Careful with Safale 05

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

smarek82

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 22, 2009
Messages
212
Reaction score
1
Location
Hazleton, PA
I brewed an IPA on 3/20/10:

10# 2 row
1.5# munich (10L)
.5# crystal 60

**** load of hops (mix of simcoe, columbus, citra, and ahtanum)

1 pkg safale 05.....

*******KEEP YOUR PRIMARY FERMENT BELOW 68 degrees F at most******

I took the risk of fermenting in an upstairs closet. In pennsylvania normally it is supposed to be 50F at the end of march, but for some reason we had a run on some 80F days.

No doubt the beer is good and definitely drinkable, but I might as well added some fresh peaches to the esters the S-O5 is adding to this IPA.

Additionally, my OG was 1.066 and this b@stard ended up at 1.007(with only 1 pkg of dry yeast, NO starter, O2, yeast nutrient, etc). Dry and 7.8% alc/vol

It is very hard to distinguish the hops because of the increased alcohol and ester from the yeast. I am almost sure others have had problems with this strain, but I just wanted to give my $.02....

BTW....A blonde ale that I fermented on the steps to my basement (ambient ~62F)....came out phenomenal with S-05......almost pilsner like.
 
I think that goes for pretty much any ale yeast (other than the odd Belgian). Low 70s are ok for some, but beyond that you are quickly entering the range of excessive esters, fusels, and generally unpleasant beers that can produce nasty hangovers.

Your attenuation, however, is extremely high, and I wonder if there isn't something else going on in addition to the high temps.
 
yep, way to much attenuation from US-05 if it got down that much. I've been brewing with it for years and have never seen that before.
 
I mashed in a converted 48 qt cooler at 150degF for 60 min. The only thing that went astray during the whole process was that the boil was too vigorous. I was at anticipated OG of 1.060, but real was at 1.066...does that leave more fermentables by concentrating through boiling???
 
less fermentables theoretically if you caramilize some sugars during the boil. If you fermented super warm, and it started out cold...I have no problem believing that US-05 did that.
 
Can someone elaborate on the boil being too vigorous? I've never hear anything about this being a problem...
 
Can someone elaborate on the boil being too vigorous? I've never hear anything about this being a problem...

That is a load of poop. Vigorous boils are not a problem. You may boil off more than expected, that can be solved by adding water, or being more fimiliar with your equipment.
 
Can someone elaborate on the boil being too vigorous? I've never hear anything about this being a problem...

If you boil to vigorously you can evaporate more water than anticipated and you end up with a stronger wort than you planned for. Personally, I think a nice, rolling boil is one of the keys to getting great hop utilization and a good clear beer due to the excellent hot break. Boil hard and cool it down fast....
 
How is it 05's fault you didn't control your fermentation temps?

I'm not blaming the yeast...I am simply letting people know what I found. That if you ferment in a closet that is at about 72 degrees, you are going to finish lower and with peachy esters.

If that is what someone wants, all the better.

And if you read the whole post you could see that I controlled the temp better the next time I brewed. So get your facts straight before you come attacking.
 
I don't believe a simple question can be qualified as an attack. It's well documented that most yeasts will give off flavors when fermented at high temps.
 
Generally, few beers (or the yeasts we use) will turn out the way we want them at fermentation temperatures above 70. Except for some belgian or french ales.
 
I don't believe a simple question can be qualified as an attack. It's well documented that most yeasts will give off flavors when fermented at high temps.

Whoa Big Fellas, you guys calm down and have a beer or 2,
lets attack (or not) people that support Iran's president and leave the wonderful hobby of beer making alone.......:mug:
 
Someone needs to gird up the ol loins a bit.
My reaction was the same as wildwest's. The OP certainly did suggest there was a problem with the yeast (just look at the title of the thread), when the problem was, in fact, fermenting at 80 degrees. wildwest simply called him on it.
 
Everybody go have a beer. Well, maybe coffee since it's not even 9 AM here, but you get my point.

Keep to the topic, and don't get all bent out of shape over a discussion of esters, m'kay? Thanks. :D
 
*******KEEP YOUR PRIMARY FERMENT BELOW 68 degrees F at most******

That's great advice. I would also suggest that you go by the temperature strip on the side of the fermenter, not the room temperature. Sometimes the fermentation will produce so much heat itself that it'll be 8-10 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature.

And as it gets hotter, the yeast work harder, and the harder they go, the hotter it gets. It's not a big problem at 62 degrees, but when it gets up in the mid 70s, it can get explosive!
 
That's great advice. I would also suggest that you go by the temperature strip on the side of the fermenter, not the room temperature. Sometimes the fermentation will produce so much heat itself that it'll be 8-10 degrees warmer than the ambient temperature.

And as it gets hotter, the yeast work harder, and the harder they go, the hotter it gets. It's not a big problem at 62 degrees, but when it gets up in the mid 70s, it can get explosive!

I would go one better Yooper go by the temp of the wort inside the fermenter. Those sticky stick on thermometers can be inaccurate when they get wet. Temp control is everything and I truly believe the beer is really made post boil. A thermowell and digital control is a great way to go it you can afford the coin.
 
Being the novice brewer I am (1 year), I learned a whole bunch on this forum along the way. As I am gaining more knowledge I figured why not post something that could be helpful to others just starting out. I know in May 09, I wouldn't have known what could happen with different fermenting temps. If I took the post the wrong way I am sorry for that...

Either way, I'll live to brew another day and most likely make many more mistakes along the way, post them, and receive constructive criticism.
 
Back
Top