So I just brewed up a Stout and pitched a packet of nottingham yeast. Smelled the packet after I tossed the yeast into the wort and it smells like bandaids. Figured I got a bad packet and immediately tossed US-05 into wort as well. Think it will make it or am I going to end up with Throw Up Stout??
Nottingham woes
- Thread starter BenS
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SteveM
Well-Known Member
It's a bit late but there are at least three threads going about the issues with Nottingham.
Wait, the packet smelled like bandaids?!?!? Who smells their yeast packets? Is this something I should be doing?!?!?!
NTOLERANCE
Well-Known Member
I had a pack of nottingham not take. LAter I repitched with S-05. Fermentation took off, but the beer had an off flavor.
IT was either the few days of no yeast actitivty or the combination of nottingham and S-05.
IT was either the few days of no yeast actitivty or the combination of nottingham and S-05.
permo
Well-Known Member
I sent in a bad packet of nottingham from the recall and recieved four packets back from danstar. I pitched one into a starter and had activity in under an hour. So as long as you don't get notty from the recall batch it is the same old notty. Fast starting and near full attenuation.....just don't ferment over 70
Pitched notty for the first time in about a year or so yesterday at 2pm and at 10am this morning no activity.
I usually have some extra packs of something around at all times but not this time. So I drove 45min to a place I knew was open and had some yeast. Well I got back went down stairs to pitch and the airlock was clicking. Weird!
Guess what I am saying is it might just take time. Either way I think I am done with notty. And no It was not in the lot of the recall. I checked.
I usually have some extra packs of something around at all times but not this time. So I drove 45min to a place I knew was open and had some yeast. Well I got back went down stairs to pitch and the airlock was clicking. Weird!
Guess what I am saying is it might just take time. Either way I think I am done with notty. And no It was not in the lot of the recall. I checked.
chemman14
Well-Known Member
why did you use a starter with dry yeast? it actually hurts it rather than helps it
summersolstice
Well-Known Member
I just bottled an hour ago an all-grain IPA and I used a single pack of hydrated Nottingham. It took the IPA from 1.074 to 1.014 after a week in the primary and 2 weeks in the secondary.
I have never had a 24 hour lag time with any yeast before. It still is not going strong.
I can't think of any change in my process. The notty is the only thing that was different.
I have had good sucess with notty before but that was atleast a year ago.
I can't think of any change in my process. The notty is the only thing that was different.
I have had good sucess with notty before but that was atleast a year ago.
oldschool
Well-Known Member
I think the verdict is we should save ourselves the trouble and just buy safale.
+1
after watching other Nottingham threads, it's just not worthy of another batch for me.
The packet I pitched yesterday seemed pretty happy in the starter I put it in while I brewed up the wort. It made a huge fluffy krausen, anyway. I'll have to crack the bucket open to check on it tonight, but based on the smell, I think it's working pretty well.
Are you guys maybe getting really old packets? I got mine from AHS, and the expiration date was some time in 2011.
Are you guys maybe getting really old packets? I got mine from AHS, and the expiration date was some time in 2011.
Sounds
Well-Known Member
Same for me, I had a packet of 2011 exp date. I just rehydrated and it took off within a couple of hours. Took a 1.050 beer down to 1.012 in about a week...I'd say the new Nottingham is good stuff personally...
The stout fermented. Sniffed the airlock(yes, I'm one of those) a couple times over the few days it was going strong and it smells fine. Normal yeasty, beery, smellyness. Haven't tasted it yet but I think it will be fine. I just wonder if I'll even be able to pick up any difference in taste from combining nottingham and US-05. Probably not in a stout.
Mattbastard
Well-Known Member
I made a Mild with Notty. It didn't take off for 48 hours (one pack), so I repitched another pack of Notty. FAIK, they were both bad packs. I didn't find out about the recall until it was all fermented.
I do know that it had a burnt hair taste, but it didn't show up until about a month after I bottled. I was drinking them starting a week after bottling, so I know the taste developed somehow. Either way, I'm sticking to Windsor, or US-05.
I do know that it had a burnt hair taste, but it didn't show up until about a month after I bottled. I was drinking them starting a week after bottling, so I know the taste developed somehow. Either way, I'm sticking to Windsor, or US-05.
ekranzusch
Well-Known Member
I think I suffered from a bad Notty this summer in one of my brews ( I think around July/August-ish). I didn't change anything in my procedure, then a few weeks later I saw some threads on Notty recalls.
I said to myself - huh, I should check my gravity here. Now that I think about it, this one did start out kinda slow. I took a reading and it had stalled out at about 1.030, still around 18 points to get expected attenuation.
Then I threw a pack of S-04 in (for emergencies), over the next couple of weeks it got down to 1.015ish which I figured was close enough so I said screw it and kegged it.
Honestly, I think you should be fine. Even if you had a bad packet of Notty the S-05 double pitch would overpower it. They are similar enough yeasts that I doubt you will have any problems in the combination of them, if both strains were healthy.
The batch had a weird kind of burnt rubbery taste to it as well and I've never smelled the packet before, not sure if you can tell a yeast's health by doing that or not... I go by my hydrometer. =)
I said to myself - huh, I should check my gravity here. Now that I think about it, this one did start out kinda slow. I took a reading and it had stalled out at about 1.030, still around 18 points to get expected attenuation.
Then I threw a pack of S-04 in (for emergencies), over the next couple of weeks it got down to 1.015ish which I figured was close enough so I said screw it and kegged it.
Honestly, I think you should be fine. Even if you had a bad packet of Notty the S-05 double pitch would overpower it. They are similar enough yeasts that I doubt you will have any problems in the combination of them, if both strains were healthy.
The batch had a weird kind of burnt rubbery taste to it as well and I've never smelled the packet before, not sure if you can tell a yeast's health by doing that or not... I go by my hydrometer. =)
Mattbastard
Well-Known Member
YES, only I thought it was more like hair than rubber. It's good to know it wasn't the Brown Malt I used 1/2 a pound of. It brought on a nice character to the mild. Mine finished all they way down, but I only started at 1.038.
