Yeast for RIS

suffolkbeer · Dec 5, 2017

IÃ¢â¬â¢m in planning stages for brewing a Russian Imperial Stout which should end up at about 9.5%abv

Is there a suitable yeast I can get from CML for a beer of this strength and type?? I usually use their real ale yeast for my brews but not sure that would work for this brew??

Ajhutch · Dec 5, 2017

CML do a barley wine yeast which you could consider. Alternatively could you brew a mild or a light bitter then use the yeast cake?

IainM · Dec 5, 2017

At 9.5% your brew would be strong, but not so strong that a reasonably robust yeast would conk out. However, if you want the beer to condition quickly, as in a few months, then as long as you haven't chosen an inappropriate yeast then the pitching rate and aeration will be more important than which yeast it is. I did as Ajhutch suggests and ended up with an 11% beer that was enjoyable at 4 months, which was a lot sooner than the 12 months I was expecting.

dad_of_jon · Dec 5, 2017

I love mj's m29 for my ris, I've found they don't need 12 months to enjoy them 6-8 weeks and they are good to go :shock: I do use dark candi sugar in my recipes which helps a lot :whistle:

Sadfield · Dec 5, 2017

dad_of_jon said:
I love mj's m29 for my ris, I've found they don't need 12 months to enjoy them 6-8 weeks and they are good to go :shock: I do use dark candi sugar in my recipes which helps a lot :whistle:

I'm with you on that. If they are brewed well, they should only need a few weeks conditioning, not the 12 months people often report. Good aeration, pitch rate and temp control, goes a long way.

As for yeast, I use Westmalle yeast, keeping the temperature low around 19c, it still adds some nice fruity esters to add some complexity without becoming too Belgian, with no ABV issues.

M29 French Saison? Interesting, does it not go a bit peppery?

"Inspiration is the impact of a fact on a well-prepared mind" Louis Pasteur

chthon · Dec 7, 2017

M29 French Saison? Interesting, does it not go a bit peppery?

Only if you are able to ferment at 26ÃÂ° C or higher. I have used it for different styles, and I have never noticed a peppery taste. I can only ferment at room temperature.

strange-steve · Dec 7, 2017

I like a clean yeast for an imperial stout, US05 is great for example. I'm not sure if Crossmyloof pale ale yeast is the same, but I would imagine a couple of packs of that would do a good job in an RIS.