Dry yeast for Irish Red Ale and Mild Dark

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gregdech

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I was hoping to get a little feedback on the best choice of dry yeast for an irish red ale and a mild dark. I realize that to be true to the style I should probably use the irish liquid yeasts (wyeast 1088 or WLP004) but the budget doesn't allow for that right now. The dry yeast I have on hand is as follows:

S-05 - lots of packs
S-04 - one pack
Windsor - 1 pack

So herein lies the dilemna. I am planning a mild dark and an irish red ale over the next couple of days and I am tring to decide which yeast(s) to use for each. The last batch of the mild dark (Orfy's mild mannered ale) I used S-05 and it was very good. But this time around I was thinking of using the S-04 to impart a little more english character to the brew. However, I'm not sure if I should maybe use the S-04 for the irish red and use something else in the mild. So the questions I have are:

1) Would the windsor also work to give some english character (I've never used it before) in either of these beers?

2) Would the irish red be lacking if I used S-05 instead of an english strain with more flavor? The same goes for the mild?

3) Perhaps I should stick with the S-05 for the mild and use the S-04 in the irish red?

Alot of questions I know. Any suggestions or feedback is gladly welcome.

Cheers,

Greg
 
Windsor for the Dark Mild, and US-04 for the Irish Red. Both have a nice fruitiness with moderate attenuation, both complementary to the styles you have indicated.
 
I've used Windsor in both an ESB and a Mild and I was happy with the results.
 
Though you don't have it on hand, I would also go with Nottingham for the Red Ale. I think it would accentuate the richness and slight chocolatiness of a good Irish Red.
 
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