Is there anything wrong with using Nottingham for everything?

Since I started brewing, I have used dry ale yeast. I like it; it's cheap and easy. I'm mostly brewing american pale ales but I will start brewing IPAs and stouts and ambers in the future.

I found a place that has the new vacuum-packed Nottingham for $1.59 and I'm thinking about buying like 20 packets.

What am I missing out compared to those fancy $8 liquid yeasts?

 

If those are the only styles you're brewing....you ain't missing nothing. I might argue US-05 may be the superior dry yeast for hoppy APAs and IPAs, though I have had good success with Nottingham for those style at ferment temps below 65°F.

 

You'll be missing out on the sheer variety that the fancy liquid yeasts provide.

 

I use US-05 and Nottingham for pretty much everything but I also make mostly IPA's , Pale, and Ambers. There are certain styles that are better with liquid yeast. But I'm a fan of a clean fermenting yeast. You can get away with it brewing the styles that you listed.

 

Is there an ideal temp for Nottingham to attenuate completely and stay clean?

 

Better yet, why don't you reuse your yeast?

 

well said

 

Between different malts and hop combinations you could brew for many years before getting bored with using the same yeast. And the yeast will give you different tastes depending on fermentation temps. You are good to go IMO.

 

you're not going to brew any belgian styles with that yeast. or german styles... really. but sure probably a lot of american and british styles you could pull off.

 

I've been wondering exactly the same thing. All liquid yeast I've used seems to have been not worth it! 005 and nottingham for me!

 

At $1.59 per packet, there's no way it would be worth reusing, especially compared to how easy using dry yeast is.

US-05 is like $4 something a package. At that price, I might consider reusing it. Which is more work.

 

It would be a bit like brewing with the same grist or hops every single brew. Nothing wrong with it, but much like with brewing extract vs all grain, taking advantage of the whole diversity of yeast strains out there gives you a broader palette of flavors and aromas to choose from.

 

I'd rather pitch some slurry than rehydrate.

 

Nothing wrong with having a house yeast. There are a lot of breweries that only use one yeast. It's your homebrew, do whatever you want.

 

+1; few things are easier than repitching slurry. He might not rehydrate his dry yeast though, so sprinkling a packet on top is even easier than repitching! Though at $1.59 I'd be tempted to just sprinkle...

 

I love repitching slurry. I don't have to rehydrate and worry about temp equillibration. It works best when you can time the racking to keg/bottling and the new brew on the same day.

 

I always just sprinkle the yeast on the wort. My fermentations take off so quick and finish well that I cant see the point of rehydrating.

 

I sprinkle and have been very happy with Notty and my last bunch of stouts.

 

+1 on Yooper's comment here.

I have used Notty quite a bit with a Two Hearted clone recipe (Two Hearted Clone Recipe) that I absolutely love. When fermented at the upper limit of the recommended fermentation range (listed by the manufacturer) I find the flavor to be much less pleasing than when fermented at the lower limit. I believe this is due to both the flavors generated by the yeast and the speed of fermentation at the high limit of the range.

In my opinion, using one yeast for every beer style one brews is a huge mistake as so many beer styles are often defined by specific yeast characteristics. Having said that, Notty is a great yeast to use when you are looking for very little yeast-specific characteristics in your beer. A very clean, highly flocculant, full attenuating yeast.

 

I've used Notty on my Punkin Porter and the Moo Hoo stout & I've been thrilled with slight fruity esters around 69-70 degrees!

"All your home brew are belong to us!"

 

Nothing wrong if you like the way it tastes. I don't like it and only keep it around as a backup solution/test solution when I end up with a gallon of extra wort to play around with to do a side by side.

The upside to the liquid yeasts is the ability to choose between literally a hundred different strains. Some can really make the hops pop, and some can make an otherwise balanced beer to feel extra malty.

 

If you are making Pale, Amber, IPAs, like another poster said, one dried yeast strain should suffice, although my fav for this is US-05, not Notty.

If the alternative liquid is WLP001/1056, then US-05 will be almost identical (Chico yeast derived). If, however, you want some subtle difference for a Pale Ale/IPA, try WLP051/1272 (Northern Cal ale yeast), WLP008 (East coast Ale yeast), WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast, WLP041/1332 (Northwest Ale yeast), 1450(Denny's Favorite 50).

That's just US Ale yeasts. Other yeasts can yield drastic differences. Like another poster said, you'll not even get close to a Belgium yeast in dry.

This all said, I use US-05 and sometimes Notty for most beers I make, which are exclusively Pale Ales, IPAs, and IIPAs. However, after playing around alot with malt varieties, mashing temps, hops, water chemistry, ferment temperatures, carbonation, etc., I find I'm back to liquid yeasts a bit more to perfect some recipes. There are a lot of yeasts that don't have a dry yeast equivalent, and I need those to get a certain something from the hops and/or malt.

If you are relatively new to brewing, doing only Ales, and/or working on your techniques, I'd say stick with dry yeast for a while. Too many beginners think liquid yeast, like 1056 instead of Notty will make their beers better when there are at least a dozen other improvements that will have a real impact on quality. In fact, underpitched liquid yeast can often have a negative impact compared to a dry equivalent.

Rich

 

Well said....

 

I'm surprised nobody has asked but where are you getting this deal? Last I checked it was $3ish

 

I know; I think my secret source does not realize the market price has risen and is under-pricing it...a situation I may capitalize on, but allready have 6 or so packs, so maybe I will move to US-05 and start saving yeast (I'm a real cheapskate).

 

I still haven't figured out why some brew stores have raised the prices. It must be because of the "fancy" vacuum sealed packages.

 

I usually use Notty on a first pass of an English/American recipe, then as I start refining the grist/hop schedule I'll pick another yeast at some point. Notty's great, but WLP023 might be my new go-to for any English beer. I'll have to get a few repitches out of it to even out the cost.

 

That's because the wholesale price has more than doubles over the last couple of years. At $1.59, the seller is incurring a significant (!) loss per package. US-05 is quite a bit cheaper than Notty now.