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To be even more pedantic, all yeasts ferment throughout the WHOLE column of liquid. Ales are generally made with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lagers with Saccha
by ch4s3 3y ago
To be even more pedantic, all yeasts ferment throughout the WHOLE column of liquid. Ales are generally made with Saccharomyces cerevisiae and lagers with Saccharomyces pastorianus. So called top cropping was the practice of scooping yeast(barm) off of the top of an open fermentation vessel used for ales. Whereas lagers (lager meaning to store) were fermented cooler in (generally) closed barrels and yeast was harvested from the bottom of an emptied barrel.
However, you can top crop or harvest from the bottom of either type. And furthermore, some historical beers were made with wild yeasts or hybrids of S. cerevisiae ans S. pastorianus and may have fallen into either category.
- eyelidlessness 3y agoThe distinction isn’t about where the yeast is harvested, but where its most observable peak activity occurs. S. cerevisiae activates and ferments rapidly at the top of the brew and settles, becomes dormant more quickly and in lower temperatures.
- ch4s3 3y agoS. cerevisiae Has the higher active temperature range, as high as 80F in some cases, and 90+ for kveiks. Both types ferment throughout the column of liquid and have krauesn. I can assure you, I have a number of clear fermenters. You cannot identify the type visually.
- eyelidlessness 3y agoPoint taken. The krausen is much less pronounced at lagering temps, but you’re right that the yeast ferments throughout. But they are all harvested at the bottom unless you’re doing something pretty unusual. And brewers do all sorts of unusual things!
- ch4s3 3y agoAles were historically harvested at high krausen, which is the origin of the phrase top cropping. But you're right, almost no one does that anymore. You can do it really effectively at the small scale an get a lot of live active cells that way though.
- reillyse 3y agoSure. The difference is definitely not the presence or lack of hops.
- ch4s3 3y agoNo, that’s just nonsense.