Yeast recommendations?

Okay I've got two recipes that I've tweaked heavily (mainly changing around the malts and bumping the gravity significantly). Here goes:

1) American Imperial Stout. It uses a vodka tincture of cacao nibs and chocolate extract. It uses Chicory Coffee (from Cafe Du Monde). I used Denny's Favorite 50 with the last batch before I tweaked it, but I didn't like the flavor profile. Here's the stats:

Gravity: 1.084
IBU: 68 (Tomahawk and Warrior)

2) Imperial IPA. I used Safale S-04 last time but I'm looking for something with a better alcohol tolerance, and something that will accentuate the malt profile without being too fruity. Stats:

Gravity: 1.086
IBU: 106? I use Simcoe, Amarillo, and Columbus (5 oz hops total, not including dry hop). I think this recipe calc might be on crack but that's what it tells me.

I took a break to get a stir plate and flask, and I'm getting ready to start brewing again, so I'm pretty excited to try these out! Any input is appreciated!

White Labs is just a hop and skip from me, so I am biased. But I like SD Super (WL 090)and CA Ale (WL 001) for my IIPAs. I wouldn't say they accentuate malt profile, more west coast-ish, but they finish clean and let the hops shine. Both are pretty similar. These are my house strains, so I'd use it in the stout, too.

But based on your ingredients, something a little fruitier like WL002 (Dry English Ale) might go better. It typically flocs better and has a touch more esters in my experience.

Wyeast 1335?

here are my reccs - throw them in google and see if they suit your fancy:

wyeast 1056
wyeast 1275
wlp 007


PS - i assume you have a 2l flask. step your game up and get a 5l to go along with for beers that big.

cheers
~j

Yes, I have a 2L flask. According to both brewer's friend, yeastcalculator, and Mr Malty, I should be able to get away with starters of 1.6L or so, using 1 month old yeast. Ive never used a stir plate before, but I tested it out with that much fluid and more in the flask and it was still able to produce a great stirring action.

Do you think doing a larger starter is just safer, or do you think that large of a starter is pushing it in a 2L flask?

for the size of beers you listed, a 2l flask will not be big enough with 1 month old yeast (which is a good call for a appx. date).

i like to get 6 gallons in the fermentor so i have plenty to fill the keg full; especially for a big 1.080 plus beer. big beers are expensive and time consuming, i like to have a full keg for sure.

^be sure to factor that into your recipe, boil off and starter size.


bottom line - big beers need a big starter. get that 5l and reap the benefits of cleanly fermented beer that tastes great!

cheers

PS - yeast calc is my favorite site for building starters. it allows you to build in multiple steps easily
http://yeastcalculator.com/

I used brewers friend and just do step up starters with no stir plate for the time being. It just takes longer to get the appropriate amount of yeast in the starter. I'd use 001 for any ipa or iipa dries em out nicely to let the hops shine and u can wash the yeast and not have to buy anymore for awhile. Used 007 in my RIS and it worked like a monster with a stepped up 5L starter. Samples have tastes great. If u do a really Hoppy 100+ ibu beer the SD super is also another great choice.

These calculators are only so idiot proof. After taking an extra careful look and crunching some numbers manually, you guys are right. :\ I won't be able to do the starter I need with the equipment I have.

My issue now is, I just dropped more than I would have liked on a stir plate and a 2L flask. Additionally, my stir plate is only rated up to a 2L flask. I might upgrade the fan in it (see link below) with one of my performance PC Case fans I have sitting around and eventually get a 5L flask.

Until then, if there's any way to make it work, that would be awesome. Maybe a step-up? Starter + additional packs at pitch time? What about the pic below (disregard the DME Calc)?

Link (It's not a lab grade plate, but it works really well and saved me some money):
http://www.stirstarters.com/instructions.html

A one gallon wine jug? Using two packs of starter yeast? Brew a 1.040 beer first, and harvest the yeast off the bottom? A step starter should work too.

I use a stirstarter stir plate as well.

i have my 5l flask on it right now with a 4l starter of 1968 finishing up right now. you'll be fine with that stir plate!

one thing I learned about a 5l flask if you don't need a huge stir bar. i bought a big one and the plate kept throwing it. the little/standard stir bar works like a champ.

good luck!

Dude, I never do more than ~1.5L for a starter on anything since I;ve got a 2L flask. Ive done brews up to 1.100 just fine. They are usualyl bubbling away by the next morning. More recently I've just been doing 1L to save on DME.

Seriously don't worry about it. People fret waaaay to much about cell counts and everything. Even if the yeast is old, if it propagates in the starter then those are new healthy yeast cells.

As for yeast recommendations, the Irish ale yeast from WhiteLabs/Wyeast works great for stouts. And you can;t really go wrong with US-05/WY1056/WLP001 for IPAs but if you can get your hands on some, Conan from Heady Topper is currently my #1 pick for IPAs by far

m00ps said:

Dude, I never do more than ~1.5L for a starter on anything since I;ve got a 2L flask. Ive done brews up to 1.100 just fine

Click to expand...

no you havent. just b/c the beer fermented doesn't mean it was fermented cleanly.

yeast health and proper pitch rates are one of the most significant factors in the quality of your beer.



Ungoliant - here is my stirstarter working on a 4l starter of 1968 that i stepped up from 1.5l. i will be pitching this into a 12g batch of Zombie Dust on Saturday that Im splitting with a friend. Notice the level is t 4.5l due to carry over from stepping it up - something to consider when planning starter steps.

Thanks for all the feedback folks! I will probably go for WYEAST American Ale for the stout and WYEAST American Ale II for the IPA.

I think I may just do the starter I've got posted in the picture and see how that goes, at least till I can afford the 5L flask. Even if it's a bit off and the cell count isn't perfect, it's still going to be much better than my first few batches. I was pitching single 3 week old smack packs in to 5g batches at anywhere from 1.050-1.060, and ended up with some really weird off-flavors. I've narrowed it all down to being an under pitching issue, as I'm very conscious about my sanitary technique and I have great temp control.

Jammin, have you upgraded the fan in your stir starter? I read a review on it that said they had the fan motor burn out on a 3L starter in a 5L flask.