Brewing Master » Brew Pub » San Diego Brew Pub
San Diego Brew Pub
Question:
Howdy, My roommate was in San Diego for a conference a couple of weeks ago, and went to the Karl Strauss Brew Pub. He was smitten by two of their brews, and has vowed to make it his life’s goal to try and brew something similar. Since I now have to live with this man on a mission, I’m hoping that someone can give us some hints. We have only done about a half a dozen batches, and are still very much learning how to identify different tastes. Here are the brewery’s descriptions of the two beers: Karl Strauss Amber Lager -reminiscent of mild Bavarian dark beers He said he went through several gallon containers back at his hotel during the week. Jeff and Jer’s Hootch -dopplebock -amber in color -heavily hopped -bittersweet finish This stuff was so potent that it was only served in half pints, and they wouldn’t sell any to go. Any hints would be appreciated. You should have seen the kitchen last night after the first try to come up with the amber. Tim Kalafut I would rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy. Gig ‘em Ags
Response:
hi all. i just started brewing a short while back and i’ve been puzzled about something since the day i started. what exactly is top fermenting? what exactly is bottom fermenting? what are the advantages/uses for the two? i’ve asked a few different people and tried reading up on it but i just can’t seem to get a grasp of the concepts. it can’t be that hard of a concept can it? or am i just being an idiot? please respond in simple english … it would be very helpful. thanks in advance.
Response:
i just started brewing a short while back and i’ve been puzzled about something since the day i started. what exactly is top fermenting? what exactly is bottom fermenting?
You got two kinds of yeast: Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Saccharomyces uvarum. You got two kinds of yeast: ale yeast and lager yeast. You got two kinds of yeast: top fermenting and bottom fermenting. They both do the same thing in general: eat sugar and produce alcohol and carbon dioxide. They go about it in different ways… Top-fermenting (ale, S.cerevisiae) yeast are sort of like otters…they like to hang out floating on top of the beer. When they get hungry, they "dive to the bottom and drink my way up", as the old song goes. When they’ve had their fill, they float around on top until dinnertime comes around again. Bottom-fermenting (lager, S.uvarum) yeast are sort of like bottom-dwelling fish…they hang out on the bottom of the pond and come up to eat, then settle back down and relax for a while. Both types of yeast fall to the bottom of the fermenter ("flocculate") (oh yeah? well flocc*you*late, pal) when their work is done. So much for "gak’s microbiology for and by non-microbiologists"… have fun gak — ATTMAIL: …!attmail!gakhaus!gak |—SHARX–| to reap, we would soon want