Safale S-04

[hoppyscotty]

Never had an issue with S04. I use it on one of my brews as it was a hangover from the recipe I first started from and have since changed, but have still continued to use the yeast with no issues. Always been super reliable for me. Yes not so much of a flavourful yeast, but in some beers you don't necessarily want a contribution from the yeast and if your pressure fermenting then its not an issue anyway.

 

[Davegase]

Used S-04 for the first time this week in a best bitter. Impressed so far. Pitched on Thursday, rolling fermentation with a 1 inch krausen 24 hours later and nearly finished today. I was worried it was going to volcano but it didn't. Well behaved yeast. I'm tempted to start cold crashing it tomorrow and keg it on Monday.

After 24 hours...
View attachment 88372

After 48hrs...

View attachment 88373

For your entertainment Dr Hans brewery.

 

[Galena]

I like Dr Hans but not really sure this was an unbiased comparison.

 

[Davegase]

I like Dr Hans but not really sure this was an unbiased comparison.

Not a massive difference between the two anyway.

 

[MashBag]

Don't know why there's always these attempts to discredit S-04 yeast ... It's the best yeast on the market (and that includes all that "liquid" yeast tosh).

I saw what you did there

 

[peebee]

... Now..on to the 04...Peebee please give your experience and the way you use it. There seems to be a couple of "stuck" brews or some that finish higher than expected. Is this common? What's the best way to treat it?
Thanks!

I guess this isn't exactly what you had in mind?

An attempt on a mid-19th C. Whitbread 1849 porter recipe, brewing exactly 2 years ago. Didn't go to plan. The yeast (S-33, known not to be very enthusiastic about fermenting - understatement! - dextrin) "stuck" at 1.027. I was aiming for 1.019 so, I had failed in my "manipulations". After a few days "stuck" in went half pack of S-04. Seven days later ... still nothing. Day eight ... ah, a bit of activity! Four days later, SG 1.011! Damn it, the S-04 proved too enthusiastic!


I reckon a number of "stuck" fermentations can be put down to picking the wrong yeast and having sloppy control over mash temperature. Or else misuse of refractometers ... i.e. not compensating their reading, which were never intended to measure "specific gravity" of fermenting liquids (neither were hydrometers, but people have grown to accept their oddities). Now what else can I rant on about ... I know there is thos...

(Hey ... who switched the lights out?).

 

[sifty]

I am not against but it is very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very average.

Ha.
For the record I'm against it. Every time I use S04 I find an undesirable aroma/flavour in the beer when tasted early. Yes it disappears with time but I can't get over the initial disappointment.

Possibly mental, but I can't get over it...

 

[Sandimas]

I reckon a number of "stuck" fermentations can be put down to picking the wrong yeast and having sloppy control over mash temperature.

After the inital learning curve when starting brewing, I think the biggest thing I've learnt since is how important temperature control is, both mash and fermentation. In fact, fermentation control has made the most difference to my beers since I started doing it, much more consistency with FGs.

 

[Twostage]

Took a gravity reading this morning (of all three of the brews that are currently in progress). Used both a refractometer and hydrometer. Using the default wort correction factor from BrewersFriend made the calculated SG way out. I could put a correction factor in which made it right but it didn't work for the other two (which is probably right ? Do you need to take a refract and hydro before fermentation to work out the correction factor for that brew ?). TBH as the refractometer was between 3 and 5 points high (depending on the measured gravity) I think I can just work it out roughly in my head. Anyway the bitter is currently sitting at 1.014 and still slowly bubbling so I've abandoned my plans to bottle it and leave it for a few more days.

More worried about my lager which is supposed to be in diacetyl rest stage but is still at 1.024 !! Tastes like lager though.

 

[Rodcx500z]

I always take an og reading ie 1050 as example, so when you get to fg ie 1010 this will give you alc %, so this beer would be 5.27%, i used the brewers friend calculator

 

[Galena]

If you brewed last Thursday, then it's only been in the FV for 8 days? I always give it a minimum of 14 days no matter the gravity and it has always been done by then and gone through a good diacetyl rest.