SO 4 issues

[Bragdy Mike]

Bore Da, Mike,
I find S-04 very reliable and a good yeast for ales; ferments fast, drops like a stone at the end. It is my standard yeast for bitters, pale ales, milds and stouts. I ferment at 20 deg C although I have used range 20 - 24 when I had poorer temperature control, don't get fixated on final gravity figures within a couple of points - it may be that your mash conditions were different. Definitely do not go down the diacetyl rabbit hole with ales!
I have used Nottingham strains over the years with perfectly good results, never used S-05 -I am happy with S-04.

Haydn

Fermentation graph below:

View attachment 106705

Diolch yn fawr Haydn
I will have a go at all the suggestions including tinkering with my fermentation temperatures and perhaps experimenting a little more.
Mike

 

[Lunesdale Brewer]

A tip for a fast start:
At the end of boil collect about 500ml of the hot wort in a clean 1litre or bigger container.
Cool as quickly as you can to 20c and pitch the dried yeast into that, keep at an appropriate temperature and usually by the time the main bulk of wort has cooled you will have an active starter for a flying start.

 

[Bragdy Mike]

A tip for a fast start:
At the end of boil collect about 500ml of the hot wort in a clean 1litre or bigger container.
Cool as quickly as you can to 20c and pitch the dried yeast into that, keep at an appropriate temperature and usually by the time the main bulk of wort has cooled you will have an active starter for a flying start.

I’m still faffiing about with yeasts. I’m planning on doing a James Morton brew - Undead Pale Ale
20 litre brew
5kg Maris Otter
0.5kg Munich
0.2kg Carapils
0.2kg Crystal
0.2kg Melanoidin

Citra hops - fairly hoppy
And one of the suggested English ale yeasts is S-04.
Woulf it be OK to use US-05?
Many thanks in anticipation
Mike

 

[dmtaylor]

I’m still faffiing about with yeasts. I’m planning on doing a James Morton brew - Undead Pale Ale
20 litre brew
5kg Maris Otter
0.5kg Munich
0.2kg Carapils
0.2kg Crystal
0.2kg Melanoidin

Citra hops - fairly hoppy
And one of the suggested English ale yeasts is S-04.
Woulf it be OK to use US-05?
Many thanks in anticipation
Mike

US-05 (or even good old S-04, either one) will work splendidly for this recipe. Personally, I'd reduce or eliminate the melanoidin, and the Carapils won't hurt anything, but it also won't help, it's completely worthless, unless you're adding it for mash pH control or something like that.

 

[MashBag]

I gave up on SO and moved onto Notty & Windsor (together) from CML. Smashing ale combo.

@ CML that's Midlands & The firm

 

[marshbrewer]

You can make some great combos with CML yeast.

Beoir + House is good as well.

 

[The Baron]

Not a combo but I use Beoir for ales bitters etc.
Top notch

 

[Bitter_Dave]

Not a combo but I use Beoir for ales bitters etc.
Top notch

Might have to give that a go. It sounds fairly flocculant but not super-attenuating? Pretty good combination for the fairly low gravity bitters, milds and brown ales I'm making with kits these days I would have thought. That said, I'm not unhappy with S04, and it is one of the few yeasts sold by my local homebrew shop.

 

[Clint]

At CML prices you can afford to chuck in a packet of each.

 

[MashBag]

Might have to give that a go. It sounds fairly flocculant but not super-attenuating? Pretty good combination for the fairly low gravity bitters, milds and brown ales I'm making with kits these days I would have thought. That said, I'm not unhappy with S04, and it is one of the few yeasts sold by my local homebrew shop.

I was never unhappy with SO it was just a bit pedestrian.

That's said. The yeast Lees stick like glue to the bottle

 

[marshbrewer]

At CML prices you can afford to chuck in a packet of each.

Thats what I do. I've experimented with various combinations of CML House, Beoir, Clipper, Atlantic and even Horg Norsk. Always trying to get a balance of nice esters with decent attenuation and floculation. It's quite good fun (or I might just be a weirdo)

 

[Bragdy Mike]

Thanks everyone for interesting comments and helpful suggestions. Will try US-05 now and with later brews I’ll try alternatives