Windsor in an Oatmeal Stout?

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DrinkinSurfer

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Hi everyone,
I have a packet of windsor in my fridge and was wondering if anyone thinks this will wreck, ruin, or be fine in an oatmeal stout I am going to make today. I have not used windsor before so I am not to sure of its flavor attributes. Thanks for any input.
 
I'm going to make an oatmeal stout with Nottinham's today. I don't think it will matter too much. I've done some searching and I haven't been able to find decent details about dry yeast packet flavor profiles or what it's recommended that you use them in.

Didn't do enough searching before, obviously. Just got this info from the website.


Brewing Properties:

• Quick start to fermentation, which can be completed in 3 days above 17°C.
• Moderate attenuation, which will leave a relatively high gravity.
• Fermentation rate, fermentation time and degree of attenuation is dependent on inoculation density, yeast handling, fermentation temperature and the nutritional quality of the wort.
• Non-flocculent strain, but some settling can be promoted by cooling and use of fining agents and isinglass.
• The aroma is estery to both palate and nose, and is usually described as a full-bodied, fruity British ale. Does not display malodours when properly handled. Windsor yeast has found great acceptance in producing strong-tasting bitter beer, stout, weizen and hefe weizen.
• Best used at traditional ale temperatures after rehydration in the recommended manner.
 
The Windsor will give you a higher final gravity and

Beers created with Windsor are usually described as full-bodied, fruity English ales

Nottingham, as long as you keep it under 70F, is very clean.
 
It will be alright. It will add a bit of generic fruitiness to it, but it should still be tasty. If you do decide to use it and assuming you're doing all grain, mash at 149°F and consider replacing some of the base grain with a sugar... Windsor's attenuation sucks, so you'll want to compensate for that. Also, being that it's a stout, it might not matter to you, but most beers with Windsor need gelatin (or isinglass) after primary. Windsor does not flocculate well.
 
Thanks for the help. I ended up using it just to see how it would turn out. I am expecting a high FG anyway because I used lactose as well. It is fermenting like crazy and started about an hour after I pitched the yeast. I didn't make a starter, I just rehydrated according to the instructions. I'll update with a post when it is finished if it was a bad or good idea.
 
how about an update? Did it turn out well? I was considering brewing an oatmeal stout on Tuesday with Windsor...
 
Windsor works out well, I enjoyed it. It lent itself nicely to a stout, especially if you are going for something not too dry. It almost has a fruity quality. I just made another oatmeal stout with S-05 that finished too dry for my liking.
 
I'm brewing a stout with Windsor today! I'm looking forward to the complexity the Windsor should give it.
 
Gheesh, I can't fathom why anyone would choose Windsor for anything. If you want lowish attenuation, 002/1968. If you want a dried English ale yeast, S-04. If you want crappy attenuation in conjunction with complete non-flocculence, bread yeast or Windsor are your only choices. :p
 
I just ordered an Oatmeal Stout kit from AHS and opted for the dry yeast. The dry yeast option was Danstar Windsor. Hoping it turns out alright, I'm not prepared to do starters of liquid yeast yet.
 
I bottled the Windsor stout last night. I had strong airlock activity for 24 hours then nothing. I let it sit in the primary for 7 days before bottling. fermentation temp was 70F. It tasted great and it seemed to have flocculated really well. I have used Windsor in a brown ale before and was pretty happy with the brown ale. I guess mileage varies -- this was also one of the new vacuum packed sachets. The FG said 1.020 but it tastes dry and the hydrometer had sooo many bubbles forming on it even after several spins, the true reading was probably lower.
 
I just used Windsor in a nut brown...something new to try and I won't mind the lower attenuation. It took off and after only 2 days seems to have finished. Will secondary this weekend and see how the clarity/gravity are.

I've only ever used Nottingham in my oatmeal stouts and was very happy with them.
 
Windsor is a yeast that "grows on you". First time I used it, I hated it, and swore I wouldn't use it again for anything I brewed. I didn't understand how it could be possible to commercialize such a crappy product. At the time, it was an imperial stout I used it in. It finished notoriously high, with sulfur and fruit all over the place. I considered dumping the whole batch, but decided to see it through, thanks to some guys on this forum. After some weeks, the sulfur was gone, the fruit mellowed, I decided to consider using Windsor again. After a few months that imperial stout flavour was really good, and my Windsor reluctance had gone. I have used Windsor several times since, in stouts and milds, but because it does have an attenuation issue, I have added a better attenuator when Windsor is done, to make it finish lower. I used Windsor recently in a mild, OG was 1.035, and Windsor pooped out at 1.018. At that point, I was bottling a dry stout fermented with US05, so I racked the mild onto the US05 slurry, to get it further down. In writing moment, my mild is still fermenting and today SG=1.012. Prior to the mild, I brewed a foreign extra stout. OG=1.076. Windsor pooped out at 1.024. At that stage I prepared a 75 cl. starter with Danstar's new yeast, "belle saison", and added it when active. This took it down to 1.012. When adding a yeast to compensate for your primary, bad attenuation, I have found at that stage, the second yeast does not contribute to flavour in any significant way.
 
I use windsor yeast occasionally- usually for my oatmeal stout if I don't have any London ale yeast or Wyeast 1335. I like it!
I'm getting ready to brew your famous oatmeal stout this week and all I've got on hand is the windsor, do you recommend any changes to the recipe that go well with this yeast? Thanks!
 
yesterday, I just brewed a Coffee & Cream Stout with Lactose and Kiln coffee malt. I used a Windsor yeast with an expiration of 5/2021. its crazy active now. i am looking forward to the outcome. ready for Christmas. OG=1.057.
 
yesterday, I just brewed a Coffee & Cream Stout with Lactose and Kiln coffee malt. I used a Windsor yeast with an expiration of 5/2021. its crazy active now. i am looking forward to the outcome. ready for Christmas. OG=1.057.
Just an update…it’s stalling out today around 1.034 after 2 days. I will leave it for 2 more days and dump the yeast.
 
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