05 vs Nottingham

[finnb]

I'm having a beer - porterlike stuff slightly on the sweet side with an OG of 1.068 - fermenting right now at 18C/64F with Nottingham dry yeast. The recipe called for S-05, but as Notty was what I had in store, and as that also is a pretty clean yeast, I pitched that.

I've never used 05, and am a bit curious as to whether I'll get noticeably different results from what I might have gotten with that one. The original is a truly wonderful winter warmer/Christmas ale from one of Norway's best craft breweries, and I'd really like to get as close as possible. (Here it is: http://www.7fjellbryggeri.com/brewour7sorterchristmasale)

 

[didinho]

I've never used 05, and am a bit curious as to whether I'll get noticeably different results from what I might have gotten with that one. The original is a truly wonderful winter warmer/Christmas ale from one of Norway's best craft breweries, and I'd really like to get as close as possible. (Here it is: http://www.7fjellbryggeri.com/brewour7sorterchristmasale)

I'm a regular US-05 user, and just once I tried Nottingham. I don't remember any remarkable difference between the two yeasts. Some say Nottingham is more sticky in the bottle and as better flocculation.
I would expect no real difference due to yeast

 

[RM-MN]

Some people have noted a "peachy" flavor from US-05 if fermented at a low temperature. Nottingham doesn't give that and can be fermented pretty cool (down to the mid 50's) for a really clean ferment but don't start it or let it get too warm as you will notice off flavors from it then.

 

[MVKTR2]

^What they said^

The reality is that either one can be an incredibly clean yeast with high pitch rate and cool fermentation of 62-65. Notty is my go to yeast and at this point I understand how it works a lot better than any other strain. The reality of a 1.068 starting gravity for 1 package of nottingham is that it is going to give you some mild fruity flavors because that is under pitching thus stressing the yeast. Yet it will still be clean for an ale yeast. Now if you were to wash this yeast and repitch into another brew that beer will be amazingly clean if fermented low.

I find 05 to be harder to work with simply because of flocculation and less tolerant of temperature swings. Also I prefer the heavier mouthfeel of Notty as I'm a big fan of more viscous or silky mouthfeel depending on the style.

 

[finnb]

Thanks guys - guess I'm gonna get fairly close, then.

I know I should have pitched a package or two more. It's 2x5 gallons, and I only had two packages. I took care to rehydrate properly, though. But I can live with a little more ale character, and that extra mouthfeel is something I really don't mind.

Fermentation has been rather uneventful. No dark and stormy nights. Soon it's been 4 days since it went into the fermentors, and it's getting close to the target, which is 1.019. I'm sitting here listening to a rather sweet duet for two yeastlocks. The beat is rather slow now, but still steady. Sweet music.

Did you look at the recipe? If you want a winter warmer of a mild disposition you won't regret it if you give it a try. The name of the beer translates to "7 sorts", by the way. That refers to the Norwegian tradition of baking 7 sorts of small cakes to put on the table at Christmas. The recipe copies that by using 7 different malts. (And the brewery is called "7 mountains" (fjell = mountain), because of the 7 mountains surrounding Bergen, the city on the west coast of Norway where it is located.)

 

[Rev2010]

Both are clean yeasts. I've used both extensively and eventually settled on Nottingham as my general house yeast. They both do the job but I've had such varying fermentations with US05. Sometimes it never creates a krausen and doesn't *visually* appear to be fermenting yet still finishes up and sometimes it goes nuts. So far with Notty it's been very consistent for me and I use it for my Coconut Porter, my Pumpkin Ale, and my IPA right now. Still on the fence with my amber ale. I know US05 and Wyeast 1056 are essentially the same chico strain but for some reason I like the results from the 1056 best so far, so I may keep with that for the amber.


Rev.

 

[Calichusetts]

I use them almost as if they are the same strain. Notty attenuates more in my experience, flocs better too. Still, pretty much the same. Notty is a little more violent in fermentation for me and gives a higher level of krausen.

 

[dmtaylor]

Some people have noted a "peachy" flavor from US-05 if fermented at a low temperature. Nottingham doesn't give that and can be fermented pretty cool (down to the mid 50's) for a really clean ferment but don't start it or let it get too warm as you will notice off flavors from it then.

FYI, I've gotten peachy flavor from Notty fermented cold as well. I believe the two strains are closely related.

Main difference between the two is that Notty attenuates to an average 77-78% while US-05 will get above 80% every time. So, final gravity with Notty will be a couple points higher. Nothing you'd really be able to notice probably.

 

[mrgrimm101]

I always thought that Notty was a more English style, more similar to S04. I've been wanting to try Notty, and this thread is convincing me to try it on my house IPA so I can compare with US-05.

I'm not sure of the distribution in your area, but it is said that Notty is the house yeast of Dark Horse from Marshall, MI. They are a great brewery with great beers. All their beers are clean and really good..I've never noticed too much yeasty flavors.

 

[dmtaylor]

I always thought that Notty was a more English style, more similar to S04. I've been wanting to try Notty, and this thread is convincing me to try it on my house IPA so I can compare with US-05.

I'm not sure of the distribution in your area, but it is said that Notty is the house yeast of Dark Horse from Marshall, MI. They are a great brewery with great beers. All their beers are clean and really good..I've never noticed too much yeasty flavors.

I LOVE Dark Horse, they're amazing!!

 

[jwalk4]

I prefer 05 fermented between 65-68. Takes a long time to drop out on its own though.

Still tastes great before it drops, but you'll get a little hint of bubblegum. After it drops, 05 is the mayor of Cleans-ville.

 

[Aristotelian]

I happen to have a little Notty left over from my last batch as well as US-05. I was thinking of doing a split batch of APA to test them head to head. I will let you know in about five weeks how it turns out.

 

[unclebrazzie]

I am just now fermenting a cascade-brewed batch of 3x5gallons of porter with Nottingham.

Roughly 85% of base malts, 5% crystals, 5% flaked outs and 5%chocolate malt.

2 packs of hydrated Nottie for the lot, fermenting at ambient which averages 18°C at this time.

I've brewed similar recipes with US-05 and from my experience, Nottie is way more fruity, both in the airlock-fumes and the fermenting wort. Apricots, indeed. Not in-your-face, but very present.
US-05 is absolutely cleaner at this temperature, and will impart very little noticeable flavours to similar beers.

Nottie seems to rip through the brew: took it from 1.065 to 1.018 in two days. It's slowed down since, but seems to be plodding along at a more leisurely pace now. First time I brewed +5gallons batches so I can't compare the effect of that particular variable.

My conclusion so far is:
US-05 is a general work horse strain. Super easy to use, super efficient (will take imperial stouts from 1.100 to 1.012 without breaking a sweat) but has very little character.
Nottie can easily sub for US-05 in terms of performance (I intend to brew a simimal Impy with it t compare alcohol resilience) but with more character.

 

[mattdee1]

The two yeasts have been indistinguishable from one another for me. Not so with S-05 vs. S-04.

 

[MXDXD]

Winter, late fall and early spring = Nottingham.
Otherwise = US-05.

 

[slym2none]

I have used both. Treat them properly & they ferment very clean indeed. Notty is a beast, though, and will ferment a good bit faster, and IME, it attenuates a little better. Notty definitely flocculates better than 05, so for me, that means winner-winner-chicken-dinner. I absolutely love to be able to up-end my bottles when pouring and not have one visible bit of yeast make it into the glass. It all stays at the bottom of the bottle.

 

[Mer-man]

I always thought that Notty was a more English style, more similar to S04. I've been wanting to try Notty, and this thread is convincing me to try it on my house IPA so I can compare with US-05.

I'm not sure of the distribution in your area, but it is said that Notty is the house yeast of Dark Horse from Marshall, MI. They are a great brewery with great beers. All their beers are clean and really good..I've never noticed too much yeasty flavors.

It is very mild compared to traditional "English" strains. I think it is great in an APA.

 

[JKaranka]

They are very similar, but Notty is a lot less hassle. Doesn't mind temperature as much as US05, flocculates much better and attenuates a bit more (I get around 70-80% from US05, but 75-85% from Notty). Notty always beats my calculations when it comes to FG. Neither of them has much esters.

Only thing I can think of in US05 favour is that some people report more hop character / aroma from it, while in Nottys favour I have the flocculation and attenuation. When I want more character I pitch both S04 and Notty.

 

[dsaavedra]

I have used both. Treat them properly & they ferment very clean indeed. Notty is a beast, though, and will ferment a good bit faster, and IME, it attenuates a little better. Notty definitely flocculates better than 05, so for me, that means winner-winner-chicken-dinner. I absolutely love to be able to up-end my bottles when pouring and not have one visible bit of yeast make it into the glass. It all stays at the bottom of the bottle.

This has been my exact experience as well. I have brewed several beers with US05 but have recently been reusing a Notty slurry for the past few batches and I'm really liking how little yeast sediment ends up in my bottles after cold crashing and bottling, as well as how virtually no yeast comes out of the bottle into my glass.

 

[JKaranka]

This has been my exact experience as well. I have brewed several beers with US05 but have recently been reusing a Notty slurry for the past few batches and I'm really liking how little yeast sediment ends up in my bottles after cold crashing and bottling, as well as how virtually no yeast comes out of the bottle into my glass.

I find that with Notty I neither have to fine nor cold crash!

 

[finnb]

I am just now fermenting a cascade-brewed batch of 3x5gallons of porter with Nottingham.

Roughly 85% of base malts, 5% crystals, 5% flaked outs and 5%chocolate malt.

2 packs of hydrated Nottie for the lot, fermenting at ambient which averages 18°C at this time.

I've brewed similar recipes with US-05 and from my experience, Nottie is way more fruity, both in the airlock-fumes and the fermenting wort. Apricots, indeed. Not in-your-face, but very present.
US-05 is absolutely cleaner at this temperature, and will impart very little noticeable flavours to similar beers.

Nottie seems to rip through the brew: took it from 1.065 to 1.018 in two days. It's slowed down since, but seems to be plodding along at a more leisurely pace now. First time I brewed +5gallons batches so I can't compare the effect of that particular variable.

My conclusion so far is:
US-05 is a general work horse strain. Super easy to use, super efficient (will take imperial stouts from 1.100 to 1.012 without breaking a sweat) but has very little character.
Nottie can easily sub for US-05 in terms of performance (I intend to brew a simimal Impy with it t compare alcohol resilience) but with more character.

With 18C/64-65F ambient, you must have hit something like 22-23C/73F in the fermenting beer with that kind of quick fermentation. I had ambient 13-14, and 18 in the beer, and a fairly gentle fermentation. The recommended range is 14-21, so you're bound to get quite a bit of esters when you exceed that. But those may be nice ones, of course. This time I wanted it to emulate 05, so I kept it at 18 for most of the fermentation, but I've got it at 20 now, to clean up a bit of what there may be to clean up.

Normally I want the yeast to contribute to the beer's character. My favourite is wlp013. (You should try it for an IPA with some crystal in it, and Maris Otter for base malt.) But simetimes clean is nice, too.

 

[Aristotelian]

The experiment begins...Notty (on the right) takes off about an hour faster. Notty is bubbling crazily (the bubbles are going sideways due to pressure in the headspace I guess). US-05 has yet to get anything in the blowoff tube.

https://goo.gl/photos/8kVcaXNNGwnU24Z19

Room temp in my house is 66 but kitchen is a bit cooler, especially at night without the appliances running.

 

[Bosh]

My palate is usually really insensitive (have been annoyed at RIS for being bland) but it seems to pick up esters really easily. Have a hard time drinking hefeweizens and could barely choke down Hobgoblin because of the massive and overpowering (to me) fruitiness.

So despite US-05 tasting really clean to most people I get a fairly strong tangy peach from it that I can pick out immediately whenever I taste it. Like it a lot too. Its so commonly used in microbrews that ones that use another clean yeast can feel a bit empty to me since they`re missing that signature US-05 taste that my brain associates with craft beer.

Maybe my tongue`s just weird though. I can`t pick up a lot of other tastes at all that a lot of people love.

 

[Rev2010]

The experiment begins...Notty (on the right) takes off about an hour faster. Notty is bubbling crazily (the bubbles are going sideways due to pressure in the headspace I guess). US-05 has yet to get anything in the blowoff tube.

Heh, you know how many threads I've comes across with people asking if there's something wrong with their US05 fermentation as it looks like nothing is happening? I've had it happen too on several occasions and have responded to a few posts. US05 often ferments so quietly and mildly it can give the impression of a stalled fermentation yet it still finishes up.

Notty is much more visibly active, like all of the time. I still prefer Notty myself but both do the job.


Rev.

 

[Aristotelian]

Day 2, both are bubbling consistently but not overflowing. Switched out the blowoff tubes and went with airlocks. OOPS! US-05 bubbles over during the following night.

https://goo.gl/photos/Zh5vwYPzUd41gWhW7

 

[unclebrazzie]

With 18C/64-65F ambient, you must have hit something like 22-23C/73F in the fermenting beer with that kind of quick fermentation.... The recommended range is 14-21, so you're bound to get quite a bit of esters when you exceed that. But those may be nice ones, of course.

Yeah, I got quite a lot of esters, but in a good way. Sampling later tonight.
By the end of the week, I'm moving the fermentor outdoors where it can do a slow cool lagering for another two weeks. Bottling early december. I'll try not to forget to update this thread on the effects of Nottie.

 

[Aristotelian]

Day 2, both are bubbling consistently but not overflowing. Switched out the blowoff tubes and went with airlocks. OOPS! US-05 bubbles over during the following night.

https://goo.gl/photos/Zh5vwYPzUd41gWhW7

Just to update this thread, I have brewed a split batch of an APA with Centennial hops, 1 gallon each with US-05 and Notty. US-05 took a day or two longer. OG for both was 1.049. Notty finished at 1.006 (87.7% attenuation), 5.64% ABV, while US-05 took it down to 1.007, 5.51% ABV (85.7% attenuation).

Taste test in a few weeks.

 

[Ike]

Beating the dead horse:

My first couple brews with Notty were before I understood the need for temperature control during fermentation. Ergo, they were nasty.

Now that I have both the understanding and the ferm chamber to make it happen: Notty is #1.

 

[Bosh]

Beating the dead horse:

My first couple brews with Notty were before I understood the need for temperature control during fermentation. Ergo, they were nasty.

Now that I have both the understanding and the ferm chamber to make it happen: Notty is #1.

Yup, sounds about right, US-05 is a great yeast if you don't have a ferm chamber though, not so sensitive to temp as some other yeast.