348: Spotlight: Keys to Successful Beer Fermentation with White Labs, Russian River, and Beachwood
Mar 5, 2024
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Learn from industry leaders about maximizing yeast health and fermentation efficiency without excessive nutrient use. Explore the evolution of White Labs and their commitment to innovation in fermentation. Discover the importance of zinc dosing, enzyme use, and hop varieties in optimizing beer fermentation for superior quality. Gain key insights on achieving healthy fermentations and drawing inspiration for brewing success.
Optimizing zinc dosing improves fermentation performance indicators like lag time, viability, and attenuation levels.
Consistent yeast propagation rhythms and monitoring key performance indicators ensure successful fermentations and enhance beer quality.
Homogenization in fermentation aids enzyme effectiveness on the cold side, crucial for managing hop creep and improving flavor profile.
Deep dives
Evolution of White Labs and Passion for Yeast
The founder of White Labs, Chris White, shares the evolution of the company, revealing that the idea stemmed from his passion for yeast and brewing. Starting as a homebrewer and working towards a PhD in yeast, Chris's interest in microbiology and fermentation led to the business development of White Labs. The focus on yeast strains and fermentation aids has expanded globally, supporting breweries in various countries.
Impact of Zinc on Fermentation and Performance
The discussion delves into the crucial role of zinc in fermentation, highlighting its impact on yeast health and flavor development in beers. By optimizing zinc dosing, breweries like Beechwood and Heretic have noticed improvements in fermentation performance indicators such as lag time reduction, increased viability, denser harvests, and enhanced attenuation levels. The addition of zinc on the cold side has shown economic benefits, contributing to enhanced beer quality.
Healthy Fermentation Practices in Craft Brewing
Craft breweries emphasize the significance of healthy fermentation practices, including yeast propagation rhythms, batch volume considerations, and yeast generation monitoring. Maintaining a consistent cadence in re-pitching yeast, controlling zinc levels, and focusing on key performance indicators like lag time and viability are essential for achieving successful fermentations, ensuring clean, aromatic, and well-attenuated beers, thus enhancing overall beer quality and brewery efficiency.
Focusing on Homogenization in the Fermentation Process
Homogenization is crucial in the fermentation process to ensure enzymes and nutrients work effectively on the cold side. The typical practice includes multiple fillings within an eight-hour period, with yeast injection post-heat exchange. The second filling, especially, plays a significant role in homogenization by adding essential elements early on. The process involves creating currents within the tank through fermentation and heat generation.
Enzymes and Zinc for Better Fermentation Efficiency
Enzymes and zinc play key roles in promoting healthy fermentation and managing issues like hop creep. ALDC enzyme is essential in the fermentation process to clear diacetyl pathways during dry hopping. Different hop varieties impact enzyme usage, with some requiring more attention than others. Enzyme utilization, along with controlling fermentation parameters like oxygen and zinc levels, contributes significantly to fermentation efficiency and flavor profile.
This special fermentation-focused episode of the podcast is brought to you interruption-free by the yeast and fermentation specialists at White Labs. If you brew beer, you’re familiar with White Labs, as they’ve been supplying brewers with the highest quality yeast and fermentation aids for many years, and they now serve brewers around the world from outposts in San Diego and Asheville in the United States, as well as Copenhagen and Hong Kong.
Throughout this episode, we focus on the keys to effective fermentations, from yeast health to enzymes and more. Joining for the conversation are Chris White, founder of White Labs; Julian Shrago, co-owner and brewmaster of Beachwood Brewing in Long Beach, Huntington, and Garden Grove, California; and Garrison Fratoni, head brewer for Russian River in Windsor, California.
During the podcast, these three discuss the work they’ve been doing in maximizing yeast health while dialing back on the excessive use of yeast nutrients and enzymes. Increased attenuation and efficiency, despite decreased enzyme and nutrient additions? It’s possible, with the techniques and approaches that these brewers discuss.
White Labs never settles for “good enough,” and their innovative spirit continues to advance the craft of fermentation, guaranteeing products that defy the status quo. They fuel the brewing community by offering new product innovations, educational resources, and a collaborative atmosphere—empowering brewers to make the best beer possible.
To learn more about the range of top-quality yeast, nutrients, and other fermentation solutions that White Labs offers to brewers, visit WhiteLabs.com.