US-05 vs S-04 - Need Advice quick!

Just finished brewing a pumpkin ale and am about to pitch yeast. OG is 1.088 and it was mashed at 154. I want to use the s-04 and beersmith has an estimated finish of 1.019. Is that too high for 9.2% ABV pumpkin ale?

Not really if you want a little residual sweetness.

The lower you go - the drier and less sweet your finish.
Just make sure your yeast has finished and your FG has stabilized.

Right, I understand temps. Guess I'm more concerned with attenuation at this point. Us-05 attenuated better. Wanted s-04 for the more malty profile. Second guessing myself at this point.

I would go 05 not 04. 04 is probably gonna end up way too sweet and fruity IMHO. Even with a better attenuating yeast like 05, your recipe and mash temp should leave you with a sweet enough beer.

Well screw me. Just pitched the 04. Am going to ferment at 65 though so that should take care of the fruity.

i agree. i'd go 05 to let the pumpkin come through, instead of the maltiness 04 allows. i use 05 in my pumpkins

There is NO WAY to correctly measure FG before you start, it's only a guess. From 88 to 19 should give a good beer, if it's lower or higher...relax and enjoy

niquejim said:

There is NO WAY to correctly measure FG before you start, it's only a guess. From 88 to 19 should give a good beer, if it's lower or higher...relax and enjoy

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true.
The yeast in your fermentor weren't consulted when beersmith wrote the algorithm. I've had s-04 attenuate much better than its internet reputation many times.

That's a high OG. Hope you properly rehydrated at least 17g (1.5 packs ) of that S-04.

g-star said:

That's a high OG. Hope you properly rehydrated at least 17g (1.5 packs ) of that S-04.

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Two packs in each fermentor.

g-star said:

That's a high OG. Hope you properly rehydrated at least 17g (1.5 packs ) of that S-04.

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Yeah, I was thinking this too. If you pitched one packet of 04, you could pitch the 05 as well and see what you get.

Edit: never mind, you replied while I was typing.

eobie said:

Well screw me. Just pitched the 04. Am going to ferment at 65 though so that should take care of the fruity.

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S-04 will ferment pretty well as low as 60, and should be even cleaner that low.

KISS Brew said:

S-04 will ferment pretty well as low as 60, and should be even cleaner that low.

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I actually set the temp to 63. Should fair well.

1.019 isn't too high for a pumpkin beer at that OG. I would recommend that you raise the temp after 3 days of fermentation 1 degree a day until 7 days. It will help the yeast work a bit longer and attenuate as you expect. After a few day of fermentation you'll be past the point of the yeast throwing off flavors. Give this one time and you'll be enjoying a great beer this fall.