S-04 good or bad.

[Cavpilot2000]

I only used it once and got an unpleasant flavor I can only describe a bubblegum.
Haven't touched the stuff since.

 

[Dland]

Seems like kind of a silly poll. Have used that yeast, worked fine, but is not for the style of beer I brew normally, so it is not one I keep in stock.

 

[kh54s10]

I started the poll in response to a reply in another thread that said a significant proportion of homebrewers do not like S-04. I had not heard this before so I started the poll to see how many really do not like S-04.

It is now 18.6% that say they don't like S-04 so I guess that is significant.

But then again if you look at Really like VS hate it is 25.9% that really like it and only 1.9% that say they hate it????

I expected fewer to say that they didn't like it.
I never intended for it to be scientifically accurate. I can't control people who say they dislike it only because there is another yeast that they like better. That alone skews the results.

 

[ListerH]

I am happy to use s-04 for ales with a maltier backbone, basically where it's flavor profile doesn't come to the fore. S-05 has a much cleaner finish and is still my go to.

S-04 is extremely consistent, ferments quickly and easily and flocculates high for bottle conditioning.

I rated as "like" as I've not had a bad experience with it and it delivers consistent results without blowing me away.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

As a scientist, the references to "statistical" and "significant" and "5%" make me want to scream!

There seems to be a statistical significance in this data set. The mean median suggests a sigma related corollary causation.

It drives me crazy when people say US-04 and S-05.

 

[AzOr]

I like it. It does what it’s supposed to.

I know I’m not supposed to compare to others, BUT Notty is my go to and it’s one of those items that brew shops are mandated to sell.

It’s like a Swiss Army knife of yeast.

 

[BrewSavage]

I like S-04.

I generally prefer liquid yeast but I keep several packets of S-04 around for those times when I brew at a whim and don't have time to build a a starter or for those times I've made a starter from some old yeast and the starter fails and then it is S-04 to the rescue.

 

[beernutz]

Currently an over 4 to 1 ratio of like to don't like votes. I have read that there are actually two Whitbread strains and this is the less attenuative (not as dry) of the two.

I have used both S-04 and the WLP002 Fuller's yeast in the same brown ale recipe and while I remember them having similar attenuation characteristics their flavor profiles were different. I don't think I preferred one over the other or if I did it wasn't by much.