Nottingham Yeast

[greenbirds]

Add me to the list. This Nottingham is not the same as the old Notty I know and love. It would consistently start in <8 hours whether I pitched it onto wort (SG <1.050) or rehydrated. Now it takes upwards of 36 hours, even with proper rehydration.

The flavor profile is not drastically different that I can tell -- there may be some changes, but I have not experimented enough with this "new" Nottingham to pass judgment. And attenuation seems to be ok as well. But these long lag times concern me. Not to mention a good portion of the dry yeast never makes it out of the new-style sachet; static cling I assume.

 

[Budzu]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f13/yeast-washing-illustrated-41768/

Relevant like never before. I'm going hardcore wlp001! Its the bomb. Be really clean and there's no reason not to get 6-7 generations out of this.

 

[shek]

Too hot before it hits the wort? I keep my dry yeast at room temperature for weeks before I use it. Wrong?

Anyway, I repitched another packet of Nottingham after 48 hours of no signs of fermentation on the first packet. 24 hours later my airlock is steadily bubbling.

I can't really chalk this one up to bad yeast since I may have pitched at too high of a temperature.

I meant that it might have gotten too hot somewhere during the shipping/handling, not sure, but I'd gess boxes of these packets are shipped around in cooled trucks? Maybe one of the trucks had the fridge go bad, a closed trailer in the hot summer sun would probably get pretty warm.

 

[mr_clean]

there is no reason not to make a starter with Dry yeast..

Not true.I disagree.

 

[shek]

Not true.I disagree.

I think we've already gone over this. A packet of dry-yeast is a lot more cells, AFAIK, so unless you are making a starter to proof it, you don't really need a starter. Plus, I thought that the yeast makers stated that the dry yeasts were packaged with a certain amount of food and other goodies to get started and is intended to be pitched directly into at least a one gallon batch.

 

[chefmike]

this thread has degraded into mindless ramblings...

MODS!!! Please move thread to drunken/ mindless ramblings!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

/quit due to lack of logical thought process

 

[bob1852]

Update - the Notty I pitched (proofed, per the label) on Tuesday is going now - pretty slow, and a small krausen, but it's going...

 

[conpewter]

Well I have one pack of old Notty left, I think I'm going to need to use it in a starter to make enough to freeze off in the yeast bank.

 

[BNVince]

Damn this Nottingham. I repitched on EdWort's Porter after 48 hours of no activity. The airlock was going crazy after 24 hours. I checked on it today and back to no activity. I took a hydrometer reading and it was 1.020! The OG was 1.063 so this attentuation is terrible.

Regardless, I'm going to let it sit for another 10 days. Perhaps I've created a new style? The Sweet Porter?

 

[strick58]

I had this same problem but, with only one of two batches that I brewed on a Saturday. My Honey ale (first all grain batch for me) took right off. My Irish Red sat for 36 hours before I put a heating pad under it and raised the temp from 68 to 72 then it took off. As of today, both batches taste fine.



Strick58

 

[BNVince]

I had this same problem but, with only one of two batches that I brewed on a Saturday. My Honey ale (first all grain batch for me) took right off. My Irish Red sat for 36 hours before I put a heating pad under it and raised the temp from 68 to 72 then it took off. As of today, both batches taste fine.



Strick58

Hmmm...well it's an ambient temperature of 68 in my basement. Perhaps I'll move it upstairs where it's around 72.

 

[Oaky]

Hmmm...well it's an ambient temperature of 68 in my basement. Perhaps I'll move it upstairs where it's around 72.

Ya. my stuck fermentation seems to have been directly affected by heat. I literally created a sauna in my bathroom with a lil space heater. I think I was a healthy 85 and I did a bunch of beers this way in the winter/spring. Once ferment was going I turned the space heater off and you could see the quick difference in fermentation.. So heat is a critical factor as far as I have been able to see.
Your yeast will drive much of that too.

 

[BNVince]

Ya. my stuck fermentation seems to have been directly affected by heat. I literally created a sauna in my bathroom with a lil space heater. I think I was a healthy 85 and I did a bunch of beers this way in the winter/spring. Once ferment was going I turned the space heater off and you could see the quick difference in fermentation.. So heat is a critical factor as far as I have been able to see.
Your yeast will drive much of that too.

After further consideration, I decided to put my fermenter in the sink filled with some hot water to try and warm things up. We'll see if that does the trick.

The point is this is absurd behavior from yeast. To start fermenting so strong and then come to a dead stop with little to no environmental changes is frustrating. It's even more frustrating that I pitched some pacman yeast on an IPA the same day and the IPA has already fully fermented out (with incredible attenuation).

EDIT: Holy crap! After 5 minutes in the water she's bubbling away.

 

[springer]

How do you miss-handle dry yeast??

Too hot before it hits the wort? I keep my dry yeast at room temperature for weeks before I use it. Wrong?

Anyway, I repitched another packet of Nottingham after 48 hours of no signs of fermentation on the first packet. 24 hours later my airlock is steadily bubbling.

I can't really chalk this one up to bad yeast since I may have pitched at too high of a temperature.

Dry yeast is suppose to be stored at 46° or below. Now a few weeks isn't going to kill it all but there will be some degradation.If they were in a hot truck for a few days that would kill it fast . Danstar states 50% activity loss per year if stored at 71°. All my yaest are stored in the fridge until the night before my brew then it sits on the counter to warm up

 

[springer]

Ya. my stuck fermentation seems to have been directly affected by heat. I literally created a sauna in my bathroom with a lil space heater. I think I was a healthy 85 and I did a bunch of beers this way in the winter/spring. Once ferment was going I turned the space heater off and you could see the quick difference in fermentation.. So heat is a critical factor as far as I have been able to see.
Your yeast will drive much of that too.

If you are doing a saison or want some really banana beer with fusel alcohols . Way to warm for ales .

 

[pksmitty]

My fourth batch, an Irish Red using Nottingham (my first experience with it), is in the fermenter now. My previous batches all took off within 24-36 hours. Nothing about my process changed.

I saw no visible signs of fermentation for a full 72 hours, then I noticed very infrequent bubbles in the air lock. The fermenter is in a swamp cooler at about 65 degrees. Now, today, I finally see what I would consider to be a normal amount of bubbles in the air lock. The yeast was pitched Monday night, so a full 3 1/2 days to begin active fermentation.

I just hope I don't get any off-flavors from this yeast!

 

[Nemleu]

Besides sharing our bad experience using Nottingham, is there someone we can contact to take this to the next level? I don&#8217;t know how my beer is going to turn out, but most of you are very experienced. It would be a shame if our investment goes down the drain due to inferior ingredients.

 

[enderwig]

Besides sharing our bad experience using Nottingham, is there someone we can contact to take this to the next level? I don’t know how my beer is going to turn out, but most of you are very experienced. It would be a shame if our investment goes down the drain due to inferior ingredients.

Earlier in this thread the danstar rep posted and also the other thread mentioned at probrewer.com has had a response from the company.

 

[teach]

Made Orfy's Mild-Mannered Ale yesterday, and pitched Nottingham. Although I normally just pitch it dry, this time I rehydrated it for 15 minutes in 4 ounces of warm water that had 2 tsp. of yeast nutrient dissolved in it. The packet had been kept at room temperature for several days before rehydrating.

There was noticeable activity on the bubbler within 8 hours of pitching and vigorous fermentation within 12 hours. Temperature in the fermentation closet stays around 75-80F.

So that's just another anecdote, in case the guy from Danstar is still reading these.

Purchased Wednesday, August 12th from Austin Homebrew Supply
Lot: 1081140118V
Exp: 01-2011

-g-

 

[jlpred55]

Well my Blonde Ale finally reached its FG. Took 2 weeks exactly. I am going to let it sit for a few more days then cold crash. It is clear and tastes great actually, no more banana. It still have some floaters on the top that won't sink but that should be taken care of with some cool temps.

 

[springer]

There was noticeable activity on the bubbler within 8 hours of pitching and vigorous fermentation within 12 hours. Temperature in the fermentation closet stays around 75-80F.

So that's just another anecdote, in case the guy from Danstar is still reading these.

Purchased Wednesday, August 12th from Austin Homebrew Supply
Lot: 1081140118V
Exp: 01-2011

-g-

75-80° ? that way out of the ideal brewing range for Notty like 10° to high.57-70° is the ideal fermentation range . Dont forget the wort will 5-10° warmer than ambient

 

[chefchris]

Well my Blonde Ale finally reached its FG. Took 2 weeks exactly. I am going to let it sit for a few more days then cold crash. It is clear and tastes great actually, no more banana. It still have some floaters on the top that won't sink but that should be taken care of with some cool temps.

Yeah, this was the first time I had floaties from Nottingham. Hell, they were pratically glaciers. Cold crashing will drop them right out.

 

[MarsColonist]

I made some graff (4:1 apple cider to beer) this weekend (Friday 8/14), rehydrated Danstar Notty with sterile water, added 14g Go Ferm to 11g satchet, pitched in 68°F graff and set in the fermenter @ 64°F... 3 days later, nothing.. no bubbles of any sort. I pitched another 11g Danstar Notty satchet (directly without hydrating) into the 64°F carboy this morning. FWIW, Apple cider was organic pasteurized, no preservatives (no K sorbate)...dont want to have to use the Safale US-05

I dont recall the expiration date of the first sachet, but the second was 09/2010. oh, these were not stored cold, but they werent at AHS either..

 

[wildwest450]

75-80° ? that way out of the ideal brewing range for Notty like 10° to high.57-70° is the ideal fermentation range . Dont forget the wort will 5-10° warmer than ambient

+1, from reading these stories I see no reason why Notty would be working properly. Pitching other yeasts after not waiting long enough, high temps, and just generally abusing the poor stuff.

I'm ordering some this week to give it a try.

 

[jlpred55]

Yeah, this was the first time I had floaties from Nottingham. Hell, they were pratically glaciers. Cold crashing will drop them right out.

Me too, I though it was quite odd considering usually by now notty has settled completely and formed a nice compact cake. But it is ok since the beer tastes great now.

 

[teach]

57-70° is the ideal fermentation range.

Probably so, but I've made 11 batches of ale in the last year, and fermented them all at ambient temps of 75-80. Not all of them were with Nottingham, but I haven't made a bad beer yet. Oh, and I made two batches of Apfelwein with Montrachet, also at those same temps. Both turned out great.

I guess if you want to mail me a refrigerator with a temperature controller, I'll consider changing my methods, but if it ain't broke....

And yeah, Nottingham is an amazing yeast, usually. It takes a beating and ferments like a champ.

-g-

 

[Oaky]

If you are doing a saison or want some really banana beer with fusel alcohols . Way to warm for ales .

in retrospect - ya i keep reading i was way out of the zone for the yeast and for the style. But I'll you that was my best beer this year. It had no activity for almost three days until i turned it up and then it turned out great.

I had used Danstar Munich at the start and liquid WLP400 witt yeast.
So I've been reading all about the fusel and bananish flavors and got neither at that temperature. I also had quite a bit of citrus (about one whole large orange cooked in coriander, brown sugar and apple juice), so maybe citrus masked or affected flavor..

 

[Oaky]

After further consideration, I decided to put my fermenter in the sink filled with some hot water to try and warm things up. We'll see if that does the trick.

The point is this is absurd behavior from yeast. To start fermenting so strong and then come to a dead stop with little to no environmental changes is frustrating. It's even more frustrating that I pitched some pacman yeast on an IPA the same day and the IPA has already fully fermented out (with incredible attenuation).

EDIT: Holy crap! After 5 minutes in the water she's bubbling away.

glad to hear it :rockin:

if anything it seems to be good to get em kick started.

 

[bob1852]

Update - the Notty I pitched (proofed, per the label) on Tuesday is going now - pretty slow, and a small krausen, but it's going...

here's my update....

I had very little activity (smaller krausen than usual, very little bubbling), but the hydrometer doesn't lie.

1.048 to 1.011 in 3 days....

 

[bierhaus15]

I had very little activity (smaller krausen than usual, very little bubbling), but the hydrometer doesn't lie.

Yeah, my last batch with notty took a day to get going and developed a tiny krausen that stayed for around for about 24 hours. Though within 3 days it had achieved 80% attenuation.