Alternative to London Ale III

[ba-brewer]

Bit of a sore point that, I've just managed to order WLP041 by accident, when I meant WLP051... :-( There's logic in trying it for a NEIPA though, as it seems to be the closest US relative to Fuller's/Whitbread B, which in turn seems to be related to Conan.

I used it in a azacca blonde(may be closer to golden ale now), smelled real fruity in the chamber. I was nervous about the published attenuation so I mashed low and added a bit of sugar and ended up with 84% attenuation. It appears to be a true top cropper, could not see it in the fermentor but the pipette I used to take sample had lots of yeast and the starter had a big creamy krausen.

edit: I harvested the wlp041 yeast and put in the fridge then repitched it 3 days later. The beer over the yeast was crystal clear and the yeast was a solid hockey puck which plopped out intact.

 

[DukeAC]

You mentioned you used US-05 to the rescue. What did this yeast bring the FG down to? Have you brewed beers with other yeasts in between that have attenuated normally? Wondering if it could be a process or a hydrometer/thermometer calibration issue.

 

[McUbermensch]

I like S04. I have found it can give off very peachy esters if the fermentation temperature isn't just right but for some styles that could be a good thing.

 

[Brewddah]

You mentioned you used US-05 to the rescue. What did this yeast bring the FG down to? Have you brewed beers with other yeasts in between that have attenuated normally? Wondering if it could be a process or a hydrometer/thermometer calibration issue.

Pretty much everything else I brew goes to 1.010. London Ale III is the only strain I struggle with.

 

[couchsending]

Bit of a sore point that, I've just managed to order WLP041 by accident, when I meant WLP051... :-( There's logic in trying it for a NEIPA though, as it seems to be the closest US relative to Fuller's/Whitbread B, which in turn seems to be related to Conan.

Conan is half the original Ringwood strain, which was a multi strain. Ringwood was the high floccing half and Conan the low floccing half..

I've used the Wyeast equivalent of 041. I've only used it twice and I would say the flavor profile was slightly odd but man the mouthfeel was great. I mashed it pretty low to try and get as much attenuation out of it as I could and even at a lower FG it had this really full mouthfeel. I'm pretty sure I fermented it at 66 so not sure what exactly caused the odd profile.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Conan is half the original Ringwood strain, which was a multi strain. Ringwood was the high floccing half and Conan the low floccing half..

I've seen this claim on the interwebs, but there seems to be no evidence for it whatsoever. It seems to be based on the fact that the ancestor of the Conan family was called VPB-1188. People seem to think this proves a connection to NCYC1188, but IMO it seems more likely to be connected to Greg Noonan opening the Vermont Pub & Brewery in November 1988.

The DNA evidence is sketchy at the moment, but provisionally it seems to be pointing towards the Conans being most closely related to the Fuller's/Whitbread B group, which is quite distinct from Ringwood which is more closely related to Charles Wells and Rochefort.

I've used the Wyeast equivalent of 041. I've only used it twice and I would say the flavor profile was slightly odd but man the mouthfeel was great. I mashed it pretty low to try and get as much attenuation out of it as I could and even at a lower FG it had this really full mouthfeel. I'm pretty sure I fermented it at 66 so not sure what exactly caused the odd profile.

Sounds pretty typical for a British yeast.... <g> When you're brewing weaker beers, you need every bit of help on the mouthfeel front.

Fortunately the shop I was using was a bit slow about getting order together, so I was able to switch the yeast.

 

[tjosie]

I just listened to a beer guys radio podcast where one of their friends was experiencing some stalled fermentations. The solution - the guys thermometer was busted and he was mashing higher than he thought.

 

[Brewddah]

I have since checked my thermometers, one digital and one alcohol, in an ice bath and in boiling water. They were spot-on. So that's not it.

With this last batch, I let the fermentation temperature rise to 73F. It went down to 1.018 on its own. I think maybe I need to raise the temperature more, and earlier on, and it won't be a problem. Even though it's still somewhat of a high FG, it still tastes pretty dry. Not cloying at all.

 

[ESBrewer]

Yes, try to ramp up temp a bit earlier and also try to rouse the yeast up from the bottom as suggest, when the wort starts to clear. Either by swirling the vessel or with a spoon (do this before the active fermentation stops to prevent oxidation). It is a fact that sometimes these highly flocculent ale strains will drop prematurely (wlp002 for example) and they may go a bit further if you just don't let them drop. Temperature is also a factor that keeps the metabolism up and running and prevents yeast from stalling and flocculating prematurely.

 

[D20]

Not to pile on, but I've used 1318 exclusively for the past 16 months without any attenuation issues. 1318 has always been reliable (for me).