, seems to work well on mouthfeel. My beers were a bit on the thin side.

Suppose each brewery has it's own anomalies, find what works for you and stick with it.

Like the Kveik Oslo I've been using, 7 days to cleared up beer, 10 days from brew to keg. It just works for me. To be honest, I cannot recall when last I used anything else.

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

I need to see if I can find a Kveik somewhere then. I'm over struggling with shitty yeasts now. Using S-04 just works everytime.

[PaBz0r Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close PaBz0r]

I need to see if I can find a Kveik somewhere then. I'm over struggling with shitty yeasts now. Using S-04 just works everytime.

I really hope my helles with the diamond lager is ok, haven't used it before but it didn't feel to me that it "took" off at any point. Doing a rest now before I crash, might need to check gravity just in case..

I used Kveik Oslo, but to me W34/70 was "cleaner". Maybe I had too much yeast in suspension, but my wife said she tasted dough last time around.

[AlexBrew Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close AlexBrew]

Been reading the posts today and yesterday..
My pointers on issues:
1. Voss has it's place but has a domineering orange aroma that seems to me makes all ales kindoff taste the same after a couple of weeks in the bottle.
2. I made a Killer Hop and has 3.3% wheat in it and has a nice smooth/silky cream head all the way down - obviously lesser towards the bottom than at initial pour - US05
3. Made Munich Helles with no carapils/dextrin/caraClair and has a thinner head - like a lager should - W34/70.
4. Made a SAPA with Cara Clair (dextrin) and had more head than the Helles and with lacing down to the bottom - US05.

I think they (wheat / dextrin) all have a place and will give some sort or effect on head formation and retention. .. and to go without shouldn't make that much of a difference, thou differences may be noted. Possibly the type of yeast is also important. I found that beers made with voss had a big head on initial pour .. but diminished quickly down the glass - except for the stouts - they had decent head all the way down, but that could also be down to the grainbill.

[BruHaha Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BruHaha]

Quote reply buggered again.

so @dewald do you do different styles all with the same oslo yeast?

Edit.. it seem it's post specific as I can quote any other post.. just not that particular one #3936

Ditto, it's just brilliant!

[BeerHolic Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BeerHolic]

You can also use flaked barley for head, works well, however not as easily available as wheat.

[Dewald Posthumus Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Dewald Posthumus]

Quote reply buggered again.

so @dewald do you do different styles all with the same oslo yeast?

Edit.. it seem it's post specific as I can quote any other post.. just not that particular one #3936

Yes I do, I make mostly Ales and Pilsners, so I have used Oslo extensively for the last 6 months or so, if not longer.

Amber Ale, Pale Ale, Pilsner et al.

[JIGSAW Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JIGSAW]

+1 I've used Oslo for both Ale and Lager styles all fermented at ±30șC .. works great for me

Plan is to use it in a few stouts very soon

[Toxxyc Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Toxxyc]

Awesome, thanks guys. I see it costs the same as the Diamond Lager yeast, but you don't have to pitch 2 to 3 packets in a beer so that helps. Definitely getting some for my next beer.

Has anyone done a lagering test on it before?

[Chris S Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Chris S]

Awesome, thanks guys. I see it costs the same as the Diamond Lager yeast, but you don't have to pitch 2 to 3 packets in a beer so that helps. Definitely getting some for my next beer.

Has anyone done a lagering test on it before?

Drops out so fast after fermentation that you only need a short lagering period