It's the strain used by Rogue Ales.Made even more popular in NZ thanks to the importers down in Wellington BOMBING the market with a massive selection of fantastic Rogue Ales. The beers are really nice - and have travelled well. I'm drinking a Brutal as we speak... and I'm taken aback with how good these beers are.
It's also released via WYeast once and a while, and was one of the private strains available on the last order. You can culture it from their bottle conditioned beers also.
Apparently it's highly attenuative, hence 'Pacman' - eats everything in sight, very clean, floccs pretty well and will ferment coldish for an ultra-clean beer.
It seems to accentuate caramel flavours more than 1056 does - but this could be explained by massive amounts of light crystal / caramel etc used by the brewer... however there is definately a difference in how the yeast contributes flavour to the beer. I'm getting more and more keen to use it as I go through the rogue range.
Even that Tracktown 200 meter is wicked - and it;s the rogue house strain.
how's your amber coming along? mine's almost done, will filter and keg soon. it's got loads of crystal and hops, should be a suitably over the top beer. sounds like these rogue brews are the biz, will have to try and track some down
My Amber is pretty damned fine I have to say. On Sunday night it had gone down to 1.016... just a point shy of where I want to be. The bitterness is firm (I hope it lasts) and balanced the body nicely. The overall impression is balanced - even a hint of dryness due to my 100ppm sulphate water profile.
The flavour is still a bit jumbled - I think that it'll need a few weeks in the keg to get clean, but in the short term there is a hell of a lot of caramalised pear along with some soft buscitty notes.
I think it'll turn out well... not bad for 21% caramel malts aye?
definitely! mine had a high percentage of caramel, medium and (thomas fawcett) dark, from memory well over 10%, which was quite high considering my grav got up to 1.060 odd. it's got right down to 1.012, thanks i think to nz pils, a fairly low mash temp and good ole SO5. it's crazy hoppy, probably needs some time in the keg before the flavours blend me thinks. i'll send you a bottle when it's ready, i've got loads of the stuff thanks to high efficiency on this batch
Sounds awesome. I love dark hoppy beers. I ended up mashing at 67 as my grains were warmer than I accounted for... didn't hurt the beer any I dont think.
Word on the street is that it's 1056 that mutated.
Agree with Joking, I thought the exact same thing, they seem a bit heavy handed, for me anyway, with their crystal malts, especially for an American brewery.
Shakespear stout is one of my most favourite beers. Ever.
Busy night tonight. Kegged (and bottled a few) Oh To Be In Auckland (my standard bitter with Motueka), chatted to a very keen kit brewer about how to graduate to all-grain, and also managed to fit in a brew:
Pale Beauty v3 (re-brew of my award-winning NZPA)
5.7kg Maris Otter
0.25kg Wheat Malt
mashed at 67 degrees for 60 mins. Water adjusted as if for an APA.
22g Southern Cross @ 60
40g NZ Hallertau @ 30
40g NZ Cascade @ 15
30g Motueka @ 5
will be dry-hopping with 30g Riwaka