Yeast / Style dilemma

[BeehiveBrewer]

I want to brew Ed Worts robust porter and an American Amber Ale. I have Nottingham and WL002 English Ale yeast left over from old batches.

Ed's recipe calls for Notty. White Labs site says 002 is good for robust porter.

I'm guessing American Amber is good with Notty, but not true to style with an English yeast.

Any thoughts?

What would an Amber Ale turn out like with wl002?

Thanks

 

[Edcculus]

You are going to get more fruitiness from an English yeast.

A lot of people use Nottingham/Wyeast1056/WLP001 because they are clean fermenting and attenuate well. Depending on the recipe, you can confidently interchange most English/American style yeasts. Just expect subtle differences.

 

[Bob]

I'd use the Nottingham for the Amber and the 002 for the Porter.

You don't want a lot of yeast character in American Amber. You want the malt and hops to shine through. As 002 is quite fruity compared to Nottingham, that choice is clear in my eyes.

Porter can handle more fruitiness because of the roast malts, especially Ed's, due to the complex roasted-grain grist he's designed. A bit of subtle fruitiness compliments and makes characterful such a beer. I used to brew my Porter with Ringwood and loved every sip (I haven't brewed it in years; must correct that oversight).

Cheers,

Bob