Can US-05 handle OG 1.086?

[Scooby_Brew]

I just brewed a big beer, OG turned out 1.086. I poured it on a cake of US-05 and I got 2 more fermenters with US-05 in primary lined up so I can rack it on those cakes later too. The question though is: can this yeast handle 9% ABV? Or will I have to finish the job with a Belgian strong yeast or even a champagne yeast?

 

[humann_brewing]

US-05 is supposedly good for somewhere in the range of 10-12 but I have not personally gone that high with it.

 

[mithion]

US-05 is the chico strain and Sierra Nevada Bigfoot (9.6% ABV) is fermented using this strain. Just pitch two packets of it and that should do the trick.

 

[Bert1097]

I'm under the impression that US-05 is pretty much the same as Wyeast 1056 which can handle pretty big beers.

Another thing, why would you rack from yeast cake to yeast cake like that? Seems like you're asking for trouble. There is a pretty convincing thread OP'd by an experienced brewer advising never to rack to a cake at all.....https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/why-not-pitch-your-yeast-cake-166221/

 

[Beerrific]

I have used US-05 on a 1.099 beer. Handled it like a pro, fast and full attenuation was no problem.

 

[damdaman]

I used two packets of US-05 on a 1.086 IIPA recently and last reading it was down to 1.014, possibly still dropping.

 

[mithion]

I spoke with the owner of the LHBS here in Reno and he told me that although the stock Chico strain is rated for 10% ABV, it is a strain you can easily build up to much higher alcohol tolerance. Start by brewing a pale ale, then step it up to a strong IPA or DIPA. Then you can move it to a barleywine. By the 4th or 5th generation, it will be able to handle ABV much higher than 10%. Of course, this requires very thorough sanitation and temperature control to curb the level of mutation the strain will go through but it is essentially doable. Can anybody else confirm this?

 

[humann_brewing]

my statement above may have lead you to believe I was uncertain that it could handle a 10% beer, that is far from the truth. I am planning on a barley wine soon and will use one of the US-05/WLP001/WY1056 strains.

 

[greenbirds]

US-05 took my IIPA from 1.085 to 1.008.

I just brewed 3 gallons of OG 1.112 barleywine on Sunday and pitched 2 packets. Mashed at 149-150 F for about 90 minutes. I'll report back when it finishes.

 

[samc]

I spoke with the owner of the LHBS here in Reno and he told me that although the stock Chico strain is rated for 10% ABV, it is a strain you can easily build up to much higher alcohol tolerance. Start by brewing a pale ale, then step it up to a strong IPA or DIPA. Then you can move it to a barleywine. By the 4th or 5th generation, it will be able to handle ABV much higher than 10%. Of course, this requires very thorough sanitation and temperature control to curb the level of mutation the strain will go through but it is essentially doable. Can anybody else confirm this?

As far as I know yeast are not cloning themselves. So every generation brings change no matter how good your sanitation is. The question however is why not just start off with a yeast strain known to handle higher alcohol levels?

 

[mithion]

As far as I know yeast are not cloning themselves. So every generation brings change no matter how good your sanitation is. The question however is why not just start off with a yeast strain known to handle higher alcohol levels?

Yes. You are correct. The new generation is different from the previous generation no matter how OCD about your are about sanitation. But what I was trying to say is that if your sanitation isn't impeccable, the level of foreign bacteria in your yeast slurry will increase to unacceptable levels after 4 or 5 generations. After all, we're not trying for a lambic here (if you are, there are perfectly good lambic cultures out there to start with). But the reason you MAY (and I put emphasis on the "may") not want to start with a higher tolerance is the flavor profile of your yeast. What if you want the character of US-05 in a 15% ABV beer? Reaching those alcohol levels is one thing. You could use one of those super engineered yeasts that go to 25% ABV but those may not provide the flavor you wish. If alcohol content is more important to you than the actual flavor profile of the beer, then by all means use a yeast that can go all the way with less fussing around. However, if a particular profile is desired and that profile is found in a yeast that isn't that tolerant to alcohol levels, a lot more fussing around will be required such as stepping up the yeast in several batches.

 

[dcp27]

I just brewed 3 gallons of OG 1.112 barleywine on Sunday and pitched 2 packets. Mashed at 149-150 F for about 90 minutes. I'll report back when it finishes.

I actually just racked same thing (washed yeast instead of 2 packs is the only difference), and it got me down to 1.022. 1.086 shouldn't be a problem

 

[kanzimonson]

Mithion, I only partly agree with what you (your LHBS guy) said about building up the yeasts' strength. Brewing a lower gravity batch is a great way to get them started, but I don't think making an IPA should be an intermediate step to making a barleywine.

Jamil often says that you don't really want to reuse yeast left over from a high alcohol beer, or highly hopped beer. Alcohol is toxic to yeast, and even though they're dormant at the bottom of the fermenter, just existing in that same environment wreaks havoc on their systems. I assume it has something to do with 1) actually killing the yeast and 2) weakening their membranes. Jamil says over 5% is his worry zone.

Yeast from highly hopped beers should also not be reused. This is because of one of the reasons we use hops - it's a preservative. The resins that we perceive as bitterness coat the outside walls of any microorganism that finds its way into your beer, thereby inhibiting reproduction. This goes for yeast too, though they apparently are a little more resilient at reproducing.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

Update:
After adding 4 oz. caramelized brown sugar my OG was 1.092. 10 days after start of fermentation my FG is 1.020. According to ProMash that gives me 9.6% ABV and attenuation of 77% ADF.
I think that is sufficient, US-05 did it's job well.
IMO I won't need to rack it on a second yeast cake, but instead I will keep it in primary for another couple of weeks or so to let the yeastees clean up a little after them self. What do you guys think, is that a good plan?

 

[mithion]

Sounds fine. That's a pretty big beer. You may actually want to leave it longer in the fermentor than two weeks. Or what I would do, is once the beer has cleared up a bit, I'd transfer to a secondary and let the beer condition for a month or two. But definitely leave the beer a bit longer on the primary yeast cake as you said so the yeast can finish cleaning up after themselves.

 

[Teacher]

I once used US-05 on a beer that went to 11.5 percent. The little yeasties looked up at me and said, "No sweat, boss."

 

[maskednegator]

US-05 took my 1.116 to 1.020. 12.6%, no problems.

 

[ThreeDogsNE]

As far as I know yeast are not cloning themselves. So every generation brings change no matter how good your sanitation is. The question however is why not just start off with a yeast strain known to handle higher alcohol levels?

Yeast reproduce by budding. I doing so they produce exact clones of themselves as daughter cells. However, do this a few billion times and you are bound to have some errors in DNA replication. The mutants that arise from this will behave somewhat differently, producing more or less esters, being more or less flocculant, and so on. This is precisely how we arrived at the different strains of yeast we now enjoy. Different breweries selected out different mutants that were producing the beers they favored.

If you apply an evolutionary pressure such as a higher alcohol environment, over time you will select out clones that are tolerant of that environment. This will give you yeast that can survive (and ferment!) in that setting. Whether the yeast you select will produce beer that tastes good to you has an element of chance to it. If you buy yeast from White or Wyeast, you know that they are monitoring their genetics to deliver what they promised. If you grow them up yourself, your clones will vary eventually. They might produce quite tasty beer, or they might not. Whether that element of chance is fun or a hassle is your decision in your own brewery.

 

[greenbirds]

I actually just racked same thing (washed yeast instead of 2 packs is the only difference), and it got me down to 1.022. 1.086 shouldn't be a problem

1.112 down to 1.023 for me as well, 11.7% ABV. It tastes like it attenuated completely, so I'm pretty optimistic it will be able to bottle carb just fine as well.