I just love Ringwood ale yeast (wyeast, whitelabs, escarpment doesnt matter).
Sure it needs a proper D-rest ( I do 2 days at 25°C) but not really anymore than wlp002 does for example.
I find it works best when you give it an aggressive amount of pure O2, and a healthy pitch rate.
It drops real bright, no need for finings with this strain.
I've heard people complain that it sometimes fails to finish. However, I always get great attentuation out of it.
Its got good alcohol tolerance- makes a great barley wine/old ale.
If you ask me it has the best flavour profile of any of the british yeasts out there. I find beers made with this yeast are hugely malty, and have fantastic nice esters, and a real creamy mouthfeel. I like it in dark beers and in hoppy beers. I bet you could make a fantastic NEIPA with this yeast. I get a ton of marmalade from this yeast (way more than 002), and I find it way more characterful than for example 002, or 1338. Plus its maltier, and in my opinion even more Yorkshire than 1469 (which some folks are saying is from essex anyway).
Maybe I am attached to Ringwood, because it was the first yeast I ever homebrewed with, and as a kid I used to go on fishing holidays to Ringwood on the beatiful Hampshire Avon, where fish seem to grow bigger than anywhere else in the country. However, if I had to choose only one yeast to brew with forever it would be the good old Ringwood for sure.
But it doesnt seem to get much love from homebrewers.
Sure it needs a proper D-rest ( I do 2 days at 25°C) but not really anymore than wlp002 does for example.
I find it works best when you give it an aggressive amount of pure O2, and a healthy pitch rate.
It drops real bright, no need for finings with this strain.
I've heard people complain that it sometimes fails to finish. However, I always get great attentuation out of it.
Its got good alcohol tolerance- makes a great barley wine/old ale.
If you ask me it has the best flavour profile of any of the british yeasts out there. I find beers made with this yeast are hugely malty, and have fantastic nice esters, and a real creamy mouthfeel. I like it in dark beers and in hoppy beers. I bet you could make a fantastic NEIPA with this yeast. I get a ton of marmalade from this yeast (way more than 002), and I find it way more characterful than for example 002, or 1338. Plus its maltier, and in my opinion even more Yorkshire than 1469 (which some folks are saying is from essex anyway).
Maybe I am attached to Ringwood, because it was the first yeast I ever homebrewed with, and as a kid I used to go on fishing holidays to Ringwood on the beatiful Hampshire Avon, where fish seem to grow bigger than anywhere else in the country. However, if I had to choose only one yeast to brew with forever it would be the good old Ringwood for sure.
But it doesnt seem to get much love from homebrewers.