Can you recommend me an English yeast?

[Crafty_Brewer]

So my wy1318 that I had harvested from an overbuilt starter died. My bad for not using it since April. My backup yeast I pitched into a best bitter yesterday was Lallemand London ESB. Never used it before, but it is chewing through the wort like mad. Now I am out of English yeast save for a pack of S-04 that I’m reluctant to use as I’m not fond of sourdough in my beer or I’m washing the Lallemand. So I need to buy some more English yeast. I love wy1318, it has great flavor and is super easy to work with; however I am thinking about trying something new for variety’s sake. I am bottling beer so I am apprehensive about wlp-002/wy1968 after reading about other’s issues with bottling it. I am also not sure about trying ringwood with it seemingly requiring a d-rest. I have never done a d-rest, but I am setup for it if need be with a freezer and temp control, however I don’t have to do any of that with 1318. Does anyone know of a characterful English yeast that might fit the bill?

 

[McKnuckle]

Are you aware of this monster thread about British yeast and beer in general? I’m on a WY1469 kick, but do check it out for a pile of ideas.

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

Are you aware of this monster thread about British yeast and beer in general? I’m on a WY1469 kick, but do check it out for a pile of ideas.

Yes I am, that is a good read; I’m still going through it. I’m hoping to get some info on what English yeast is good for bottling, but that thread makes me want to save up for a kegging setup to get in on some of that wlp-002 action without the gushers or green apple non-sense.

 

[McKnuckle]

I have bottled with 1469. In fact I have some old ale from about 4 years ago that is still holding up!

I don’t think most British yeast suffer from that Fuller’s issue they talk about. I seem to recall, but I could be wrong, that one of the two supposedly Fuller’s yeasts (1968 and WLP002) had the problem and the other did not.

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

I have bottled with 1469. In fact I have some old ale from about 4 years ago that is still holding up!

I don’t think most British yeast suffer from that Fuller’s issue they talk about. I seem to recall, but I could be wrong, that one of the two supposedly Fuller’s yeasts (1968 and WLP002) had the problem and the other did not.

That is good to know that 002/1968 are really the biggest ones to worry about for bottle conditioning. I may have to try the 1469, I had to look that one up and it sounds right up my alley.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Rather than repeat myself, see this post.

See also this thread, which is the de facto general British beer thread here.

 

[pvpeacock]

I have always likes S04 for a dry version, but am currently a big fan of Imperial Pub A09.

 

[Spikybits]

WLP026 Premium Bitter Ale - Huge Fan

my wife is not a fan of english ales really, but she loves porters. All which I make with WLP026

my go to with porters stouts and bitters

 

[thehaze]

The newest Lallemand Verdant yeast is a 1318 derivative, as 1318 was Verdant's house yeast, which mutated, etc. and then they talked with Lallemand and now we have another English* dry yeast. I've used it a couple of times and will be using it again, for both IPAs, DIPAs, Imperial Stouts, Red Ales and English bitters. It's good. I would say really good, in the realm of dry yeast. Make sure to mash accordingly if you want a decent, medium attenuation. Along with Munich Classic, it's one of the more expressive dry yeast out there.

Fermentis S-33 - the yeast manufacturer has not yet changed the description of this yeast, and they state the following " Fruity driven strain, gives a high mouthfeel and body to the beer. Ideal for Belgian Ales (Blond, Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel Styles) and strong English ales (ex. Imperial Stouts). It is also ideal for New England IPA’s. Yeast with a medium sedimentation: forms no clumps but a powdery haze when resuspended in the beer. ". I agree with everything, except the " Belgian Ales " part, which is ridiculous. This yeast is not POF+ and for the life of me, I have never succeeded in coaxing Belgian aromas and flavours from it, no matter the pitch rate, fermentation temperature, etc. It's genetically related to EDME yeast, Muntons, Windsor and London ESB from Lallemand. I found this out through this forum and its dedicated users.

Lallemand Windsor is also a decent yeast, but its attenuation and flocculation are not good, though with the right process, you can get good results in both departments. I feel though that Windsor - from my limited experience - takes a bit of time to shine. When young, it just feels ... young, green, incomplete.

 

[KeizerBrewr]

I am a big fan of the WLP005! Brings out the malt and is estery and bright. Sure, it is a bit of a slow starter, but once it is going, it really takes off. Best part is, it likes to ferment between 65 and 70F. It is a yeast I use in porters, stouts, any English ale, even my cream ale! Let it go a full two weeks, with the last three days raised to 70F for a good d-rest.

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

Rather than repeat myself, see this post.

See also this thread, which is the de facto general British beer thread here.

Thanks for the links, those are good reads: I’m still going through the monster sized one. From your other post it sounds like I’m stuck with third rate yeast, but I will make the best of it. I don’t have access to a proper British pub to snag dregs from, and in the best bottle shops within an hours drive from me the only British beer I can get is Bass Ale and Hobgoblin. WY1318 or WY1469 look like my current top two contenders.

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

The newest Lallemand Verdant yeast is a 1318 derivative, as 1318 was Verdant's house yeast, which mutated, etc. and then they talked with Lallemand and now we have another English* dry yeast. I've used it a couple of times and will be using it again, for both IPAs, DIPAs, Imperial Stouts, Red Ales and English bitters. It's good. I would say really good, in the realm of dry yeast. Make sure to mash accordingly if you want a decent, medium attenuation. Along with Munich Classic, it's one of the more expressive dry yeast out there.

Fermentis S-33 - the yeast manufacturer has not yet changed the description of this yeast, and they state the following " Fruity driven strain, gives a high mouthfeel and body to the beer. Ideal for Belgian Ales (Blond, Dubbel, Tripel, Quadrupel Styles) and strong English ales (ex. Imperial Stouts). It is also ideal for New England IPA’s. Yeast with a medium sedimentation: forms no clumps but a powdery haze when resuspended in the beer. ". I agree with everything, except the " Belgian Ales " part, which is ridiculous. This yeast is not POF+ and for the life of me, I have never succeeded in coaxing Belgian aromas and flavours from it, no matter the pitch rate, fermentation temperature, etc. It's genetically related to EDME yeast, Muntons, Windsor and London ESB from Lallemand. I found this out through this forum and its dedicated users.

Lallemand Windsor is also a decent yeast, but its attenuation and flocculation are not good, though with the right process, you can get good results in both departments. I feel though that Windsor - from my limited experience - takes a bit of time to shine. When young, it just feels ... young, green, incomplete.

That is really cool, I think I will snag some of the Lallemand Verdant. I always like to have some dry yeast on hand for backup or days that I decide to brew and haven’t had time to get a starter going. A 1318 derivative would be fun to try.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I don’t have access to a proper British pub to snag dregs from

Nor do we, at the moment....

 

[Crafty_Brewer]

Nor do we, at the moment....

Terrible. I’m not sure what’s worse: never having had them, or having had them just to see them shut down. Damn the virus and damn the tyrants.

 

[bwible]

The last bitter I did I used 1099. Happy with that. But I’m kind of going through this search too. I know I’m not a fan of 1335. Wyeast has a couple seasonal strains I’d like to try, like the 1768. White labs has a couple strains I’ve wanted to try for a long time but they’re locked in the vault and the vault never seems to open. WLP025 and WLP026.

 

[Beer666]

The last bitter I did I used 1099. Happy with that. But I’m kind of going through this search too. I know I’m not a fan of 1335. Wyeast has a couple seasonal strains I’d like to try, like the 1768. White labs has a couple strains I’ve wanted to try for a long time but they’re locked in the vault and the vault never seems to open. WLP025 and WLP026.

What was it you didn't like about 1335? I am thinking of digging it out to make another English IPA but its been a while so i cant really remember what its like.

 

[bwible]

What was it you didn't like about 1335? I am thinking of digging it out to make another English IPA but its been a while so i cant really remember what its like.

I think its too neutral. Really no English character for a bitter, best bitter. Might work in an English IPA with all the hops.

 

[marc1]

Anyone tried London Fog for this?

 

[bwible]

“WLP066 London Fog is the perfect yeast for all you "Haze Heads".

I’m out right there. I want an English/British strain for Bitters/Best Bitters. I don’t do haze. Ymmv

 

[marc1]

“WLP066 London Fog is the perfect yeast for all you "Haze Heads".

I’m out right there. I want an English/British strain for Bitters/Best Bitters. I don’t do haze. Ymmv

My understanding is that it is an English/ British strain.

If you're not doing large whirlpool and dryhop additions it shouldn't be cloudy, should it? A well made NEIPA shouldn't be yeasty-cloudy.

I wouldn't put anywhere remotely NEIPA levels or types of hops in a bitter, so I would think that part should be fine.

 

[bwible]

My understanding is that it is an English/ British strain.

If you're not doing large whirlpool and dryhop additions it shouldn't be cloudy, should it? A well made NEIPA shouldn't be yeasty-cloudy.

I wouldn't put anywhere remotely NEIPA levels or types of hops in a bitter, so I would think that part should be fine.

Yeah, that’s a good point. I think they also push their East Coast Ale yeast as being one of the best for NEIPA. That’s just not the first thing I want to read in a yeast description.

 

[bwible]

Does anybody think it would be sacrilege to use Scottish Ale yeast (Wyeast 1728) in a bitter or an English Pale Ale? I think the Scottish Schilling beer family is akin to the Ordinary/Best/Stong Bitter family, but more malty and less bitter?

I have 1728 on hand but I’ve only used it for Old Ale and barleywine. I want to brew a best bitter and probably an English Pale Ale after that using the same yeast. If anything maybe its too neutral?

 

[Franktalk]

1728 would be excellent for an English pale ale! It has been identified as a close relative of Wyeast 1028, London ale by Suregork in his analysis of the beer yeast genome.

 

[Franktalk]

Also, it's not that neutral at regular ale temps. If you ferment it as Scottish ale temps, 55- 60, it may be somewhat neutral, but at 68 it is as fruity as any other English yeast.

 

[deadwolfbones]

Check out the new Verdant IPA yeast from Lallemand. Very nice strain.

 

[beerisyummy]

Fwiw, I really like WY1028 London, it will really chew up "big" beers but leave them with plenty of "character." I made an ESB last year with WY1469 West Yorkshire that I REALLY liked.