English Ales - What's your favorite recipe?

[beervoid]

Tbh I don't get any strong character from s04 nowadays at all. It's one of the cleanest yeasts I know of. It used to be different.

Ok interesting, maybe you are not sensitive to it? I can smell it from a mile away

 

[Colindo]

there are not enough dry english strains for a nice english ale.

I can recommend the Pale Ale Yeast 7 from Gozdawa. It's a unique Whitbread strain that gave a barley wine I brewed nice esters with a bit of strawberry and other red fruits.

 

[balrog]

I started brewing in the early 2000's and started with mostly US05 and S04. I went to liquid yeast for quite a few years. After a few years out of brewing, maybe 5/6 years ago, i read about US05 and peach flavours. I tried it again, and definately noticed peach, cant not notice it.

I never noticed it when i first started brewing. Thought it was just me, but maybe they are changing ?


Not trying to open a can of worms, just an observation

Lots of folks talk about peach/grape from lower temp fermented US05; "low" being 60-63F.

 

[Miraculix]

Ok interesting, maybe you are not sensitive to it? I can smell it from a mile away

There are multiple people here on the board that used to get weird things from s04 but not any more since one or two years, me included. When was the least time you've witnessed this with s04? And from when was that particular pack?

 

[Miraculix]

I can recommend the Pale Ale Yeast 7 from Gozdawa. It's a unique Whitbread strain that gave a barley wine I brewed nice esters with a bit of strawberry and other red fruits.

How do you know that it's unique and not a repack? I always thought Gozdawa was a repacker.

 

[Colindo]

How do you know that it's unique and not a repack? I always thought Gozdawa was a repacker.

They have several unique strains. I never read anywhere that they should repack. They are also quite open with their info, so it's worth asking them directly.

In the case of PAY7, they already have an S-04 clone in their catalogue, also all the other common strains, so I'm much inclined to believe their statement of "a different Whitbread strain than S-04".

 

[Shenanigans]

They have several unique strains. I never read anywhere that they should repack. They are also quite open with their info, so it's worth asking them directly.

In the case of PAY7, they already have an S-04 clone in their catalogue, also all the other common strains, so I'm much inclined to believe their statement of "a different Whitbread strain than S-04".

Thanks for the tip.

For the others, we already discussed on another forum about their Real Scotland Ale Yeast which also appears to be unique to them.
I haven't tried it yet and unfortunately it is being pulled from the market so I bagged a few packets of it before it disappears.
A Scottish light and Export will be brewed this Autum
If I was aware of the PAY7 I would have ordered that at the same time.

I think the Old German Ale (OGA), which is for Altbier, is also unique right?

 

[Colindo]

I think the Old German Ale (OGA), which is for Altbier, is also unique right?

Yes, but I now pretty much nothing about it, except that in Düsseldorf everyone uses it. Must be a good yeast.

I also bought a few packs of their Real Scotland Ale and put them in the freezer. Loved that yeast for light bitters, like the Belhaven Best clone I once did.

 

[beervoid]

There are multiple people here on the board that used to get weird things from s04 but not any more since one or two years, me included. When was the least time you've witnessed this with s04? And from when was that particular pack?

I brew regularly with it in darker beers it's not as bad

 

[HM-2]

I've never had tartness or weirdness with S-04, though I don't use it that much.

 

[Miraculix]

Yes, but I now pretty much nothing about it, except that in Düsseldorf everyone uses it. Must be a good yeast.

I also bought a few packs of their Real Scotland Ale and put them in the freezer. Loved that yeast for light bitters, like the Belhaven Best clone I once did.

Uhhhh.... I need to order some yeast I think....

 

[Shenanigans]

Uhhhh.... I need to order some yeast I think....

I used to only do it with hops and grains but now I'm unfortunately starting to hoard yeast too
Especially discounted past date liquid yeasts.
I just ordered a pressure cooker, glycerin and some vials so hopefully my attempt at long term freezing works this weekend.

 

[Miraculix]

I used to only do it with hops and grains but now I'm unfortunately starting to hoard yeast too
Especially discounted past date liquid yeasts.
I just ordered a pressure cooker, glycerin and some vials so hopefully my attempt at long term freezing works this weekend.

The horrible truth is.... I got everything already at home for that endeavour!

 

[Northern_Brewer]

In the case of PAY7, they already have an S-04 clone in their catalogue, also all the other common strains, so I'm much inclined to believe their statement of "a different Whitbread strain than S-04".

Presumably a 1099 equivalent.

 

[Miraculix]

1469 seems to be able to to be used as a lager yeast.

I have put my starter into the fridge after 24h on the stir plate and it really kept going in there. It formed a kräusen in the erlenmeyer flask and was bubbling like crazy. Although at 5 C. Even after 12h in the fridge. I got it out of there, back on the stir palte for another 20h at room temperature and now it is actually really cold crashing and not as hyperactive any more.

Lovely yeast.

 

[Miraculix]

The 1469 Yorkshire bitter is in the making. I am experimenting with oxygen reduction on the hot side. I've dosed my liquor with 200ppm SMB. The mash smelled significantly less and also a bit different than usual. Starting the boil, the foam was much lighter coloured and I've never had such a strong hot break.

Not sure if the picture really captures it, but I've never seen such big flakes during the boil without any other additive that aids flocculation.

 

[Colindo]

@Miraculix I've only ever seen that with 200 ppm Calcium in the water. Very satisfying to see.

 

[Miraculix]

@Miraculix I've only ever seen that with 200 ppm Calcium in the water. Very satisfying to see.

Both relevant minerals are in the 120-160 ppm range. It's English after all .

Edit: the wort even tastes different. There are things inside that I usually don't get. Grain and honey.

Gonna be interesting to see if this carries over into the beer.

 

[DuncB]

Looks good, that boil. I've been putting the ascorbic acid in the mash and sparge for the oxygen removal.
Just a standard 10 ppm for getting rid of the chlorine with sodium metabisulphate.

 

[Miraculix]

Looks good, that boil. I've been putting the ascorbic acid in the mash and sparge for the oxygen removal.
Just a standard 10 ppm for getting rid of the chlorine with sodium metabisulphate.

I've tried ascorbic acid quite a lot but it did not seem to do that much for me. I also read somewhere (outside of the brewing context) that it can actually be an oxidiser itself, under certain circumstances. I do not remember exactly what the circumstances were, but at least in my mind, these circumstances were possible within normal wort composition. So I ditched the ascorbic acid.

I have researched a bit and came to the conclusion that 200ppm smb should be able to take care of the upper end of oxygen ingress possible. I am doing biab and have to squeeze the bag (small kettle) to get my wort volume right. There is quite some dripping involved which brings in o2.

So I will either end up with a sulfur bomb or a cleaner malt and hop profile than usual.

 

[Miraculix]

It's bubbling well and the only concern that I'm having is that's 30c + outside and my basement is at 22c. I'm having the fermenter in a water bath which I'm renewing every now and then. Should do it, worked before as well.

Interesting fact is, the air lock smells about 80% les than usual. I don't detect any hops at all in the smell, just a bit of grain. This SMB stuff is weird.

 

[Miraculix]

Recipe for those who care:

I've decided to follow @Northern_Brewer s general guide for a bitter, which always ended up very well. Mo, 5% crisp medium crystal, 6% light muscuvado sugar (no inversion, should actually be already inverted when out of the pack) 3% acidulated malt for pH. First gold for about 33 ibus devided equally by weight between first wort hop and ten minutes addition. This will be followed by a 1.25 g/l dry hop. 1.043 og. This should result in about 4% abv.

 

[Miraculix]

Man.... Usually I go into the room in the basement with the fermenter and I am surrounded by fermenter smell. No matey which yeast or recipe. Fruity hoppy goodness in the air, you know what I mean. Now the fermentation is going strong but there's just nothing in the air. The air lock is bubbling strong, but nothing.

 

[ClaudiusB]

Man.... Usually I go into the room in the basement with the fermenter and I am surrounded by fermenter smell. No matey which yeast or recipe. Fruity hoppy goodness in the air, you know what I mean. Now the fermentation is going strong but there's just nothing in the air. The air lock is bubbling strong, but nothing.

I think it's time to stop hiding your creations and get those pics displayed.

 

[Miraculix]

I think it's time to stop hiding your creations and get those pics displayed.

Sure!

Can you smell it!?

No?!

It worked! There's no smell!

.... Ok, to be honest, there's now a little bit of yeastiness in the air. But way less than usual. Bubbling also slowed down, we're now in day two or three of the active fermentation, so it's probably mainly done by now.

 

[Miraculix]

The 1469 Yorkshire bitter is in the making. I am experimenting with oxygen reduction on the hot side. I've dosed my liquor with 200ppm SMB. The mash smelled significantly less and also a bit different than usual. Starting the boil, the foam was much lighter coloured and I've never had such a strong hot break.

Not sure if the picture really captures it, but I've never seen such big flakes during the boil without any other additive that aids flocculation.

View attachment 878229

I have bottled that one today. I forgot the dry hop during the week and now it was too late, so I just bottle it without it. FG is 1.07 which gives it about 4.7 % abv and an attenuation of about 81 %. Much higher than anticipated but I take what I get. Maybe the sugar was too much.

I can smell some sulfur on it, maybe the SMB was a bit overdosed. Th green beer tastes not nice, lots of yeast bite plus the sulfur.... nope. Let's wait one two three weeks to see were it will end up.

 

[Colindo]

FG is 1.07 which gives it about 4.7 % abv and an attenuation of about 81 %.

I ususally get 78% from this yeast without using sugar. The attenuation data from Wyeast is extremely unreliable.

 

[Miraculix]

I ususally get 78% from this yeast without using sugar. The attenuation data from Wyeast is extremely unreliable.

That's really good to hear. I was already thinking infection. With the sugar and the one step 69c mash, the 1.07 sounds possible now.

How well did it clear for you? After one week, the beer was still quite cloudy. S04 is much clearer at that stage usually.

Time will tell. Some yeasts have this disgusting yeast bite. A bit vomity, if you know what I mean. This one is one of them.

Underneath, there was some pleasant grainyness that makes me hope for a nice result when everything is settled out

 

[Colindo]

Some yeasts have this disgusting yeast bite. A bit vomity, if you know what I mean. This one is one of them.

Yes, this one tastes not nice while yeast is still in suspension. I have however not experienced any cloudiness with this yeast. It is a strong flocculator like Fuller's and typically ends fermentation with a layer of barm on top of the beer while the liquid underneath is already clear. If yours is still cloudy, I would definitely make sure to keep it warm and help it however you can to finish the last bits of maltotriose. Once all food is gone, it will drop bright.

Can SMB slow down the yeast?

 

[Miraculix]

Yes, this one tastes not nice while yeast is still in suspension. I have however not experienced any cloudiness with this yeast. It is a strong flocculator like Fuller's and typically ends fermentation with a layer of barm on top of the beer while the liquid underneath is already clear. If yours is still cloudy, I would definitely make sure to keep it warm and help it however you can to finish the last bits of maltotriose. Once all food is gone, it will drop bright.

Can SMB slow down the yeast?

I don't know. It will lower multiplication rates, which will then possibly slow down fermentation a bit. But it was standing warm for eight days now and I've made a big starter. Shouldn't be an issue here.

Anyway, it's in the bottle now .