Yeast Suggestion

I've been brewing for over a year, and have made about ten batches, nine of which tasted pretty good, but everything has been an experiment and I still have no clue about yeasts or what to use to bring out the specific flavors I'm looking for. The one off beer I've made so far had a very "bland" flavor, that I attribute to yeast.

That said, I'm planning to re-make a brown IPA (1.066 OG, 52 IBU). I've been reading as much as I can, but can't come to a decision on the yeast to use. I want the beer to come out with a nice hop kick, but to maintain enough sweet maltiness that the two balance well together.

If you have a yeast suggestion, I'd love to hear it, along with the reason why you prefer that particular yeast.

I'm currently looking at:
Wyeast 1450
Wyeast 1318
WLP001 (which I used the first time I made this beer)

Generally for an IPA you want a clean yeast profile.

You could try an English strain and get some more esters...might be nice for the brown IPA.

EDIT: Given your list, I'd go for 1318...would be very nice with the brown. But the other two are rockstars too.

Thanks. I'm heading to the shop now. Hopefully they have it in stock.

One comment - I think 1318 tends to finish a bit higher than you'd normally want for an IPA, so mash low or add some sugar if you like a dry IPA. If you like a sweetish IPA, you're golden

I can handle a degree of sweet. For comparison, I'm gonna do five gallons with 1318 and another five with WL810 SAN Francisco lager yeast. Should be a good learning experience.

1318 for an IPA. That's very interesting. If I'm not mistaken, that's the Boddington strain right? Anyhow, I've been eyeing this strain for 2 years to brew something with it. But it's seldomly used so it's not clear how it performs and what it's good for beyond the obvious British bitter. Please do tell us how your brown IPA turns out. Cheers!

I could be wrong, but I think the Boddington strain is the "dry English ale"--WLP007 (not sure of a WY number). It attenuates a lot more than the WY1318. I used it in a robust porter that I'm working my way through right now. Very tasty to my palate in that recipe (I don't like a cloying porter), but not one I'd use if I wanted a sweeter ale.

OP, I'm kind of surprised you went with the 1318 in this beer. I've got a best bitter in the fermenter right now using that strain. I chose it because it's supposed to have a lot of character. Very English--at least by reputation. Lots of esters, lots of malt in the final beer. Maybe your alternative was a little more like what you were looking for, given your description (?). Still, I'm sure either one would yield a great beer. I'd be interested to hear what you think when you've had a chance to taste it. This is the first time I've used it, and I'm looking forward to trying it, myself.

One thing, though: Be aware that 1318 seems to be kind of an odd bird. It's a top-cropping strain, so it will blow off like crazy if you don't have enough head space in the fermenter (some say that's not a good thing, either, since you will lose a LOT of this particular yeast in the process). Also, you'll get a doughy krausen that hangs around forever on top of the beer. My bitter is going on 3 weeks, and that krausen is still hanging in there. After it reaches final gravity, you either have to cold crash it or rack from underneath the krausen. Unless you're comfortable letting it sit. In my case, I don't want the yeast to finish up too much, but you might want the very opposite.

Are you making a starter?

jbsg02 said:

Are you making a starter?

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This should read: Make a starter when using liquid yeasts.
It's not absolutely necessary, but it is generally accepted that making a starter will make your beer better.

I'm going to make a suggestion here that isn't exactly what you are asking for, but it's food for thought.

I make an awesome brown IPA that doesn't last long and gets a lot of praise and it is similar to what you are describing OG 1.066, 57 IBU. But mine is dry for a brown ale, as that is more to my taste. I get FG of 1.015. I use the Chico strain and that works great for me because it has respectable attenuation and it lets the hops and maltiness shine together without overcomplicating things with too much esters.

Now, I'm all about using unusual yeasts and experimenting like that -- I have 15 strains thus far in my ever-expanding yeast library. However, if I wanted this beer to be sweeter, the first thing I would adjust would be the malt bill. More unfermentables = higher FG. If you want to add more flavors then you're on the right track. If all you need is a little residual sugar, look to the malt bill.

Sardoman said:

I'm going to make a suggestion here that isn't exactly what you are asking for, but it's food for thought.

I make an awesome brown IPA that doesn't last long and gets a lot of praise and it is similar to what you are describing OG 1.066, 57 IBU. But mine is dry for a brown ale, as that is more to my taste. I get FG of 1.015. I use the Chico strain and that works great for me because it has respectable attenuation and it lets the hops and maltiness shine together without overcomplicating things with too much esters.

Now, I'm all about using unusual yeasts and experimenting like that -- I have 15 strains thus far in my ever-expanding yeast library. However, if I wanted this beer to be sweeter, the first thing I would adjust would be the malt bill. More unfermentables = higher FG. If you want to add more flavors then you're on the right track. If all you need is a little residual sugar, look to the malt bill.

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Thanks for the note. I did not use a starter for the 1318, but did for the wlp810, since it was in my washed collection. Both showed great signs of activity quickly, and the 1318 built a 2" head.I'll report flavors once I'm done, and will definitely report flavor comments.

That sounds as expected. The 1318 is Boddington's yeast and a top cropper so it should make and keep a nice krausen. Wlp810 is Anchor's yeast and a lager so it's pretty much the opposite of a top cropper.

Regarding the previous poster that though wlp007 was from Boddington, it's not; it's from Whitbred.

Personally, I like WLP002/1968 for maltier IPA's

Just brewed a 10 g batch of pale ale over the weekend and split it between 1056 and 1318. I'd like to hear how your results come out on your experiment with 1318 as this is the first time I've used it as well.

TarheelBrew13 said:

That sounds as expected. The 1318 is Boddington's yeast and a top cropper so it should make and keep a nice krausen. Wlp810 is Anchor's yeast and a lager so it's pretty much the opposite of a top cropper.

Regarding the previous poster that though wlp007 was from Boddington, it's not; it's from Whitbred.

Personally, I like WLP002/1968 for maltier IPA's

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Interestingly, I ended up with a huge krausen on the wlp810 AND the 1318. Strange. Both showing similar signs. It's possible I may have gotten labels mixed up, but I try to pay attention to that stuff... I'll check my records...

Oooh, I've been using 1318 and 2112 (CA Common) recently. I'd say the 1318 is quite estery (in a dark fruit, British way), has med attenuation, and definitely leans on the maltier side. 2112 has been more lagerish than aleish on the whole, but it is definitely still a little fruity (but I haven't given it time to age, yet, tho). Attenuation is just a little lower than 1318.

I'd recommend 1056 for IPAs; highly attn and seems to bring out the hops moreso than malt. With a brown IPA, tho, perhaps 1272? It's next on my list this year.

What are you doing with temps? I've had problems with 1318 falling out of solution early cuz it was a little chilly (63* or less on the floor). I'd try starting it at 65 and bumping that up (and rousing the carboy) as soon as ferm looks like it's slowing. I got 2112 to chug along down at 56*, but haven't used it over 63*.

ere109 said:

Interestingly, I ended up with a huge krausen on the wlp810 AND the 1318. Strange.

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The CA Common yeast (Wyeast 2112) top-fermented for me in the low 60s.

I tried a sample of the 1318 last night and it was delicious. Gravity is sitting at 1.016 and its been sitting at 65 for 16 days. Still extremely flocculent. I'm wondering if a higher temp might help it finish off, but the yeast seems pretty happy right now. My only other concern is cloudiness. With so much yeast in suspension, I may have to transfer to secondary to try to clear it up. Tastes great, though.