This was one of my first 10 gal batches where I split it into 2 - 5 gal batches and it won't be the last because there is a lot to learn from doing this.
Brew Session detailed here
The differences are quite amazing and I greatly preferred the Fuller's batch over the West Yorkshire yeast (at least for this malt bill). See below for my tasting notes on each.
Fuller's (WLP002)
West Yorkshire (WY1469)
Brew Session detailed here
The differences are quite amazing and I greatly preferred the Fuller's batch over the West Yorkshire yeast (at least for this malt bill). See below for my tasting notes on each.
West Yorkshire (WY1469)
I think the main difference is that the Fuller's yeast kept more residual sweetness. That alone helped to make the malt flavors stand out more. I still need to work on the hop flavor and aroma for these beers, because these were both malt forward beers. I think my big process change for them next year will be to use whole flower hops for my flavor and aroma additions. And I'll keep the Fuller's yeast and compare another English strain in next year's split batch.
I like how you are using a BJCP score sheet for reviewing your beers. I've thought of adapting a similar format when I taste beers for my blog.
ReplyDeleteI've judged a few store competitions with them and have toyed with the notion of doing the BJCP program.
Why try to re-invent when a great reference already exists? I also like doing this because I can just 3-hole punch the score sheet and add it to my brewing binder. And when I re-try a beer a few months/years later, I can keep all the reviews together. If I'm feeling extra nerdy, I'll bring some sheets with me when I share some homebrew with friends.
ReplyDeleteAnd the scores given have nothing to do with how well it would do in competition, it is just how much I liked the beer.