Nottingham Yeast

Williams 728
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look at my other post in the yeast and fermentation threads... Now that I think about it... Nottingham.... WOW. the thing is, mine took 8 days to start active fermentation!!! Now I did buy a packet that I havent used yet... because when I went to dump it in today I noticed the old, wich we thought was dead yeast had actually started up (8 days later). This new batch of dry Nottingham yeast seemed better in the starter (4oz of water over 15 minutes) but it was also sold to me cold out of a refrigerator wich might help things out a bit.
 
Pitched Notty in a special red batch a couple mornings ago (14th), It took right off and started that day, had blowoff the second day. OG was 1.062. Prior to pitching I left the carboy in the cellar to finish cooling for the night and had the notty packet sitting right next to it, so both were the same temp., appx. 74F. It's still going strong. We'll see what it attenuates to. I just purchased it from Northernbrewer last week.

Edit on 8-30 for attenuation: Special red ended up at 1.012 after 7 days(21st), secondaried and dry hopped for another 4 days and kegged on 28th, cleared up fine, no complaints.
 
The notty I pitched into my Irish Red on 8/10, took a full 3 days to start active fermentation. Still active today. Out of curiosity (and to taste test), took a sample last night. OG was 1.068, last night 1.026. No off flavors noticable, just way too hoppy for the style. I think that will settle down with aging.

I guess I'll leave it in the fermentor another week or two, and see what I end up with. Only problem is, now I need to get another fermentor if I want to get another batch going, maybe a secondary for a brite tank. Hmmm, propane burner, larger brew kettle, build an IC........

Darn that Notty!!! :D
 
teach said:
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.... :p

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

-g-
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never said it wouldn't be good. I liked all my beers when I started even though I never did any type of temp control. Now I love my beers because I keep them at the correct temps for the style and the yeast.


No need for a fridge with temp control .. Swamp bucket with 1 liter bottles of ice works cost maybe 10$ This is the way all my beers are done except Lagers


octoberfast_blowoff.JPG


try it
 
springer said:
never said it wouldn't be good. I liked all my beers when I started even though I never did any type of temp control. Now I love my beers because I keep them at the correct temps for the style and the yeast.
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+1, there's a huge difference between good/drinkable beers, and super yummy ones. Temp control will go a long ways in achieving yummy.:mug:
 
so I'm worried, but still just relaxing. i pitched on sun and now wed no activity. took a reading and it looks like my gravity actually increased (on sun it was 1.047 and today it looks like .050. i am waiting after reading this thread but, should if nothing happens i pitch the other pack of notty or wine yeast to get it done( i have no local home brew shop to pick up more yeast)
 
I think this thread has confirmed to me that this lot of Nottingham has some issues. I was searching google about long lag times with Nottingham, checked this post, and lo and behold I have the exact same lot and expiration date. I've used Nottingham for years and never had an issue, with fermentation starting within 6-8 hours. This time I'm over 12 hours with no activity, which is not normal for Nottingham. Another thing I noticed, which is also a first for me, is that when I spread the yeast on the top of my wort in the brewing vessel to let is re-hydrate - by the time I checked it in 10 minutes , it had dropped into solution on it's own. Every other time I've used nottingham, it creates a frothy mass on the top of the worst which I'd agitate to get it to mix in before sealing up with the airlock.

My opinion is that this batch of Nottingham is not re-hydrating properly, thus the long lag times, but I'm sure once it gets going everyting should be fine.


Budzu said:
My nottingham is from lot # 1081140118V, expires 1/2011.

I pitched a 1.054 wort @ 64 with it rehydrated and there is no visible activity right now, 48 hours later. There is finally some pressure building this evening however.

Pitched a starter of wlp 001 this morning into a 1.052 wort at 63F, and its already starting its krausen.

Weird, it used to be the other way around and notty would take off before 001.

Edit for specifics requested: yeast was kept refrigerated, placed at room temperature for 1 hour, rehydrated for 20 minutes in 1 cup 85F water, then pitched into a 1.054 wort at 64F. I now have significant krausen activity exactly 3 days from pitching this batch. This technique previously showed krausen activity within 12 hours, and usually raised the wort temperature several degrees.
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Notnice said:
so I'm worried, but still just relaxing. i pitched on sun and now wed no activity. took a reading and it looks like my gravity actually increased (on sun it was 1.047 and today it looks like .050. i am waiting after reading this thread but, should if nothing happens i pitch the other pack of notty or wine yeast to get it done( i have no local home brew shop to pick up more yeast)
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Your increase in gravity is most likely due to a change in temperature. John Palmer has a correction table in the How to Brew Website. It does not take much of a temperature change to result in a SG increase of 0.003.

How to Brew - By John Palmer - Appendix A - Using Hydrometers

It is unfortunate you do not have a store nearby. My personal opinion would be to pitch a packet of yeast from a different LOT # of Nottingham or to pitch a packet of Safale US-05, since the latter is obviously not an option for you, you probably should first try to use the Nottingham. If it is the same Lot # and expiration date as the first packet your results will likely be the same if you just pitch whether you rehydrate properly or just sprinkle it in. You can try this method though… In my experience it did not help.

I might be blasted about this and since you already have an undesired lag, it is even less desired to wait longer but I would try and make a starter with that packet of notty if it is of the same Lot # and exp date and especially if it was ordered/purchased at the same time. If that does not pan out and no other options are available then pitch the wine yeast… I have no experience with wine yeast though.

You could have yeast shipped to you = more wait and undesirable but you would have a greater chance of having yeast that will stay in style and get the job done.

In the end if the Notty is even slightly active, as long as your sanitation and conditions are good, it should eventually take off, it may take a little more time to clean up and even may need a cold crash to get the yeast to settle in the end, but it should still turn out to be a good beer.
 
Hey folks...I'll be honest upfront and say that I don't have the time to read all 13 pages right now (but I'm trying). I too brewed on Sunday and used Notty as the yeast. As with previous batches I did not rehydrate and just dumped the yeast in. As others in the first few pages have expereinced I had very little if any activity in the first 24hrs (very unusual in my experience with this yeast). As of yesterday I had airlock activity but very little krausening (is that a word?). It's sitting at about 65ºF and I can see the little guys having a party in there, it's just more like my grandma's party and not a rager.

Anywho, just thought I'd jump on the bandwagon of folks having an odd experience with the yeast.
 
pdiggity said:
Another thing I noticed, which is also a first for me, is that when I spread the yeast on the top of my wort in the brewing vessel to let is re-hydrate - by the time I checked it in 10 minutes , it had dropped into solution on it's own.
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I noticed this too... got mine started by letting it free rise overnight.. got to 78°F o_O threw it back in the lagerator and cooled it back to 64°F... warm fermenting apple juice smells awful...LOL
 
Thanks J I had allready adjusted for temp. I'm going to go home and just pitch the notty,if its hasn't kicked off. If worse comes ill just pitch the wine yeast and let it age indeffinatly
 
I’m almost embarrassed to write this, but since I have several posts on this subject I’ll continue. My SG was 1.060, and as I’ve written, my Nottingham started very slow. My Satellite Fermentation Bottle reached 1.012 in seven days. I opened my brew bucket, and the Krausen wasn’t stellar but I did have about 1/8” Krausen around the inside of the bucket. I transferred to my secondary Carboy. As an afterthought I decided to start another Satellite bottle. Naturally I took it off the bottom of the bucket. (May have been a bad idea) The gravity had increased to 1.020! Four more days have gone by, and it is still at 1.020. I don’t know what the hell is going on in the Carboy… I’m afraid it’s ruined…
 
Nemleu said:
I’m almost embarrassed to write this, but since I have several posts on this subject I’ll continue. My SG was 1.060, and as I’ve written, my Nottingham started very slow. My Satellite Fermentation Bottle reached 1.012 in seven days. I opened my brew bucket, and the Krausen wasn’t stellar but I did have about 1/8” Krausen around the inside of the bucket. I transferred to my secondary Carboy. As an afterthought I decided to start another Satellite bottle. Naturally I took it off the bottom of the bucket. (May have been a bad idea) The gravity had increased to 1.020! Four more days have gone by, and it is still at 1.020. I don’t know what the hell is going on in the Carboy… I’m afraid it’s ruined…
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Try warming it up a bit (depending on what temps your at). The notty I pitched took almost 72 hours to get going and after ten days I've gone from 1.041 to 1.011 ferm'in' in the upper 60's/almost-70. Acitivity in the airlock had almost ceased so I let the temp rise into the low 70's (ale pale in a water bath) and the activity has picked up a bit, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get down to 1.005 after two whole weeks of ferm'in'
 
shek said:
Try warming it up a bit (depending on what temps your at). The notty I pitched took almost 72 hours to get going and after ten days I've gone from 1.041 to 1.011 ferm'in' in the upper 60's/almost-70. Acitivity in the airlock had almost ceased so I let the temp rise into the low 70's (ale pale in a water bath) and the activity has picked up a bit, so I'm hoping I'll be able to get down to 1.005 after two whole weeks of ferm'in'
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice, but I should have mentioned that it’s been consistently at 72 F.
 
pdiggity said:
I think this thread has confirmed to me that this lot of Nottingham has some issues. I was searching google about long lag times with Nottingham, checked this post, and lo and behold I have the exact same lot and expiration date. I've used Nottingham for years and never had an issue, with fermentation starting within 6-8 hours. This time I'm over 12 hours with no activity, which is not normal for Nottingham. Another thing I noticed, which is also a first for me, is that when I spread the yeast on the top of my wort in the brewing vessel to let is re-hydrate - by the time I checked it in 10 minutes , it had dropped into solution on it's own. Every other time I've used nottingham, it creates a frothy mass on the top of the worst which I'd agitate to get it to mix in before sealing up with the airlock.

My opinion is that this batch of Nottingham is not re-hydrating properly, thus the long lag times, but I'm sure once it gets going everyting should be fine.
Click to expand...

I agree and noticed the same thing. When I rehydrated it, it didn't look normal.
 
so it took a couple days to kick off after the repitch. its moving slow abut atleast i didn't have to waist 5g's of Wort
 
Should've checked this before ... I just pitched a packet of the infamous 1081140118V into an Ordinary Bitter this afternoon. Funny thing is, it was the second packet--the first smelled and looked funky after rehydrating (no froth, smelled musty, not like happy yeast), so I dumped it and rehydrated another. The second was the same, and I had no other yeast to pitch, so in it went.

This also explains my last batch--same yeast, same purchase, so probably same lot--which was inactive for two days, and didn't start until I tossed in a packet of Windsor I had in the freezer. I kegged it today, and it was super cloudy and fruity, like a weizen--nothing like the light ale I intended. F.G. was 1.012, which is a little high for the recipe (it was a lower-alc (1.035) base experiment, using only light malt syrup and hops), and I'm not sure it'll end up drinkable when all is said and done. I had no idea what had gone wrong until reading this thread.

This is very disappointing ... I've had great luck with Notty for years, but if I end up losing two batches in a row, I'm done with Danstar. Any other dry yeast recommendations?
 
I had a really long lag with a pack of notty over two weeks ago (Austria, 1081140118V, exp 01-2011), and I just pitched another pack that happened to have the same batch #, from the same LHBS. When I rehydrated this pack not much happened, but I threw it in anyways. Today I went to a different LHBS and bought a pack of notty (Denmark, 1080360008V, 08-2010), and it looked really healthy when I rehydated, lots of foam almost like a muffin top, I pitched this into the batch that I had pitched a day ago (I know many will probably recommend that I had waited 72 hours before repitching, but I think I might also be fighting a bug so I want to try to get this thing going). I've also got a pack of US-05 in the fridge in case this thing isn't going by the end of the week, since I'm going on vacation next week.
 
Well I guess I am qualified to now give my full opinion on my Notty experience. My blonde ale starting was non existent as I stated before and I repitched. Hydro tasted like a Hefe a couple times. Had giant yeast glaciers that needed extended cold conditining to drop. Took 20 some days to ferement out in the low 60 deg range. Bottled it a little over a week ago. The beer is clear and carbonated nicely BUT it tastes and smells like a weak Hefeweizen, Pretty fruity estery mess if you ask me. Not at all like it should taste. This batch of yeast sucks donkey balls. I will never use Notty again. I will use the 1007 for the Blonde or US-05 but never this. I always had good luck until this time. Good thing my wife likes it, because I don't.
 
Just got 2 packs of Austria, 1081140118V, exp 01-2011 from AHBS that I was intending to use on the Bee Cave Robust Porter and Haus Pale Ale......

Im thinking I don't want to risk it and will do US-05 for both, since I have never been dissapointed with this yeast. Although it is probably not ideal for the porter, I think it will work fine.
 
I'll chime in with my Notty report. Brewed a batch of Hobgoblin clone, had activity in about 24 hours. The Kraussen lasted about 2 days then slowly disappeared. I probably had activity for about 4 days max. After a week I took a gravity reading. 1.030!! I started at 1.052. Luckily I have some Safale-05 lying around. I dumped a pack in and almost immediately noticed activity. A second kraussen never formed but there seemed to be steady activity. I will take another reading in a couple days.

I was fermenting at a steady 65. I raised the temp to 68.
 
I pitched 2 packets last night in a 10g batch of 1.043 beer and its going like crazy this morning about 12 hours from pitch.

Product of Denmark
Lot 108360088V
EXP 08-2010
 
The light ale I kegged last week is not looking good. I ran a couple pints out and it's super cloudy, fruity, and flat--it hardly carbed up at all.

The next batch, the one I pitched the Notty into just before I read the thread, measured 1.011 today, but it was less cloudy and fruity than the first. This may be because I added a packet of Notty (from a DIFFERENT lot) the next day, and it took off within hours.

Seems like a bad lot of yeast to me, and now I'm out at least five, and maybe ten, gallons I can ill afford to lose. I see a lot of Safale in my future.
 
lightweight said:
After a week I took a gravity reading. 1.030!! I started at 1.052. Luckily I have some Safale-05 lying around. I dumped a pack in and almost immediately noticed activity. A second kraussen never formed but there seemed to be steady activity. I will take another reading in a couple days.
Click to expand...

Update: Ok, 4 days later I took another gravity reading and it is still at 1.030. It's safe to say that it is not the yeast's fault. I am thinking maybe my thermometer is innacurate. This batch called for a mash at 156 degrees. Maybe I was higher and created too much unfermentable sugars?
 
I pitched rehydrated Notty into my Robust Porter last week (from the dreaded Austrian lot). I gave it 72 hours fermenting at 65-66F with no airlock activity before cracking the bucket open to take a reading. OG was 1.061, and after 72 hours SG was around 1.056. So, the yeast was alive, but off to a very slow start. I didn't want to take a chance with this batch, so I pitched a rehydrated packet of S-04 last night, and this morning it is bubbling vigorously. Not sure I want to use those 5 remaining packets of Notty I have in the fridge!
 
Mine's been doing fine. Turned out a great dark mild with it the other day; finished at 1.014 from 1.038 and definitely the cleanest of the yeasts I tried. Don't have the packet around for the production information though.
 
We have done some internal quality checks that have shown that a higher than normal percentage of Nottingham yeast in 11 gram sachet packs from batch #1081140118V (expiration date of Jan. 2011) exhibit slow fermentation characteristics. While this is not affecting the majority of packages from this batch, as a safeguard we would like to replace sachets of this batch of Nottingham with new inventory from a different batch. If you have any Nottingham yeast with this batch number, please return it by mail to:

Lallemand Inc.
Attn: Marie Coppet
6100 Royalmount
Montreal, QC, Canada
H4P 2R2

We will replace each sachet sent along with extra sachets to compensate you for postage costs. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your support. Should you have any questions, please contact our Montreal order desk by e-mail at [email protected] .

Keith Lemcke
Danstar Yeast Sales
 
I'm very glad to see that post by the Danstar guy. I love notty and I was afraid they'd switched strains or something.
 
I just looked at my 6 packets of Notty that I recently purchased from midwest brewing supply, and there are all indeed from this batch. Too bad I live outside the country or I would take them up on their fine offer. as Keith mentioned, apparently not all of the batch was affected, as I just brewed with this a few days ago, and it cranked up just fine.
 
Now that's fantastic customer service!!!!!!

The power of the Internet AND the HBT Community coming together and assisting in tracking down a product issue. This could have gone on for a long time and soured many people on Nottingham yeast.

Thanks Keith for following through on this and taking care of us Nottingham fans!

Cheers,

EdWort

PS, my 4 packets are on the way :D
 
EdWort said:
Now that's fantastic customer service!!!!!!

The power of the Internet AND the HBT Community coming together and assisting in tracking down a product issue. This could have gone on for a long time and soured many people on Nottingham yeast.

Thanks Keith for following through on this and taking care of us Nottingham fans!

Cheers,

EdWort

PS, my 4 packets are on the way :D
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+1 And it was resolved with communication and documentation of personal experience - not mudslinging, name calling, etc.
 
I tossed my 8 sachets in the trash 2 months ago, figured this was never getting resolved. I first noticed the problem with this batch 6 months ago, see here, I held onto them for 4 months waiting, oh well, guess I lose....:( I'm not using dry yeast anymore, so I guess it's no big deal.
 
I'm not in canada, I'm down south of the southern border! viva!!
 

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