Nottingham Yeast

[Smitty]

Hey everyone. So I've completed my 6th batch of homebrew now and I really am enjoying the hobby and the results. The help and advice given so freely on this site has been amazing and really calmed the nerves for the first couple batches. So thanks toeveryone for helping a rook out.

My question is about Nottingham yeast, it's supposed to have a very high attenuation rate yet I can't seem to achieve much more than 74% with it.

Suggestions?

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

1) Mash at 148-150 degrees F.

2) Add about 10% by weight dextrose (corn sugar) or invert sugar to your grist.

3) Cut down on caramel/crystal malts (and other malts/grains/adjuncts that don't ferment well). Example: Deep roasted malts or barley

4) Try Fermentis W-34/70 dry yeast. Makes for a great ale yeast when fermented at 63-65 degrees F. Should achieve better than 74% apparent attenuation with most grists and mash temperatures. Cleaner than Nottingham. Cleaner than US-05 also.

 

[dwhite60]

Hey everyone. So I've completed my 6th batch of homebrew now and I really am enjoying the hobby and the results. The help and advice given so freely on this site has been amazing and really calmed the nerves for the first couple batches. So thanks toeveryone for helping a rook out.

My question is about Nottingham yeast, it's supposed to have a very high attenuation rate yet I can't seem to achieve much more than 74% with it.

Suggestions?

You doing all grain or extract?

Extract, due to the way its made, has a lot of unfermentables in it. Usually have to add sugar to get the gravity down.



All the Best,
D. White

 

[rburrelli]

Hey everyone. So I've completed my 6th batch of homebrew now and I really am enjoying the hobby and the results. The help and advice given so freely on this site has been amazing and really calmed the nerves for the first couple batches. So thanks toeveryone for helping a rook out.

My question is about Nottingham yeast, it's supposed to have a very high attenuation rate yet I can't seem to achieve much more than 74% with it.

Suggestions?

So much of attenuation depends upon how good your processes were prior to pitching the yeast. If you have poor mash efficiency and don’t hit targets of gravity or volumes, or don’t give the yeast a good environment to do their thing, then attenuation might suffer.

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

As to DME, Muntons is generally a bit more fermentable than Briess.

 

[Steveruch]

You doing all grain or extract?

Extract, due to the way its made, has a lot of unfermentables in it. Usually have to add sugar to get the gravity down.



All the Best,
D. White

The last British brown ale I brewed (extract) got down to 1.007 with nottingham.

 

[Harleybrew32]

Nottingham has always been a beast on fermenting for me. always went under 1.010.
Are you an extract brewer or all grain? also do you have fermentation temp control?
sometimes raising the temp near the end will help the yeast finish out.
have you tried US-05 on a batch, thats another great dry yeast very neutral.
cheers

 

[Oldskewl]

I used Nottingham for the first time recently in a BIG Barleywine. 2 packs in 5 gal of 1.104 wort and it took it down to 1.014 which was about 6 points further than planned. I'd say my packs were beasts!!

 

[ListerH]

I've used Nottingham twice and hit 77% both times.
I rehydrated rather than building a starter and made sure not to underpitch (I only make 2.5GL batches but used a whole pack).
For both beers I had fairly high percentages of specialty malts so 77% was a pretty good result.

For me, it took off nice and quick and I kept the ambient temp at 59F. then after 5 days when the vigorous fermentation was done, I upped it to the mid/high 60s and let it free rise to finish up. I left it in the primary for a total of 3 weeks.

 

[smata67]

I just got 95% attenuation pitching a rehydrated packet into a 2.75G batch. Started at 1.079, finished at 1.004!. All grain mashed at 152F. Fermented at 62F. Seems like you can get high attenuation with this yeast by overpitching. Might have also been the grain, though, Malting Company of Ireland's Pale Ale Malt. I got down to 1.009 on another batch using Hansen and the same malt.

 

[STMF]

I just got 95% attenuation pitching a rehydrated packet into a 2.75G batch. Started at 1.079, finished at 1.004!. All grain mashed at 152F. Fermented at 62F. Seems like you can get high attenuation with this yeast by overpitching. Might have also been the grain, though, Malting Company of Ireland's Pale Ale Malt. I got down to 1.009 on another batch using Hansen and the same malt.

With those numbers you either have a calculation problem or a contamination I'm afraid.

 

[Miraculix]

With those numbers you either have a calculation problem or a contamination I'm afraid.

I 2nd that!

 

[smata67]

You guys are on your toes! Yep, error interpreting the reading with the refractometer. Confirmed 1.011 with the hydrometer for an 86% attenuation. Final Brix reading was 8.5 uncorrected.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

You guys are on your toes! Yep, error interpreting the reading with the refractometer. Confirmed 1.011 with the hydrometer for an 86% attenuation. Final Brix reading was 8.5 uncorrected.

Now that sounds more like the Nottingham I know!

 

[Silver_Is_Money]

Now that sounds more like the Nottingham I know!

Do you add sugar (in one form or another) to your recipes? I'm hard pressed to see 80% apparent attenuation from Nottingham for the case of an all malt grist. More like 75% to 80% is what I see.

 

[GeneDaniels1963]

I mainly make ciders and Graffs (extract), so 80%+ sounds is about right. I could go back and read through my brew logs, but I am too lazy for that. So I am just remembering and guessing