Nottingham in cream ale?

[Rob2010SS]

Brewing up a cream ale soon. Trying to decide on yeast and I'm torn between the usual suspects.

Notty
BRY 97
K 97
US-05

I want it to ferment out a little drier which seems to eliminate the BRY 97 for me.
I want it to flocc out fairly quick, which seems like it might eliminate K 97 and US-05
Which leaves Notty as it has higher attenuation and drops quick, but I don't want any of the english character to come out.

I've read that people are successfull with notty down in low 50's. I don't have a ton of experience with notty. Will that keep the profile fairly neutral?

My logic on this sound?

 

[KeizerBrewr]

I don't have any real experience with Nottingham either, but I would assume fermenting low would restrain the esters. I always like using Kölsch yeast for my cream ales.

 

[AlexKay]

Do you taste English character when Nottingham is fermented warm? I've used it between 60 and 68 F and always found it to be pretty neutral.

If you're planning on cold fermentation anyway, you could always try 34/70. It would technically make it a cream lager, but it's kind of a hybrid style anyway.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Do you taste English character when Nottingham is fermented warm? I've used it between 60 and 68 F and always found it to be pretty neutral.

If you're planning on cold fermentation anyway, you could always try 34/70. It would technically make it a cream lager, but it's kind of a hybrid style anyway.

The only time I’ve used it was in an imperial stout so the character was pretty covered up but I thought I picked up on English character and it was fermented at 60, but I admittedly could have been looking for English character

 

[Rob2010SS]

I don't have any real experience with Nottingham either, but I would assume fermenting low would restrain the esters. I always like using Kölsch yeast for my cream ales.

Yeah that’s kind of why I was looking at k97. But it doesn’t flocc well from what I read

 

[KeizerBrewr]

If you can handle about 10 days to cold condition/lager, I would do the K97...I think it beats just about any yeast option for a cream ale IMO. I use 2565, I bottle condition for two weeks and let it chill in the fridge for a couple days to fully chill and the beers are crystal nearly crystal clear. After a full week in the fridge, absolutely stunning clarity.

 

[dmtaylor]

K-97 is a crappy yeast that will take months to clear.

I find BRY-97 attenuates almost as well as US-05. So I recommend BRY-97.

With both US-05 and Nottingham, they both can ferment cool but this adds a peach ester in my experience, so they are NOT so clean at cool temperatures.

Ferment any of these at normal temperatures, not too cold.

If you like the beer to be as dry as possible, extend your mash time. Consider perhaps trying an overnight mash where you begin before bedtime, then runoff and boil the next day.

 

[AlexKay]

K-97 is a crappy yeast that will take months to clear.

I love K-97. But this is true: it takes months to clear, if it gets there at all. And sometimes it throws a tart flavor, I don’t know why. But I love it anyway.

 

[Rob2010SS]

Good to know about K97. I'll stay away from that and 05, as I want this to drop out pretty well. BRY97 I dismissed due to not having as high of attenuation. However, I'm focusing too much on that for a matter of a couple of points on FG and I need to stop. The peachy note from Notty, if it were to come through, might be interesting in a cream ale..

Based on the responses, I feel either ANY of the options listed would work. I'm currently leaning to one of these options now - BRY97 or Notty. I think with proper process, either will produce a solid cream ale. We'll see how it goes.

 

[Mark3885]

I have used safale 05 and Nottingham , I prefer Nottingham, gives my beer a clean , crisp finish.

 

[Miraculix]

I use Nottingham quite a lot and it never gave me an English profile, always just clean ale character. I'd happily use that one in a cream ale, at any normal temperature.

 

[hottpeper13]

I've used 2565, BRY97,and Notty. 2565 is my house yeast that takes 3-4 weeks to clear while lagering at 33*. BRY97 is a slow starter so I make a 1L starter and pitch the whole thing and it takes off in ~6 hrs. Notty is almost clear when done fermenting.
All of them attenuate well for me and can be controlled by the mash TIME!
The reasons are many that I have these in my fridge but one is that they all use the same fermentation schedule, Pitch between 55* and 59* hold for 2-3 days(clear fermenters and I step when it slows down, raise to 64* for 3-4 days or until krausen starts to fall then to 68* to finish. If you follow this step temp ferment the beers will be clean. Only US05 gives a peach flavor when used under 64* and is slow to clear,used it once in 2012,never again.

 

[dmtaylor]

I agree that Notty does not have any "English" character at all. I have used it a ton. It is pretty clean.

I have started to use S-04 for anything and everything again where I want the cleanest flavors. I find it to be cleaner than just about any of the other ones mentioned. It is a solid performer. Note: If it's been a few years since you have used S-04, try it again. I believe it has changed -- the manufacturer must have cleaned it up or changed it in some manner, so what you believe is true probably is NOT true anymore. It is not necessarily better, it is cleaner. But it is certainly different.

 

[Steveruch]

K-97 is a crappy yeast that will take months to clear.

Perfect for American wheat.

 

[dmtaylor]

Perfect for American wheat.

You're not wrong.

 

[Rob2010SS]

I agree that Notty does not have any "English" character at all. I have used it a ton. It is pretty clean.

I have started to use S-04 for anything and everything again where I want the cleanest flavors. I find it to be cleaner than just about any of the other ones mentioned. It is a solid performer. Note: If it's been a few years since you have used S-04, try it again. I believe it has changed -- the manufacturer must have cleaned it up or changed it in some manner, so what you believe is true probably is NOT true anymore. It is not necessarily better, it is cleaner. But it is certainly different.

SO4 is what we use in our british brown and love it. Definitely one of our staples. That yeast is a solid performer for sure.

 

[Yeast Farmer]

I have used Nottingham for cream ale with excellent results. It's very clean-fermenting and not estery at all in my experience.