I Love Nottingham Yeast

[Virginia_Ranger]

This yeast has a special place in my heart and I wanted to share my experiences with it. I have a "Flag Ship" beer (NEIPA) that I feel has only become this way because of the yeast. EVERY TIME I use it, I can count on it to get started within hours and finish within 3 days (I let it sit for a total of 5-7 days). At times when I have tried new things or another yeast and things didn't go as planned I know I can count on Nottingham to do its job. Does anyone else share this love / enthusiasm for this yeast?

Some notes on how I use it:

Ferment under pressure around 10-15 psi
Have fermented as low as 63 and as high as 71 with it
Always rehydrated it per DanStar instructions
Only been using it in IPAs so any fruity esters may have been welcomed or I couldn't differentiate that between the hops.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

I've tried it on ciders a few times and I find it to be extremely temperature sensitive, throwing off-flavors if it gets over about 70 degrees. Now the one I did with a 65 degree fermentation was fine, but one fermented at 68 ambient got to about 75 internally and threw off-flavors. I checked with a few other folks who had similar experiences and said it is best when ferm temp is controlled very closely .

 

[kh54s10]

I like Nottingham and have made very good beers with it. But, I don't really prefer it over other yeasts. I try to choose a yeast that will give the character that I am looking for.

I don't know how it would work in a NEIPA since I have never had one that I liked so I have not tried to brew one.

 

[Virginia_Ranger]

I've tried it on ciders a few times and I find it to be extremely temperature sensitive, throwing off-flavors if it gets over about 70 degrees. Now the one I did with a 65 degree fermentation was fine, but one fermented at 68 ambient got to about 75 internally and threw off-flavors. I checked with a few other folks who had similar experiences and said it is best when ferm temp is controlled very closely .

What were the off flavors? I am curious since I was thinking about doing a cider with it as well. I may have never tasted them because if they are fruity they made add to the NEIPA.

 

[Cavpilot2000]

What were the off flavors? I am curious since I was thinking about doing a cider with it as well. I may have never tasted them because if they are fruity they made add to the NEIPA.

Not fruity flavors. More like fusel alcohols. Probably masked in an NEIPA by loads of hops.
That said, it works great in ciders as long as you keep the internal must temp down under 70. But be advised, cider fermentations can throw quite a bit of heat. If you temp control by ambient air temp, I'd keep it no higher than 65F.

 

[thehaze]

I like Nottingham as well. It can ferment from from 58-59F to 73-74F. I have not smelled or tasted any unpleasent esters or fusel alcohols even at 74F. Seeing that Nottingham ( multistrain ) is something like 75% Lager and the rest is Ale yeast, it will be pretty clean, with or without lots of hops thrown into the beer. It's fast and its flocculation and sedimentation are better and faster than US-05, which needs more time and " aid " to drop bright. Of course, I might be lacking a certain sensitivity to esters and fusel alcohols, thus my experience with it would be skewed. With Nottingham, I would be more worry about the slight tartness it can leave in the beer, another issue people have raised with this yeast. I don't dislike it, moreover, I feel that it helps the flavour pop for certain beers.

 

[hottpeper13]

One of my go to yeasts! I make a 10 gal batch and split 5 gal with Notty and 5 gal with Wyeast 2565. The Kolsch takes 8-10 weeks G to G and the Notty can be served in 4-6. Both are fermented at 59* for 3 days raised to 64 for 3 days and then to 68 for the remainder of of a 3 week primary. Always keep it cool so I can't attest to the higher temp ferments.

 

[thehaze]

If anyone is interested, I've sent an email to Lallemand regarding some of their yeast and this is the reply I've received:

"
- BRY97 has a longer lag phase than some ale strains including Nottighan. 24 – 36 hours would be typical but can quicker depending on conditions. It is essential to ensure sufficient pitch rate for a fast start to fermentation.
- BRY97 is a neutral yeast in terms of flavor and aroma and so should not mask/”mute” any hop character
- Nottingham should not produce a tart/sour character typically, though all yeasts do of course lower pH during fermentation.
- Nottingham is a single strain yeast (s.Cerevisiae) and does not have more than one strain and no lager (s.Pastorianus). All Lallemand premium yeasts are single strain yeasts.
- Nottingham is high attenuating and neutral/lean on aroma and flavor and so is well suited to some IPA styles, such as west coast IPA. "

 

[Miraculix]

I like it a lot, but I have the feeling that it mutes hop flavor and aroma a bit, compared to us05, for example.

But otherwise great and always reliable.

 

[dmtaylor]

Notty gives solid, consistent results every time, always 77-78% attenuation for me regardless of mash schedule. Very forgiving yeast. I've used it dozens of times. Works best from about 58-68 F (14-20 C). If fermented on the colder end or even below, it might generate some peach esters... which actually might be real nice in a NEIPA. (US-05 does the same thing, by the way.) One thing to be aware of: alcohol tolerance of about 9.1% for me. If using it in a barleywine or strong ale, it's likely going to quit when ABV gets that high.

 

[Steveruch]

It's the only yeast I'll use in a British brown ale.

 

[Kharnynb]

It's my go-to ale yeast, I rarely use anything else unless making belgian or german styles.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I've heard of fermenting Nottingham at 52 degrees F. for a Pilsner like outcome. Someday I'm going to get brave enough to attempt this with my favorite Bohemian Lager recipe.

 

[dmtaylor]

It's the only yeast I'll use in a British brown ale.

While I'll agree that Notty is great, I just made a London Brown with the Danstar-Lallemand London ESB yeast that won me a gold.

 

[bracconiere]

i like nottingham, i usually repitch it for years....so we must get along!

 

[Steveruch]

While I'll agree that Notty is great, I just made a London Brown with the Danstar-Lallemand London ESB yeast that won me a gold.

I've got a six pack left of an ordinary bitter that I fermented with the ESB that I'm really happy with.

 

[Miraculix]

Not fruity flavors. More like fusel alcohols. Probably masked in an NEIPA by loads of hops.
That said, it works great in ciders as long as you keep the internal must temp down under 70. But be advised, cider fermentations can throw quite a bit of heat. If you temp control by ambient air temp, I'd keep it no higher than 65F.

I actually also have those fusels in my last pale ale, fermented with Nottingham. Not a dumper, but a bit unpleasant. It became perceptible once the hop aroma slowly was gone. Won't use this yeast again, there are better alternatives.

I fermented at about 16c, so it's not a temperature issue.

 

[seatazzz]

Notty is the only ale yeast I use; always starts strong & fast, finishes clean, and never any off flavors for anything 4 generations and under. I've gone six generations with one batch, the last beer was a blonde that got a bit fruity so I let that yeast go. But I can always count on at least 4 if I'm careful.

 

[bracconiere]

actually also have those fusels in my last pale ale

and these are the tips i wanted in my ester thread! i'm dumping leucine powder into my beer just to get more fusels! lol, it feels like it has more body that way, can't speak to flavor....

 

[shoreman]

It's a good yeast but I've moved on to West Coast IPA by Wyeast. It does it all and more and can ferment a bit warmer if need be.

 

[derekp83]

Its product description on Adventures in Homebrewing:

"Best Styles : American Amber Ale, American Barleywine, American Brown Ale, American IPA, American Pale Ale, American Stout, American Wheat, Baltic Porter, Belgian Strong, Belgian Golden Strong, Belgian Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Brown Porter, California Common, Classic American Pilsner, Cream Ale, Dark American Lager, Doppelbock, Dortmunder Export, Dry Stout, Düsseldorf Altbier, Eisbock, English Barleywine, English Brown Ale, English IPA, Extra Special Bitter, Foreign Extra Stout, German Pilsner, Imperial IPA, Irish Red Ale, Kolsch, Maibock, Helles Bock, Mild, Munich Dunkel, Munich Helles, Oatmeal Stout, Oktoberfest, Marzen, Old Ale, Ordinary Bitter, Robust Porter, Roggen Rye, Russian Imperial Stout, Schwarzbier, Scottish Ale, Session IPA, Special Bitter, Strong Scotch, Sweet Stout, Traditional Bock, Vienna Lager, Weizenbock, Witbier"...

talk about covering all the bases, lol. I might try this one for a porter.

 

[Miraculix]

Its product description on Adventures in Homebrewing:

"Best Styles : American Amber Ale, American Barleywine, American Brown Ale, American IPA, American Pale Ale, American Stout, American Wheat, Baltic Porter, Belgian Strong, Belgian Golden Strong, Belgian Pale Ale, Blonde Ale, Bohemian Pilsner, Brown Porter, California Common, Classic American Pilsner, Cream Ale, Dark American Lager, Doppelbock, Dortmunder Export, Dry Stout, Düsseldorf Altbier, Eisbock, English Barleywine, English Brown Ale, English IPA, Extra Special Bitter, Foreign Extra Stout, German Pilsner, Imperial IPA, Irish Red Ale, Kolsch, Maibock, Helles Bock, Mild, Munich Dunkel, Munich Helles, Oatmeal Stout, Oktoberfest, Marzen, Old Ale, Ordinary Bitter, Robust Porter, Roggen Rye, Russian Imperial Stout, Schwarzbier, Scottish Ale, Session IPA, Special Bitter, Strong Scotch, Sweet Stout, Traditional Bock, Vienna Lager, Weizenbock, Witbier"...

talk about covering all the bases, lol. I might try this one for a porter.

That's actually what I would use it for. Dryer, non-hoppy and dark.

 

[Kharnynb]

I use it for my porters all the time.

 

[Miraculix]

It should also work well in an Irish red!

 

[dmtaylor]

It's good in any style. Think of it as a slightly less attenuating alternative to US-05 which is also good in almost any style. On average out of dozens of batches, I get consistent 77% attenuation with Notty, and consistent 83% attenuation with US-05.

 

[Amadeo38]

It's good in any style. Think of it as a slightly less attenuating alternative to US-05 which is also good in almost any style. On average out of dozens of batches, I get consistent 77% attenuation with Notty, and consistent 83% attenuation with US-05.

This thread got me excited to brew a Dark Mild (Orfy’s recipe) with this yeast. Not sure what went wrong, but can’t say I’m impressed with it. The expiration date on the package wasn’t for 2 more years, and I rehydrated exactly as others say to do. Mashed at my usual 152 and used typical grains with good DP. OG was only 1.039 and this yeast only brought it down to 1.015. Tastes wonderful, so I’m not disappointed in that regard, but geez, couldn’t get that small of a beer down to at least 1.010?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

I've heard of fermenting Nottingham at 52 degrees F. for a Pilsner like outcome. Someday I'm going to get brave enough to attempt this with my favorite Bohemian Lager recipe.

Now that @dmtaylor has confirmed consistently getting 77% attenuation from Nottingham, I'm even more excited about giving this a try. 77% attenuation seems about ideal for Bohemian Lager, and the latest Nottingham Technical Sheet indicates that it will ferment at as low as 50 degrees F.

 

[dmtaylor]

This thread got me excited to brew a Dark Mild (Orfy’s recipe) with this yeast. Not sure what went wrong, but can’t say I’m impressed with it. The expiration date on the package wasn’t for 2 more years, and I rehydrated exactly as others say to do. Mashed at my usual 152 and used typical grains with good DP. OG was only 1.039 and this yeast only brought it down to 1.015. Tastes wonderful, so I’m not disappointed in that regard, but geez, couldn’t get that small of a beer down to at least 1.010?

That is not a typical result. Hmm... could be a lot of reasons. Don't tell me you used a refractometer to measure final gravity....

 

[dmtaylor]

Now that @dmtaylor has confirmed consistently getting 77% attenuation from Nottingham, I'm even more excited about giving this a try. 77% attenuation seems about ideal for Bohemian Lager, and the latest Nottingham Technical Sheet indicates that it will ferment at as low as 50 degrees F.

Do it.

 

[Miraculix]

It's good in any style. Think of it as a slightly less attenuating alternative to US-05 which is also good in almost any style. On average out of dozens of batches, I get consistent 77% attenuation with Notty, and consistent 83% attenuation with US-05.

Interesting! For me it was always the opposite, Nottingham always a bit higher fg than us05, no matter how I mashed.

This thread got me excited to brew a Dark Mild (Orfy’s recipe) with this yeast. Not sure what went wrong, but can’t say I’m impressed with it. The expiration date on the package wasn’t for 2 more years, and I rehydrated exactly as others say to do. Mashed at my usual 152 and used typical grains with good DP. OG was only 1.039 and this yeast only brought it down to 1.015. Tastes wonderful, so I’m not disappointed in that regard, but geez, couldn’t get that small of a beer down to at least 1.010?

Traditionally, dark milds require low attenuating yeasts, so something like Windsor or comparable English yeasts would be more suitable than Nottingham.

Also, an Abv between 2.3 and 3% seems to be the norm, so your og was actually a bit high.

Anyhow, the lower attenuation came to your rescue.

 

[Broothru]

I really like Notty a lot, and have used it almost exclusively for the past 10 batches (except a lager that took Best of Show recently). Two other Blue and One White ribbons out of 6 entries. If you act quickly you can get some WLP 039 (liquid Notty) while the Vault is open. The Danstar dry yeast is great, though, and I can harvest and repitch at least 4 generations with no 'drift'.

Brooo Brother

 

[MaxStout]

As a die-hard bottling neanderthal, I like the fact that Notty flocs well. That little slug of yeast stays tight on the bottom of the bottle.

 

[bracconiere]

As a die-hard bottling neanderthal, I like the fact that Notty flocs well. That little slug of yeast stays tight on the bottom of the bottle.

i'd use baker's instead of it, if it wasn't for that....

 

[Amadeo38]

Interesting! For me it was always the opposite, Nottingham always a bit higher fg than us05, no matter how I mashed.

Traditionally, dark milds require low attenuating yeasts, so something like Windsor or comparable English yeasts would be more suitable than Nottingham.

Also, an Abv between 2.3 and 3% seems to be the norm, so your og was actually a bit high.

Anyhow, the lower attenuation came to your rescue.

Yeah, I’m actually okay with the fact that it finished a little higher in this particular beer, as it helped give it some more body. It just causes me hesitation when considering using it in a higher ABV beer, which at that attenuation I achieved, would leave the beer much too sweet. I used Nottingham as it was the yeast listed in the recipe by @Orfy and it seemed to get great reviews (and I agree!).

Per BJCP, 3.0% is the lowest ABV for a dark mild to traditional style, so I’m right in that range.

@dmtaylor nope - definitely only use a well-calibrated hydrometer after fermentation.

 

[wepeeler]

I used it in a Mocktoberfest, and it turned out ok. Dropped crystal clear after only a few weeks. My only issue with it is that I fermented a bit warm, and the aroma was damp basement. Going to have to try to ferment with it in the low 60s, and see if that changes. The Mocktoberfest tasted great regardless of the aroma. The damp basement smell never went away completely.

 

[Miraculix]

Yeah, I’m actually okay with the fact that it finished a little higher in this particular beer, as it helped give it some more body. It just causes me hesitation when considering using it in a higher ABV beer, which at that attenuation I achieved, would leave the beer much too sweet. I used Nottingham as it was the yeast listed in the recipe by @Orfy and it seemed to get great reviews (and I agree!).

Per BJCP, 3.0% is the lowest ABV for a dark mild to traditional style, so I’m right in that range.

@dmtaylor nope - definitely only use a well-calibrated hydrometer after fermentation.

Forget about BJCP. Dark mild is a British style, not American. Go ask the Brits about it, not the Americans! It was a far more famous style back in the days but it is to this day still brewed in parts of the UK, I suggest looking up some classic Recipes on Ron Pattinsons blog or some of todays recipes. Although I have seen some newer modern "interpretations" of it, with a higher abv, getting close to 5%, which is not what the oldschool dark mald was about.... depending on how far one would want to look back.

 

[Qhrumphf]

Forget about BJCP. Dark mild is a British style, not American. Go ask the Brits about it, not the Americans! It was a far more famous style back in the days but it is to this day still brewed in parts of the UK, I suggest looking up some classic Recipes on Ron Pattinsons blog or some of todays recipes. Although I have seen some newer modern "interpretations" of it, with a higher abv, getting close to 5%, which is not what the oldschool dark mald was about.... depending on how far one would want to look back.

Arguably the lower ABV Mild is the modern one, and stronger is the olden version (and Pattinson definitely shows this...). As for everything else in British brewing when the gravities dropped with the World Wars. Some truly historic Milds could be Barleywine strength.

I also would be using invert to keep it dry. If using a higher attenuator I'd be using less sugar.

To that end Notty would do just fine in a Mild in my opinion.

 

[Hanglow]

It's a yeast I frequently go back to, although I use the Gervin version as I'm cheap it's half the price. I used to rehydrate it but cannot tell the difference between that and just pitching it straight in. Bigger beers get two packets

Plenty of british micro breweries use it, often co-pitched with windsor for more esters but good attenuation.

If you like Traquair House Ale that is made with nottingham.

 

[hottpeper13]

Got a dark mild on day 2 at 59*, on day 3, I'll raise to 64* to finish. Mashed at 154* 1.038 OG, should finish ~1.012-14

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Got a dark mild on day 2 at 59*, on day 3, I'll raise to 64* to finish. Mashed at 154* 1.038 OG, should finish ~1.012-14

With Nottingham it should finish at closer to 1.00874 SG.

38 * (1 - 0.77) = 8.74
(for the case of 77% attenuation)