Pitched Nottingham at 76f
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Vinman58
Well-Known Member
Lol. Wrong answer. Just hope it didn't get all banana on me but I did have airlock activity in 5hrs at 69f?
That's high. Even 70F is high for Notty, even though it is the top end of the range. I'm not completely sold on dumping it, yet. Many of the byproducts of fermentation are not being completely manufactured until the yeast get passed the lag phase. Did you toss dry yeast on top of the wort or did you make a starter? Either way, I would ferment it out and sample it when fermentation is complete.
I hope jjw5015 was just joking. Your initial pitch was just a little high, you cooled quickly. I would say you are not going to have any problems whatsoever, at least from the temperatures.
smata67
Well-Known Member
Being a bit paranoid about and second guessing one's every action immediately after completing a brew is pretty standard behavior for the homebrewer, so welcome to the club. There ought to be a name for this, it is so common. Be concerned if you pitched well into the nineties. Seventies and eighties, not so much.
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Vinman58
Well-Known Member
Yep. I'm paranoid. I pitched 2 packs notty dry. I'm sure it will be ok, maybe not world class but it will be consumed. I learned my lesson though. Next time if I can't cool to fermentation temperature I'm locking it the anvil fermenter and in the fridge to finish cooling before pitching. Brain fart on my part.
smata67
Well-Known Member
The time I used Notty, it started slow and never got too vigorous, so don't be alarmed, it finished fine. If you pitched two packets into 5 gallons, you are more than good.
Vinman58
Well-Known Member
Thanks man. I shoulda just put in the fridge a couple hours then pitched. Live an learn. Ill let ya know if it got funked or not.
Vinman58
Well-Known Member
Hey the post brew paranoia could be PBTS. Post brew traumatic stress
smata67
Well-Known Member
I'm not for this term of yours, reminds me too much of the post masturbatory blues I suffered from in high school.
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MikeOhio
Well-Known Member
I use Notty for my Amber Ales and it never takes off like a Beast even when i pitch a slurry from a previous beer. But it has always been a silent beast for me. Never more than an 1 or 2" of Krausen and it recently took a 1060 ale to 1016 in less than 5 days. I frequently use it between 66-69 in my ferm fridge. No off flavors and a clean ferment everytime! Something i forgot to add and i would believe would apply to any yeast or fermentation, is that i never pitch yeast above my intended ferm temp. If i cant get down to my target temp due to warm ground water pumping thru the IC or the ice has melted in my cooler that holds the water and submersible pump that i use with my IC than i put the wort/fermenter, sealed up into the ferm fridge and wait till i hit my target temp than pitch. Carry on.
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smata67
Well-Known Member
I can see it being a good yeast for amber and pale ales, probably wherever S05 would also be a choice. I do think I remember getting some minor sulfur odors early in the fermentation and that went away. This was back in 2012, brewing Ed Wort's Haus Pale Ale, which probably introduced Notty to many homebrewers.
Vinman58
Well-Known Member
Well, this is centennial blonde. so..?
IMO, just about any yeast can go in any style beer - strange maybe? Great maybe? Different - certainly.
Alcohol tolerance in extreme beers might limit choices....
smata67
Well-Known Member
You are probably doing BierMunchers centennial blonde, Notty is what he specifies and therefore a good start. It is a tried and true recipe and sticking to the recipe to the letter will almost certainly guarantee a great beer. The beauty of homebrew is you can make whatever changes strike your fancy. If you don't have Notty handy, then what to do? How about deciding to stay in style and read the BJCP Guidelines for Blonde Ale?
https://www.bjcp.org/docs/2015_Guidelines_Beer.pdf
So we see it is a Pale American Ale and there are some expectations as to the yeast character:
"Clean American, lightly fruity English, or Kölsch yeast. May also be made with lager yeast, or cold conditioned."
Nottingham is of the "lightly fruity English" sort. Ferment it cooler (and something unique about this ale yeast is it performs well at colder temperatures than most ale yeasts) and you get less fruity. Ferment in the upper 70s and you get more. You could go with an American "clean" yeast such as WLP001 or its many cousins like WLP090. These would be in style and you would end up with a slightly different beer, but most would agree, almost certainly very good. A Kolsch yeast would also allow lower fermentation temperatures and more neutral flavor, but it less flocculant than the others, would take longer to clear and have yet another flavor profile. Lager yeasts require special treatment altogether and would yield a significantly different flavor than the ales, you would almost certainly instantly recognize it was brewed with a lager yeast at first taste. Split a batch and use two different yeasts to ferment. The world is your oyster.
If you get a chance to make it to the White Labs Tasting Rooms (one in San Diego and other in Asheville), they have brews using the same recipe with different yeasts with vastly differing flavor profiles.
