1187 Ringwood Ale Yeast

Anyone use this 1187 Ringwood Ale Yeast before? I used a Wyeast smack pack and it didn't expand like normal. 48 hours in and just getting airlock movement. I know they can go 3 days before really bubbling. Anyone use this yeast before and know it's characteristics?

How old was the pack? If you just pitched one pack directly into the fermenter without a starter I would say 48 sounds reasonable.

I just tried one. It did not expand either. When making a starter for it, I opened the package and discovered I only broke one of the internal packages, the 2nd did not break open.

Check my profile picture - I posted a picture there from yesterday, 24 hours after pitching my starter.

I though it was going to blow the lid off my fermenter, came to within an inch of hitting the lid.

I've used this yeast before. They guy at the LHBS warned me that it was a very slow starter. It was about 72 hours before it really took off. Just be patient.

The two times I used it with out a starter, it took about two days to get going.

It should make some tasty beer!

1187 was commonly used by high volume brewpubs to achieve one week grain to glass. I have actually had a light American wheat ferment out in three days. Crash cool, transfer to secondary for two days, transfer to serving, carbonate, and have it sell out in another three days.

It is a bit more flavorful then 1086 but it is very clean. You can use it for many styles. As long as you make up a starter or pitch on the yeast cake, you should have very quick and clean fermentation.

It is fairly tolerant of high temperatures. I achieved the best results fermenting at 20C. There was one time I forgot to turn the glycol jackets on and the brew hit 28 overnight. I turned them on when I came in the next morning and everything was fine.

Most smack packs do not have a large enough cell count to really get things going. Use the smack pack to make up a starter and watch out!

When used in a stout, it is a very vigorous fermenter. It would literally lift the lid off my fermenters.

i'm using this yeast to brew a "60 minute ipa" clone from the extreme brewing book. i'll let you know how it "performs" for me.

Wayne1 said:

1187 was commonly used by high volume brewpubs to achieve one week grain to glass. I have actually had a light American wheat ferment out in three days. Crash cool, transfer to secondary for two days, transfer to serving, carbonate, and have it sell out in another three days.

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Wow, that is awesome Wayne! Talk about quick ROI!

I also found that 1187 finished really quickly. 1.050 to 1.012 in four days.

William's Homebrew Supply includes this yeast in their HONEY CREAM ALE kit. I've brewed 3 so far and they were vigorous in the first days of ferment. I've used the yeast in one other ale. In MHO this yeast should be used for sweeter ales.

I used this yeast in an extract recipe last week. Came recommended for what I was brewing from the owner of my LHBS. OG was 1.044, pitched right from the smack pack after it expanded. Had about a 30 hour delay, but it got going pretty well.

Now, a week out, the airlock still bubbles from time to time. I've refrained from checking the gravity, hoping that it will stop.

Is this normal for this type of yeast?

I have used it in a vanilla porter, It was one of the best beers I ever made. I have found that it does not like cold temps. J.