US-05 vs US-04 vs Nottingham

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JeffoC6

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Hey guys, I know I can just go to the website for these yeasts to learn about them, but I'm looking for the folks who have used them for years in their home brewing. I've done 12 batches thusfar and have used US-05 about 5 times, US-04 once, and Nottingham once.

What are the major differences between these yeasts? When would you use one vs. the other? I'm interested in hearing your thoughts...

School this newb...Danke'!
 
us-05 for american ales, notty and 04 for english styles. I have not used 04, but greatly prefer 05 to Notty.
 
us-05 for american ales, notty and 04 for english styles. I have not used 04, but greatly prefer 05 to Notty.

While I can understand that, would YOU be able to tell the difference in an ale brewed with US-04 vs US-05? And if so, how would you be able to tell?
 
JeffoC6 said:
While I can understand that, would YOU be able to tell the difference in an ale brewed with US-04 vs US-05? And if so, how would you be able to tell?

I haven't used 04 but there is a distinct taste difference between 05 and notty
 
I've used notty once in the 13 brews I've done, and it's the only one with a very noticeable off flavor. It could have been my process, it could be the characteristic of the yeast, but I don't like the beer it made and won't be using it again anytime soon. I know others that use it exclusively, but I haven't tried their beers to see if that flavor is there.
 
I haven't used 04 but there is a distinct taste difference between 05 and notty

I use 04 and 05 in most of my brews. Yes, there is a distinct taste difference. The 04 yields higher FG's and is less "clean" than the 05 (more esters). I happen to love English Ales and therefore 04 is my go-to yeast.

Maris Otter + S04 = awesome results.
 
While I can understand that, would YOU be able to tell the difference in an ale brewed with US-04 vs US-05? And if so, how would you be able to tell?

I have never used 04, but I found 05 to be cleaner than nottingham.
 
I just tried 04 and it was in a IPA wanted to see the difference myself. One thing I noticed 04 took off like a rocket. Faster than I have ever seen 05 and it was one of the most violent. As far as taste I shall see.
 
I just tried 04 and it was in a IPA wanted to see the difference myself. One thing I noticed 04 took off like a rocket. Faster than I have ever seen 05 and it was one of the most violent. As far as taste I shall see.

Yes, I've had some go from nothing to FG in less than 48 hours. Make sure the fermentation temperature doesn't go too high...
 
Yes, I've had some go from nothing to FG in less than 48 hours. Make sure the fermentation temperature doesn't go too high...

Its reading 65 on the bottle. I should be pretty good. Thanks for the tip :mug:

Crap you made me just go check the temp it did get to 68-69. The one right next to it is 63. The most I have seen the temp rise inside during fermentation to.... Wow.
 
I use S-04 a lot, and I tend to use it at low temps. Just a tad lower than stated on the package. I ferment low like that for the first two days, then bump it up about 2 degrees the next day, and another 2-4 over the next two days to finish things off. All of my beers come out pretty nice and clean. I am a big fan of this yeast.
 
I use S-04 a lot, and I tend to use it at low temps. Just a tad lower than stated on the package. I ferment low like that for the first two days, then bump it up about 2 degrees the next day, and another 2-4 over the next two days to finish things off. All of my beers come out pretty nice and clean. I am a big fan of this yeast.


+1. I try too ferment about at 64-65 degrees at first, raise it over time as you do.
 
I was wondering the same think. I was tempted to split a batch into two carboys and ferment one with 04 and one with 05. Then I worried about pitching too much yeast into each!!!
I also don't really have the space to have 2 fermenting at once either!
 
Tiredboy said:
I was wondering the same think. I was tempted to split a batch into two carboys and ferment one with 04 and one with 05. Then I worried about pitching too much yeast into each!!!
I also don't really have the space to have 2 fermenting at once either!

I might try that an a bigger beer, probably a barley wine, do a pack for each, have an American and an English barleywine
 
I've been using a lot of S04 lately. I ferment at 62-64 and it is clean. Slightly higher FG for a slightly sweeter beer, the flavor is a little different than 05, but not overwhelmingly so. I used in a tweaked version of my Pale Ale that I used 05 with last time, getting ready to bottle now.
 
im 13 days into a Scottish 60 using us04, took SG last nite and a little taste. As said, it finishes at a little higher FG (im holding steady at .013 from .038) and the maris otter really comes through, reaaallly malty, but even at 12 days was nearly crystal clear. Id go back to 04 for an english ale
 
I use 04 and 05 in most of my brews. Yes, there is a distinct taste difference. The 04 yields higher FG's and is less "clean" than the 05 (more esters). I happen to love English Ales and therefore 04 is my go-to yeast.

Maris Otter + S04 = awesome results.

If I ferment S04 at under 64, it's preferable to me over the S05 at the same temperature. I don't get fruity esters at a cool temp with S04, while I do get some "peach" with S05 at cool temperatures. At those cool temps, I love S04 for even American APAs, as it drops clear and leaves a very clear beer quickly while S05 seems to have a yeast haze for much longer.

I used to use nottingham more often, but haven't used it in over a year since the problems they had with quality control.

For temps over 65 degrees, my preference for American style ales is S05 because it stays clean from 65 up to about 72 or so.
 
If I ferment S04 at under 64, it's preferable to me over the S05 at the same temperature. I don't get fruity esters at a cool temp with S04, while I do get some "peach" with S05 at cool temperatures. At those cool temps, I love S04 for even American APAs, as it drops clear and leaves a very clear beer quickly while S05 seems to have a yeast haze for much longer.

I used to use nottingham more often, but haven't used it in over a year since the problems they had with quality control.

For temps over 65 degrees, my preference for American style ales is S05 because it stays clean from 65 up to about 72 or so.

Where's your Penguins Jersey? :)
 
Where's your Penguins Jersey? :)

In the rag bag. It makes a nice toilet bowl cleaner. :D

I was just thinking about nottingham again. One of the reasons I loved it a few years ago was because it was about 1/3-1/2 the price of S04 and s05. But now it costs more (I saw it at $4 a pack!) and I think I'll stick with my favorite strains for most American ales. I always have Denny's Favorite 50 for many beers, and I use two others: Wyeast 1335 (English, plus some of my IPAs and oatmeal stout), and White Labs 001 (American beers with lots of hops) for liquid. I use S04/S05 for my dry yeast needs.

I occasionally use other strains, like for lagers or a special beer, but I can get by for about 90% of my beers with the above strains since I don't make many Belgians or other beers that need a specialty strain.
 
I pretty much use Notty and S05 as my two house yeasts. I can believe they are from the same strain and similar, and both make nice clean pale ales, but I do notice some differences.

Notty ferments out faster for me, especially in the mid 60's and below and I don't find S05 gives a "cleaner" tasting final product. The odd thing is Notty give a smaller Krausen than the huge one I get with S05 but still finishes faster and both attenuate well. To me Notty is very neutral, even more so than S05. The ales I make with S05 do seem to preserve more hop aroma (which might just be a function of taking a little longer than the notty to finish, and I feel like the S05 ales have a mild ester flavor where as the Notty ales have nearly none, hence the observation that you can't get a much "cleaner" ale yeast than Notty, if by cleaner we mean almost no detectable yeast character.

So basically if I am going for a more pronounced hoppy pale ale or IPA I use S05, for my regular house pale ale I prefer Notty. By the way Notty is also great for an american wheat such as a Blue Moon clone specifically because you will end with almost no estery flavor profile so the 2 row, wheat, and orange/corriander flavors can shine through.
 
I pretty much use Notty and S05 as my two house yeasts. I can believe they are from the same strain and similar, and both make nice clean pale ales, but I do notice some differences.

Notty ferments out faster for me, especially in the mid 60's and below and I don't find S05 gives a "cleaner" tasting final product. The odd thing is Notty give a smaller Krausen than the huge one I get with S05 but still finishes faster and both attenuate well. To me Notty is very neutral, even more so than S05. The ales I make with S05 do seem to preserve more hop aroma (which might just be a function of taking a little longer than the notty to finish, and I feel like the S05 ales have a mild ester flavor where as the Notty ales have nearly none, hence the observation that you can't get a much "cleaner" ale yeast than Notty, if by cleaner we mean almost no detectable yeast character.

So basically if I am going for a more pronounced hoppy pale ale or IPA I use S05, for my regular house pale ale I prefer Notty. By the way Notty is also great for an american wheat such as a Blue Moon clone specifically because you will end with almost no estery flavor profile so the 2 row, wheat, and orange/corriander flavors can shine through.

Great write up. You helped me make a decision to use Nottingham for 1 beer and US-04 for a second. I plan to do an Octoberfest Ale taste test.
 
Thought I would weigh in with my experiences, because this is something I looked into before exploring cheap yeasts for neutral flavoured beers (as far as yeast is concerned).

First thing is that it will depend on what style of beer you are brewing. I have made many dark beer like a porter or stout with both US05 and US04, and have noticed little to any difference. Im sure there is one.... but both are going to give you a great flavour. In general for PA's and IPA's both 05 and 04 will give great results. 05 attenuates further making a drier and crisper beer (makes a more hop forward beer). 04 will have a bit higher gravity and make a maltier or at least a touch richer beer. Its worth noting that 04 ferments very fast and makes a tight sludge yeast cake and a bright beer, 05 likes to hang out in solution a bit more and is helped by cold crashing.

I do not find Notty British at all. Its more of a higher attenuating us-05, maybe with a touch of tartness. The best use of Notty is in blondes, cream ales and pseudo lagers where it ferments super clean and crisp.

In general I use 04 for British styles (bitters, IPA, porters, stouts etc), 05 for american styles (american wheat, APA, IPA/DIPA, or even a drier irish stout), and Notty for lawnmower beers...although I wouldnt hesitate to use any of these yeast for any of the mentioned styles if it was all I had on hand.
 
I don't have much experience with notty, however have used 04 and 05 extensively. I ferment in my basement at ambient temps and I have found that 04 is a little bit more forgiving at warmer temperatures (ambient upper 60s to low 70s). I can only tell a difference in lower hopped pales though. IPAs usually get whichever one I have most of at the time. The hop flavor drowns out the yeast profile. A low hopped pale gets 04 because the 05 gives me way too much acetaldehyde (I also rehydrate now and pitch the appropriate amount). Of course winter changes things, 05 gives me the perfect clean ale flavor you would expect.

PS. I'm on the lookout in the coming months for a Craig's list fridge for fermentation control so I'm not a slave to acetaldehyde.
 
The best way to tell is to split a batch. I've done this with 05 and Notty. You definitely can tell the difference. I'm not an experienced enough to define the differences, but the 05 attenuated lower, and tasted drier and hoppier.
 
Notty at low temps is super clean and a powerhouse. I like 05 as well, also at low temps, but find that it can really take a while to clean up.
 
Nottingham - Great and clean at lower temps, not so great at higher ones. At 68-70F, it will throw objectionable flavors. Fast and drops clear quickly.

US04 - Flexible English style yeast, clean at lower temps, produces typical English esters at increasingly higher ones.

US05 - Very clean, widest temperature range of the three, produces little yeast character itself, lets hops and malt show through. Some peach at lower temperatures. Chico strain. Some people report thinner body than liquid eqivalent (WY1056, WLP001)
 
I've used 04 twice and 05 four or five times. Like other posters have said, 04 leaves an estery (to me, almost fruity) taste...of course, I don't believe I fermented the 04 at the right temperature. The 04 needs to be kept at lower temps than the 05.

All of that said, I've never had a bad experience with 05...I even use it in some of my English Beers ;)
 
I've been experimenting this year with dry yeasts, especially US-05 and S-04. I haven't used Notty in a long time, so won't address it. My experience has been pretty much in keeping with Yooper's. At certain times of the year I have a real hard time keep down fermentation temps (It's just a fact of life in South Texas). During those times my choice is make wine, make certain Belgians or make an American Ale with US-05. I find that it makes a nice clean tasting ale even at relatively higher temps. However, I find that S-04 clears a lot faster, while US-05 stays hazy much longer. As for flavor, I am still experimenting to see what the difference is. So far, it appears that US-05 shows off the hops a bit more, while S-04 tends to come out more on the malty side, muting the hops. Of course, this latter may simply be the recipes I've been using with each, so more experimentation is called for--it's a dirty job but someone has to do it.
 
i hate bringing up old threads but i thought this one was worth is and from a ciders makers perspective.

S04 - produces a good dry cider imo my least favorite, it produces to much diecetyl and tasted much like butterscotch cider…

S05 - very comparable to notty although i preferred notty in my ciders and s05 in my beers, clears better then notty, doesn't cold crash as well.

Notty - Produces outstanding ciders perfect dry/sweet ratio and cold crashes well.
 
Nice, thank you for that. I've been using S04 in my ciders, they're ok, but nothing special, now I know why!

I just recently got into doing ciders to compliment my beer selection. I was going to use Notty in my first one (a graff), but let the LHBS owner talk me into S-04. It was good, but a little dry for my tastes. It was better after I backsweetened it a bit (one can AJ conc) and spiced it.

The current batch (Caramel Apple Hard Cider) is now fermenting on Notty. I took a sample at 11 days (1.014 and it's still pushing the airlock). It was so good and clean tasting that I was tempted to cold crash it right then and there. I'll give it another 8-10 days to finish out and sweeten as needed along with the homemade caramel/cinnamon syrup.

With Notty, it's all about keeping it cooler than you would other ale yeasts and never ever letting it go above 68*F. I pitched this cider at 58*F, started the ferment at 60*F the first 4-5 days and have been slowly stepping it up to top out at 66*F where it will remain until done.
 
I just recently got into doing ciders to compliment my beer selection. I was going to use Notty in my first one (a graff), but let the LHBS owner talk me into S-04. It was good, but a little dry for my tastes. It was better after I backsweetened it a bit (one can AJ conc) and spiced it.

The current batch (Caramel Apple Hard Cider) is now fermenting on Notty. I took a sample at 11 days (1.014 and it's still pushing the airlock). It was so good and clean tasting that I was tempted to cold crash it right then and there. I'll give it another 8-10 days to finish out and sweeten as needed along with the homemade caramel/cinnamon syrup.

With Notty, it's all about keeping it cooler than you would other ale yeasts and never ever letting it go above 68*F. I pitched this cider at 58*F, started the ferment at 60*F the first 4-5 days and have been slowly stepping it up to top out at 66*F where it will remain until done.

Personally with notty I transfer at .010 and let it settle in secondary for a week., then bottle. The result it absolutely perfect, it's my tried and true method. If you like caramel apple recipe try applekush next..
 

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