What Irish red yeast?

[JONNYROTTEN]

I'm brewing my first Irish red.Ive searched the web and forum and every recipe uses a different yeast.So far Ive seen:

Wyeast 1084,1272,1028,1056
wlp1004,Wlp001
us 04,us05
Nottingham

I was looking for a smithwicks clone,and again everyone says "mine is almost the same" yet every recipe is different.I think I'm going to go with this one.What yeast would you use? Also I'm not sure if my LHBS has UK pale malt(marris otter) Would 2 row with some Victory work? If so how much victory would you add in this recipe?

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...nWsRzgyyRQGesONDg&sig2=_6B657o964IQoaQSb99XSA

 

[bigdaddybrew]

I like fermentis SO4 in my Irish Red. It finishes dry and clears quickly.

 

[Zepth]

Anything Irish or stout gets the 1084 treatment in my brew house. I haven't tried many others to be honest, when I shelled out for this I was impressed enough to stop looking for anything different.

 

[beergolf]

I usually use 1084 also.

I have an Irish red about ready to go on my nitro tap right now. Need to kick the stout keg that is on there now, it is lasting longer than I expected.

 

[daksin]

I'm a WLP004 guy- it's a classic!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I went with S 04.Im fermenting at 62 deg.I read you can get some esters at higher temps.I also read its a love it or hate it yeast.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

I'm an Englishman with Irish connections, landed at Dublin airport 90 mins ago and now on a bus to Galway. Beer will be supped. In all honesty I'd have gone for any of your listed options other than S04, but I'm sure it'll come out fine. Keep the temp down, you want it pretty clean and neutral. Personally I think juicy hops like Amarillo, Centennial, Motueka improve a red ale, but that wouldn't be very Irish would it!

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I'm an Englishman with Irish connections, landed at Dublin airport 90 mins ago and now on a bus to Galway. Beer will be supped. In all honesty I'd have gone for any of your listed options other than S04, but I'm sure it'll come out fine. Keep the temp down, you want it pretty clean and neutral. Personally I think juicy hops like Amarillo, Centennial, Motueka improve a red ale, but that wouldn't be very Irish would it!

I would say youd be the right guy to ask! Thats a bummer that I chose the S04 as I made 10 gallons. I know it wont be bad but as its my first Irish red I wanted "that perfect beer".Will see in a couple weeks.On a side note the OG sample was the best Ive tasted to date. Carmel/toasty/malty/biscuit. Hopefully its hold those flavors

 

[brewcat]

1084 is what I use.

 

[bigdaddybrew]

Irish Red is a malt forward style and I have found SO4 accentuates the maltiness. It can be sprinkled on the wort and it still performs well and clears quickly. Some say it can be too fruity but I haven't experienced this fermenting in the low 60s. The obvious choice is to use the liquid "Irish ale" yeast but I see this more closely associated with brewing stouts but I haven't used it so I can't comment on how it performs. SO4 and 1084 are noted for having similar attenuation. The other option is a clean/neutral strain to get a Killian style red but that's boring to me. I just brewed an Irish Red for a beer swap and the SO4 performed as expected. Malt forward and brilliantly clear.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Irish Red is a malt forward style and I have found SO4 accentuates the maltiness. It can be sprinkled on the wort and it still performs well and clears quickly. Some say it can be too fruity but I haven't experienced this fermenting in the low 60s. The obvious choice is to use the liquid "Irish ale" yeast but I see this more closely associated with brewing stouts but I haven't used it so I can't comment on how it performs. SO4 and 1084 are noted for having similar attenuation. The other option is a clean/neutral strain to get a Killian style red but that's boring to me. I just brewed an Irish Red for a beer swap and the SO4 performed as expected. Malt forward and brilliantly clear.

HEYOOO! This is what I like to here!!

 

[duncan_disorderly]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause alarm. S04 will do a great job, as others have said, especially if you keep it cool. A lot of British home brewers would use S04 in an Irish red, I prefer Nottingham myself. I've just woken up to bright sunshine in Galway after hail and rain yesterday.

 

[JimRausch]

I generally use WY1084, and have been happy with it. However, this year I had some WY1450 slurry leftover from a Waldo Lake Amber, and decided to try it in my IR and a porter. Very nice! I think this may become my new go-to.
I do have to say though, in contrast to Duncan above, I don't like the esters that Notty threw in my IR last year. I prefer a clean malty IR, and don't want any estery after taste, but that's just me.

 

[duncan_disorderly]

I generally use WY1084, and have been happy with it. However, this year I had some WY1450 slurry leftover from a Waldo Lake Amber, and decided to try it in my IR and a porter. Very nice! I think this may become my new go-to.
I do have to say though, in contrast to Duncan above, I don't like the esters that Notty threw in my IR last year. I prefer a clean malty IR, and don't want any estery after taste, but that's just me.

I don't find Nottingham is estery if fermented in the low 60s. I use it if I don't have a suitable liquid yeast ready to go.

Currently I'm fermenting a golden ale with a Brewlab yeast, Somerset ale. It is packaged on an agar slant. If this goes well I'll probably try some more Brewlab yeasts, they are prepared to order and don't have to cross the pond in the hold of plane. More eco friendly and much more fresh. I've been enjoying WLP006 though, a good house yeast I've found. But I'm not super experienced in a wide choice of yeasts.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

WLP007 for my Irish reds. Ferments fast and dry, drops clear and has just enough character without overpowering the beer.

 

[BaylessBrewer]

I just ordered a red ale kit from GreatFermentations today and I plan on using a pitch of wlp028 that I saved off my overbuilt starter for a Scottish Export I just finished.
I'm also going to use the kit (paid $15 for it) to burn up some hops I have in the freezer. Got a couple oz of Wai-Iti, Kohatu, Columbus, Mosaic and Citra left over from brews past so I'm thinking that I'll mix them all together and hop burst and whirlpool with them. Should make a fine hopped up red ale

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I pulled a sample today after only 6 days fermenting.The wondering was killing me.I would say its a carmel/red wine mix.If I burp I would swear I just drank red wine.Its drinkable just not exactly what I was hoping for. Again its only 6 days in the fermenter,do you think it will mellow and soften the wine taste after a few weeks??

 

[JimRausch]

I pulled a sample today after only 6 days fermenting.The wondering was killing me.I would say its a carmel/red wine mix.If I burp I would swear I just drank red wine.Its drinkable just not exactly what I was hoping for. Again its only 6 days in the fermenter,do you think it will mellow and soften the wine taste after a few weeks??

Oh yes, definitely. I'm always amazed on how something that was ugh at 1 week, ehh at two weeks, Ok at bottling and amazing after 3 weeks bottled. Yeast are wonderful li'l critters.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I pulled a sample today after only 6 days fermenting.The wondering was killing me.I would say its a carmel/red wine mix.If I burp I would swear I just drank red wine.Its drinkable just not exactly what I was hoping for. Again its only 6 days in the fermenter,do you think it will mellow and soften the wine taste after a few weeks??

Yes, the fruity/winey flavours definitely diminish. Taste the fermenting beer every couple of days and bottle/keg when the yeast flavours are just right for you (providing fermentation is finished). The two to four week rule that a lot of brewers push on here is about allowing yeast to clean up after themselves; with English/Irish ale yeasts (and German wheat) you might decide to cut it a bit shorter to keep some more of those estery flavours. Mine typically go for about 10 days, whilst I leave for 2weeks minimum with 'neutral' ale yeast ferments. IME, these flavours will diminish less in bottle/keg than they do in the fermenter.