Dry yeast options

[marshbrewer]

I'm planning my next few brews, that will be mini mash's to use up the Coopers kits I have in stock before going AG via BIAB. The last one will be come in at 1.064 OG, so I am assuming I will need 2 packs of dry yeast. I don't want to get into making starters / re-culturing yeast at this stage, that's a few brews down the road while I get the hang of mashing, etc. SO, for this brew, I'm sticking with dried yeast for financial reasons.

So, its going to be a darkish, old ale type of thing, and I want a yeast with a bit of character. I'm leaning towards Danstar Windsor, or their London ESB yeast. What do people recommend?

 

[Fil]

1 x 11g pack hydrated in warm (up to 30c) preboiled to sanitise water when you start the brew so it has at least 20 mins to soak before you pitch will be fine.. And give the brew a good whisk to aerate well.

 

[JFB]

Be warned the Danstar Windsor will leave a high fg, so you'll end up with a sweetish tasting brew. Fine if that's what your after.
I used it in a bitter I made, tasted great but I ended up with a 3.2 beer due to the high fg that I had not factored on.

 

[marshbrewer]

Thanks for the replies. Brewers Friend has both yeasts finishing high, interestingly with the ESB yeast the highest! Given Windsor's reputation, they seems odd, but I'll take it as read. The reasonable OG means I should still end up with a decent ABV, and I'm looking for maltiness and character rather than a neutral beer.

I guess I was wandering if there was anything else similar to consider from any other dry yeast manufacturers?

As for pitch rate, I confess to not fully understanding the Brewers Friend calculator, but it does say I'm under pitching with one 11g pack (I think!!) and I had read that pitch rate was important for Windsor so was going to use 2 re hydrated packs. Again all thoughts welcome.

 

[GerritT]

So, you're not looking at a yeast with a 'neutral' character. That's a start. ESB is imho comparable with M36 https://mangrovejacks.com/products/liberty-bell-ale-m36-yeast-10g . Might give that thought.

 

[jceg316]

I've not used Windsor ESB yeast, so I can't comment on it.

If it's maltiness you're going for, you could go for a lager yeast like Fermentis w-34/70, which is incredibly clear and promotes good malt and hop character. It ferments well at ale temperatures and you don't need to 'lager' afterwards. For a more traditional English style, Fermentis S-04 is a good yeast. It's been a while since I used it but it adds a subtle fruitiness to the beer. I've used Empire Ale from MJ, it both attenuates and flocculates very quickly, leaving a ton of yeast at the bottom, which is great if you want to harvest it afterwards.

In answer to your question, if I were to make an English style ale with dried yeast, I would probably go for S-04 because it's always worked well for me. I'll add the caveat that it doesn't have the strongest flavour in the beer though.

IF you have some time, it might be a good idea to look on GEB/Malt Miller/your favourite HBS at the dry English yeasts available, read their characteristics and narrow down a selection to 3, then post back here asking people's experiences with those yeasts.

 

[GerritT]

https://www.saltcitybrewsupply.com/media/YeastComparison3.pdf

http://www.brewunited.com/yeast_database.php

 

[joel]

Unlike a few years back there's plenty of choice now for dry yeasts depending on what you're looking for in the finished beer. S04 finishes dry and a bit fruity (to me it's tart, like unsweetened yogurt, not my cup of tea but others like it). Mangrove Jacks Empire Ale yeast provides some nice fruity yeast character and finishes sweeter. I also like Mangrove Jacks Liberty Bell which has been a 'house ale' yeast for me recently, it provides some yeast character but isn't as sweet as Empire Ale or as dry as S04. There's also been a big thread going round here on crossmyloof ale yeast, not yet used it but their Real Ale yeast strain is reported to be very malty which might work for that style. Not used the Danstar London ESB, got put off by lots of reports on homebrewtalk of it quitting at around 1.020, similar to some people's experiences of Windsor. Made one beer with Windsor which never cleared either.

 

[marshbrewer]

Thanks for all the suggestions. On hadn't thought of Mangrove Jacks - both the Empire and Liberty Bell looks interesting; I'll do some reading about those.

 

[fourbob]

Thanks for all the suggestions. On hadn't thought of Mangrove Jacks - both the Empire and Liberty Bell looks interesting; I'll do some reading about those.

Good luck with going AG, I'm sure you'll love it.....
Both Mangrove Jacks yeasts metioned will definitely leave your beer with a bit of character, as would the Windsor. I was initially a bit surprised / disappointed when I first used the MJ Empire, but it turned out one of the tastiest beers I'd made and I've gone back to it for darker medium strength beers. And I reckon 1 pack would do the job....
Also worth checking out the Crossmyloof real ale yeast - if you get along with it, then it'll represent great value. I've found it to be a bit less malty than the others mentioned here but worth giving a go. They've got an online shop now so you don't need to go through facebook or ebay, and their proces include delivery - which makes ordering small amounts realistic.

 

[marshbrewer]

Thanks for the info; I have tried the CML real ale yeast in a brew before, and it is malty, but I don't think it adds any fruity character, if you see what I mean. I also thought it left a pronounced yeasty zing in the beer for a long time.

Mind you, this has to be taken in context of a beer that came out fairly pants overall, so perhaps I had other issues with that brew.

Fancy something different this time; I'm leaning toward the MJ Liberty Bell at the moment.