[erockrph]

In terms of $$, I agree Paul.  But I've shopped @ my LHBS for 20+ years, and they're fantastic. I believe in supporting the local shop (or brewery) if they do it right.

Make sure to ask them to carry it then. The more the industry sees our demand for quality dry yeast, the more likely stuff like this will become widely available.

[beersk]

I saw today that William's Brewing supplies has the Mangrove Jack's yeast. So I decided to make an order for the aeration wand and 2 packs of the Bavarian Hefe yeast. Going to ferment it at 68F, see if I can get the banana esters I want that I get from the Weihenstephaner yeast.

[1vertical]

I do not know about this yeast, but the wand is da bomb!  I really, really like mine.

[kylekohlmorgen]

Make sure to ask them to carry it then. The more the industry sees our demand for quality dry yeast, the more likely stuff like this will become widely available.

+1000. And the more demand, the more investment in the market = higher quality and more selection.

Also + 1 on asking your LHBS to carry it. I have done this multiple times for yeast strains, and my shop always comes through.

[skyler]

I noticed the instructions say it will do 6.6 gallons up to 1.050. Above that you are supposed to double pitch. I wonder if one package is enough for 5.5 gallons up to 1.060.

6.6 gallons of 1.050 beer has more "gravity points" than 5.5 gallons of 1.060 beer, so I would assume so. IME, 1 sachet of Danstar or Fermentis is plenty for a 5.5 gal batch of 1.065 IPA - at least in that it isn't worth it to open a second back.

[skyler]

I finally tried using a sachet of the Mangrove Jack US West Coast Ale Yeast. I just sprinkled the sachet directly onto 6 gallons of 1.043 hoppy session ale. It took a lot longer (36 hrs) to get visibly active than I am used to (12-24 hrs), and the fermentation has been foamier than usual for an American-style yeast (the yeast seems to be behaving like an English strain). The recipe is 5% wheat malt and 10% crystal malt, but still - the aggressive foamy activity at 64º F after over a day and a half of nothing... I don't think this is Chico.

[kadnod]

I just made a lager using two packs of their bohemian yeast.  Turned out pretty well.  It's slightly matly with a little bit of sweetness in the aftertaste, which somewhat matches the website description of what it is supposed to turn out like.  Mine's only been lagering for 4 weeks, though, and the site/instructions recommend 6-8, so maybe it will get even better with time.

It's my first lager, so I really can't say if it's any better or worse than other yeast strains, but I'm happy with the results. 
 

[beersk]

I've used the Hefe yeast, it's good. Has that banana I wanted, but only finished at 1.016 from 1.050, which was a bit disappointing. I'll use it again to see if it wasn't just that batch for some reason. I'm doing an experiment with the Workhorse yeast at ambient temps this weekend with a friend. We're both brewing the same recipe, same yeast, in our respective houses. It's probably somewhere around 75 to 80F in my house. So we'll see how that turns out...

[beersk]

Fermenting Workhorse yeast around 78F right now. Pretty nervous about this one, I just do not believe that a yeast can produce a clean beer that high. But we'll see. It's an IPA, OG 1.070 with 60% 2-row, 25% white wheat, 15% munich 10L. 1oz Chinook FWH, 1oz Simcoe 5min, 1oz each Chinook and Simcoe at flameout, hopstand for 30 minutes. If it's not a dumper, I'll dry hop with something in the keg.
Next morning the krausen was HUGE and it was fermenting super vigorously. Fermentation probably took off within hours after pitching. Aerated with pure O2 for probably a minute. Pitched at 75F. Not holding out much hope, but it's an experiment...
They say this yeast can go up to 90, but I'm leery because they say "lager styles 59-68F"...pfff, whatever guys...

[cornershot]

Beersk, way to take one for the team! Interested to see how that one turns out.

I used the west coast ale yeast on a session pale ale, APA, IPA, and barleywine- all fermented at 65-67f. I've experienced upper 70s attenuation, with a very clean profile. Hops and bitterness are really emphasized but the malt still comes thru very nicely. I really like it and will use it again.
I'd like to split a batch between west coast ale, chico and US-05 for comparison...

[beersk]

Samples I've taken of the Workhorse are pretty good and clean, fermented at 78F or so. It's on dry hops right now, will cold crash and keg in a few days. Only finished at 1.019 or so, which is disappointing. Pretty sure I pitched enough and aerated enough. Fermentation was done in about a day, so that could be one indication as to why...

Brewed an Oktoberfest on Sunday, let crash cool, aerated with pure O2 and pitched the Bohemian lager yeast the next morning. Twenty four hours and still nothing. In swirling the carboy, I get some bubbles, so that might mean it's getting going, but there's still no krausen forming just yet. I suppose that's normal. A guy on another forum said he had a 90+ hour lag time, which is LAME and makes me not want to use this yeast again. He said he email the company and they said it was strange, that he underpitched. I pitched plenty, I better not get a damn 90 hour lag time. I have some 34/70 slurry on hand if I need to pitch that...it's currently sitting at 55F, so let's hope it gets going here in the next day.

[cornershot]

I used the MJ Newcastle brown in a 1.048 northern English brown, rehydrated, oxygenated, Wyeast nutrient, mashed at 152, fermented at a constant 68f, and it quit at 1.028. Lame! Wlp007 finished the job.
A friend used it in a 1.040 extract beer, not rehydrated, aerated, no temp control, and it finished at 1.006. The beer kind of sucked but we won't blame the yeast on that one.

[beersk]

I used the MJ Newcastle brown in a 1.048 northern English brown, rehydrated, oxygenated, Wyeast nutrient, mashed at 152, fermented at a constant 68f, and it quit at 1.028. Lame! Wlp007 finished the job.
A friend used it in a 1.040 extract beer, not rehydrated, aerated, no temp control, and it finished at 1.006. The beer kind of sucked but we won't blame the yeast on that one.

I forgot to mention that I used Wyeast nutrient in my Oktoberfest this weekend as well. Not terribly impressed so far with this company and their yeast. But I'm giving them a chance. I have some of the Newcastle Dark Ale yeast, as well as a packet of the West Coast Ale and Hefe yeasts. So if this kind of business continues, I'll be going back to Fermentis yeasts.

[ynotbrusum]

I used the MJ Newcastle brown in a 1.048 northern English brown, rehydrated, oxygenated, Wyeast nutrient, mashed at 152, fermented at a constant 68f, and it quit at 1.028. Lame! Wlp007 finished the job.
A friend used it in a 1.040 extract beer, not rehydrated, aerated, no temp control, and it finished at 1.006. The beer kind of sucked but we won't blame the yeast on that one.

I forgot to mention that I used Wyeast nutrient in my Oktoberfest this weekend as well. Not terribly impressed so far with this company and their yeast. But I'm giving them a chance. I have some of the Newcastle Dark Ale yeast, as well as a packet of the West Coast Ale and Hefe yeasts. So if this kind of business continues, I'll be going back to Fermentis yeasts.

You really jumped in with both feet on this mfg.  I hope most, if not all, turn out well.  I have noticed that first generation pitches of dry lager yeast have been a bit slow (even with 34/70), but on repitch they usually take right off, so you may want to see if a second gen goes quicker for the lager yeast.  Keep us posted, Beersk, and thanks for the willingness to go this route on a new company's strains.

[skyler]

Just thought I would chime in to say the beer I made with the West Coast Ale Yeast came out well. I would compare this yeast to WLP051. It is less dry than using Chico and the hop expression is a little more restrained, but it is clean, fairly flocculant, and made a good beer.