[ninab]

For anyone interested:  East Coast Yeast delivered 40 bottles of fresh yeast to Princeton Homebrew today.  Bugfarm IV, Saison Blend, Scottish Heavy and a few Old Newark Ales.  Some may already be spoken for, so call Joe soon at PH if you're interested.

[ryang]

Just brewed my Ballantine IPA tonight with the Old Newark yeast Joe sent me.  I made a starter with the yeast and it took right off.  Nice packaging on Al's and Joe's part!

Highly recommended.

[bluesman]

I'm very interested in this yeast. I hope they'll still have some by the time I order.

[ryang]

I don't want to change the topic too much, so I'll add a shameless plug here: http://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=4237.0

[ryang]

back on topic...

this yeast is nuts.  blowoff city!  huge rocky krausen.  I've had to clean up after it a few times already and I pitched the yeast late thursday evening.
Top cropper for sure.

[ninab]

Yup, top cropper indeed.  What you're experiencing is the feistiness of fresh yeast!  
 
Really, the 125 ml bottle can be pitched directly into a 5-6 gal carboy.  Starter is optional unless the yeast sits around (in your fridge!) a while.   Hope your final results are what you're looking for!

[dzlater]

The beer I brewed with the Old Newark came out really well.
I hadn't brewed the recipe before so I can't really compare it
too well against other yeasts. I guess I would call it "clean
I don't know if the yeast had anything to do with it but I got a really
nice hop flavor. I have a batch of brown ale I pitched with the washed
yeast from the first batch fermenting away now. I am hoping to do a third batch
reusing the yeast from that batch.

[The Professor]

The beer I brewed with the Old Newark came out really well.
I hadn't brewed the recipe before so I can't really compare it
too well against other yeasts. I guess I would call it "clean
I don't know if the yeast had anything to do with it but I got a really
nice hop flavor. I have a batch of brown ale I pitched with the washed
yeast from the first batch fermenting away now. I am hoping to do a third batch
reusing the yeast from that batch.

I've had similar great results.  I'm already into my fifth repitch of the yeast (in beers of various stregths and colors) and I fully expect to do at least 5 more subsequent repitches.  I haven't even washed the yeast before re-using.

This product seems to behave exactly like the pure Newark strain I had many years ago.   
I am very happy indeed with this stuff.

[hopfenundmalz]

How do you find if different from the Chico yeast? 

[The Professor]

How do you find if different from the Chico yeast? 

It seems to floc out much more thoroughly than the Chico yeast. 

[hopfenundmalz]

I wondered if there was a difference.  Many times it has been said that the Chico yeast is from Ballantine.  Ken Grossman has stated that he really does not know the original brewery, as it came from Siebel.  It could have Ballantine as the origin, but has adapted to the SN brewery, and the large cylindrical tanks (does not take long from what was stated in "Yeast").

Thanks for the reply.

[ryang]

Yup, top cropper indeed.  What you're experiencing is the feistiness of fresh yeast!  
 
Really, the 125 ml bottle can be pitched directly into a 5-6 gal carboy.  Starter is optional unless the yeast sits around (in your fridge!) a while.   Hope your final results are what you're looking for!

Well the fermenting beer smells fantastic.  Wonderfully hoppy.  I had to keep the lid off the bucket because it kept blowing off (yes the airlock and lid blew off the top of the bucket!!).  I don't think the open fermentation will be a problem between the extreme hoppiness and huge krausen. 

[The Professor]

I wondered if there was a difference.  Many times it has been said that the Chico yeast is from Ballantine.  Ken Grossman has stated that he really does not know the original brewery, as it came from Siebel.  It could have Ballantine as the origin, but has adapted to the SN brewery, and the large cylindrical tanks (does not take long from what was stated in "Yeast").

Thanks for the reply.

Yeah, I'd heard for years that the yeasts sold as "Chico" were the Ballantine strain, and the flavor and fermentation profiles seem similar based on my past experience...except that having worked before with what I knew with good certainty was the original Ballantine strain, I always thought it odd that the "Chico" didn't flocculate nearly the same way.

I haven't met Al B. (East Coast Yeast's 'ranch foreman') even though he lives probably no more than 5 miles from me,  but in conversations with Joe Bair (Princeton Homebrew), apparently Al B.  is of the opinion that the Old Newark is different enough that it likely isn't even related to the Chico  (maybe ninab can corroborate that?).

I've already done a couple of batches of my take on BIPA using the yeast,  and so far the beer is tasting mighty fine, but since the authentic BIPA recipe calls for 8-12 months of aging, I'll wait for pronouncement of my final result.  I feel good enough about it though that I have already planned for several more double batches in the coming month or two to ensure there is plenty to age properly, since I expect that some of what I've already made will be consumed a bit younger.   
I can sometimes be impatient as anyone. 

[ninab]

Professor:  Confirming Old Newark is definitely not Chico.  Have brewed with both, have both in our yeast bank.

I used to live in New Brunswick....from Louis Street we're 10 miles door-to-door. 

Got word from Joe Bair there's still a few bottles left of each strain.  Next drop off won't be for more than a week.  We are trying to announce drop offs on Facebook.  

[beveragebob]

Nina,

Can you post your link to FB? I can't sem to locate you.

Thanks,

Bob