Strange yeast behavior. Is US-05 getting weird on you?

[divrguy]

I have been starting fermentation now at 72 and cooling down to 67 with 05. I have noticed that it takes off quite a bit faster with no ill effects on the beer. Actually tastes better imo. Whenever I started fermentation at 65-68 it seems to have chugged along and got the job done, just much slower.

I tend to pitch right at calculated pitch rates.

 

[turkeygecko]

I've had a couple weird batches with us-05 lately also, but off flavors... like, 2 out of last 4 batches, and I haven't had an infection previously, or since, with different strains. Probably just a coincidence and something dirty in my system, but us-05 was the only common denominator I found...

 

[eelpout]

I've had a couple weird batches with us-05 lately also, but off flavors... like, 2 out of last 4 batches, and I haven't had an infection previously, or since, with different strains. Probably just a coincidence and something dirty in my system, but us-05 was the only common denominator I found...

Oh yeah. Have noticed the same thing over the last year. Several members in our club are also mentioning the very long lags and off flavors.
Even double pitching don't seem to be helping the 3-4 day lags. The off flavors do clean up but in some cases it takes months. And like you said, it all leads back to the 05 batches alone.

This very stable and predictable yeast seems to have changed.
Most of us have pretty much moved away from 05 now and are comparing notes to find our next goto yeast.

 

[Chadwick]

Oh yeah. Have noticed the same thing over the last year. Several members in our club are also mentioning the very long lags and off flavors.
Even double pitching don't seem to be helping the 3-4 day lags. The off flavors do clean up but in some cases it takes months. And like you said, it all leads back to the 05 batches alone.

This very stable and predictable yeast seems to have changed.
Most of us have pretty much moved away from 05 now and are comparing notes to find our next goto yeast.

I don't really want to have to look for another go-to yeast. I like my US-05 very much. I have always had good results with it, even with the ones that have been starting slow. Apparent attenuation has been through the roof lately too. Most of my batches have been getting close to 90% apparent attenuation. I haven't noticed an increase in fusels either. This is good. I hate fusel alcohol rich producing yeasts.

I recently played around with some WLP099 and found that while the alcohol tolerance is indeed high, the fusel alcohol production was beyond what I consider acceptable. Still, i'll find a use for it. Possibly as a bottling yeast for my barleywines over 15% ABV. I haven't tried this yet, but it may be in the cards soon.

 

[foles]

I too am having this problem. No appreciable krausen, moderate bubbling that seems to have slowed down only 2.5 days after pitching commenced. Never seen this with US05. Bumped up the temp a little to try and get things moving. Will need to take a gravity reading soon.

 

[olotti]

Same here. Slow start minimal krausen but it does the job and I've hit my fg's with it but I may just use my washed wlp001 instead from now on when it calls for 05.

 

[1977Brewer]

Both of my s-05 batches in primary right now have attenuated at 85-90%, no fruity esters either. No temp control yet, but it was 60* when I pitched and warmed up a couple of days later. Now it's 30 out, so Mother Nature is cold crashing for me.

 

[ciderWI]

My last two S05 batches have started up within 12 hours and formed a thick krausen within 24 hours. Both stout, pitched the dry yeast directly in, left it in the 70 degree kitchen overnight, then down to the 65 degree basement. The first needed the blowoff tube and had FG as spec'd in the kit after a week, the second has been going for three days now and starting to slow down.

No problems, I'm impressed with it.

 

[Chadwick]

New batch, a DIPA with an OG of 1.085. This time I proofed my US-05, two packs, in an extremely mild liter starter with a gravity of only 1.010. When I pitched the starter into the wort (at 68F) the starter had a 4 inch krausen. 3 days later and my airlock is just now barely trickling with one tiny bubble slipping by every minute.

I did this same recipe a couple of years ago and within 12 hours I was in a panic to get the blow-off attached because wort was spewing out of my airlock.

You can't tell me that something hasn't changed with US-05. Still, the brews I've done with it so far these last 6 months are all attenuating well, if not better than expected. They taste good. My only complaint is the slower fermentation and an extended period needed for bottle conditioning. They are conditioning very slowly.