Windsor yeast.

Has anyone else used this and had terrible results? Two times now Ive used it, and it

A. Smells bad
B. Tastes bad
C. Attenuates terribly (which I somewhat expected from the description)

I think I taste and smell pickles. The first time I used it, I thought I messed something up. I have never had an infected batch, and I am able to hold a constant 68 degrees for all my ales. Despite this, I still gave it a 2nd chance in a stout, and I got the same smell and taste.

Has anyone else used Windsor? Does anyone like it? Is there a trick to it? I have used all kinds of yeast strains, and have never full out hated one, but this might be my first.

I used it once and didn't like it. Very poor attenuation and did not want to drop out. I did not care for the taste either. I don't know if I did something wrong or if it was the yeast, but I ended up dumping 2 gallons because I couldn't finish the keg.

Word. Glad I'm not crazy, thanks for the response.

Lets put it this way:

- If someone gave that yeast to me for free, I would throw it out
- If someone gave me $10 to try the yeast on a 5 gallon batch, I would turn them down
- If I was offered a lifetime supply of free Windsor dry yeast, I would pretend I did not hear the offer, and walk away

That yeast IMO is the worst I have every tried. I tried it twice, both with the same results as you. I wasted precious time and grain, but at least I gained the knowledge to never use it again

Poured out two batches that I made the same day using Windsor yeast. 8+ months of waiting for it to taste drinkable and it was time to call it quits.

Thats why I love these forums. You guys are the best, I agree with all of you , especially you jjones!

X2 on what jjones said. I will never use that yeast again.

Old thread, but I'm about to dump a full keg of mild. 10 Gallon batch. 5g nottingham, 5g windsor. The nottingham keg is heaven. The windsor keg tastes like dirt, mildew, and general nastiness.

'Sorry to have to buck the trend, but I've had good results with this yeast. MUCH more appealing than WLP 002, which everyone else in the world seems to love. I've had no trouble whatsoever with attenuation with the Windsor, and no off flavors at all. I like British ale yeast to leave a lot of esters and attenuate relatively low, and that's exactly what it did. It also washes easily. I quite like it in fact. If I'd had the experiences that the rest of you have had, I'd hate it, too. But I've had nice results with it....

Everytime I've used it it's crapped out at 1.020.

1.036 OG mild finished at 1.020

1.056 OG ESB finishes at 1.020

It's like a work bell goes off at 1.020. "Oh, there's the horn. 1.020 Quiting time."

Rudeboy

I've used it with good results in sweet stout. Ferment at 60-62 degrees, leaves a nice maltiness, a little English character but not overwhelming.

I used it once and i dont think i will try again, beer is drinkable but i think it would be much better with s-04
OG was 1.062 FG 1.016 but i did 90min mash at 150-147F

krahm said:

'Sorry to have to buck the trend, but I've had good results with this yeast. MUCH more appealing than WLP 002, which everyone else in the world seems to love. I've had no trouble whatsoever with attenuation with the Windsor, and no off flavors at all. I like British ale yeast to leave a lot of esters and attenuate relatively low, and that's exactly what it did. It also washes easily. I quite like it in fact. If I'd had the experiences that the rest of you have had, I'd hate it, too. But I've had nice results with it....

Click to expand...

I also have had great results.Mashed low and fermented high . Took 1.050 to
1.005 and is delicious.

I've used Windsor in everything from beers to ciders with success. it's meant to be less attenuative in malt based beverages. In my experience it is also very sensitive to the suggested temperature ranges. Get above its max or below its floor even a little for me and it got pretty ugly but in its range, fabulous results all around in multiple batches. Don't give up yet. It's so inexpensive.

There's plenty of other threads about Windsor but since this one from 2012 has reactivated, it's worth noting :

Windsor is closely related to Fermentis S-33 and one of the Munton dry yeasts (probably the "ordinary", but it's not entirely clear)

It drops well but doesn't flocculate well, meaning that it can produce sparkling clear beer if you're careful but it "puffs up" at the slightest disturbance, so isn't ideal if you eg leave yeast in a keg.

I've used windsor three times. One is currently waiting to be kegged. I really like it, but I am also using it with the lack of attenuation in mind. I've used it in a nut brown which all my friends have said is one of their favourite beers of mine, and I have used it in a hybrid porter stout that I took a riff of a Canadian beer I miss. I LOVED this beer the first I brewed it. But after reading your comments I'm a little scared to drink the batch in the carboy. I forgot to turn down the temp in my back room and when I got home it was fermenting vigorously at 75 degrees. I wanted it at 67. Obviously, 75 is higher than what they recommend and was hoping it would be alright. But after reading this thread I am not so sure. None the less, I really like the yeast. Leaves a nice maltiness to it, the esters are a nice complement to darker and darkish beers, and it finishes up fast, particularly at 75 F. That one took about a day and a half. Oops. Anyone know what I should expect with the high fermentation temp of windsor?