Yeast strains

Grains, malts, hops, yeast, water and other ingredients used to brew. Recipe reviews and suggestions.

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jayhawk
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Yeast strains

Post by jayhawk »

Just looking for comments on the yeast strains people out in Brewland are using. I have just done a couple of batches with Wyeast 1968 London ESB and I am hooked. It is really flocculant, which is nice because the beer is left super clear. I've also got a few more Wyeast strains in the bank (American, British, German), but this one is my flavour of the month(s). Since I am planning on brewing a lager soon (first lager ever), I am interested in seeing what the consensus (hah, wishful thinking in homebrewing)is around lager yeasts.

Chris
Gravity Thrills
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two I like

Post by Gravity Thrills »

I like the ESB yeast as well, and I think it would be a great one if I ever got an open fermentation system together for Brit ales. One strain I recently discovered for the first time and really like is the London III
jayhawk
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Old brewery ales

Post by jayhawk »

My fave beer is by a micro here in BC (Nelson Brew Co's "Old brewery Ale"). Yumm! Anyway, my life mission is to brew this beer, and recently while visiting my local liquor store I saw a UK beer called "Old Brewery Ale" by, I think, Samuel Smith brewery. Since the friend I was with was the one buying himself some beer, and my truck was already loaded down with my own beer, I didn't buy the beer (i know, i am a cheapskate). Have you ever encountered this UK brew?
BillyBock
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Some I Like

Post by BillyBock »

For ales I like Wyeast 1084, 1056, & 1335. The 1335 flocs really well. So much so, that it didn't want to go out the 1 inch dump valve on my conical! It took a while, but it eventually went through.

When I go with dry yeast I normally use the Danstar products--Nottingham usually. But I recently tried Safale S-04 on an IPA--very, very, active, and a nice clean taste.

As far as lagers, I've only used Wyeast 2124, 2112, and most recently 2308. So far I've been pleased with the 2124--it didn't seem to be as much of a sulfur-belcher as the other two.

I'm still experimenting with yeast. But soon I'll settle down and keep my favorites on hand when I start making my house beers.

v/r
Bill
Gravity Thrills
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Tadcaster Rules

Post by Gravity Thrills »

Sam Smith's Old Brewery Bitter is one of my favorite of the handful of Brit ales to make it over here. Better still, we even get it in the Beer Wasteland that is Florida.

All of the Samuel Smith stuff is outstanding, except maybe for the lager that I refuse to even try on principle (Brits shouldn't waste their time making lagers, and apparently Smith's knows this because the lager is made for export only).

My wife and I spent time in Yorkshire, and visited the old Tadcaster Brewery where the Sam Smith ales are brewed - right in teh famous slate-lined "Yorkshire Square" open fermenters (across the street from the John Smith Brewery - cousins - that sold out to the megas a while back, but their Magnet Bitter as a great cask ale). The high point of the visit to Yorkshire was drinking a Smith brew in a tied house called Museum Ale. It's cellered and drawn from oak casks, and the name is in reference to an old 1870s Brewery/ Museum in Stamford-Lincolnshire. The statistics hat still amaze me a decade after the visit are 1) this little town of Stamford had 22 breweries in 1870 and; 2) in 1870 there were nearly 17 Thousand (!) small independent breweries across the British Isles back then.

Talk about variety...

Cheers,
Jim
fitz
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Don't Judge

Post by fitz »

Don't judge me too harshly for what I'm about to say, but I personally like the ruggedness of the dry yeasts. Sometimes I don't know when I am going to be able to brew, so I like the idea of not having to baby the liquid yeasts like you have to do sometimes. As for Lager yeasts, there is one from Austrailia named Superior, which is by far the cleanest tasting dry yeast I have ever done. If you look at the recipe section the Amber Abrosia was made with that yeast. I put the wrong yeast name on there by accident.
jayhawk
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Guilty as well

Post by jayhawk »

Although I have been doing cultures since august, I am still not 100% convinced that the hassle of the liquid yeast is worth it. It was also in august that I switched to all grain and improved my beer handling techniques, so I am not sure if the improved quality of my beer is due to yeast or not. However, I should find out soon, as last night I brewed one batch with 1968 Wyeast and the other with Coopers Dry Yeast. I just didn't have time to make two starters. I will let you know my findings.
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