# Ringwood Ale Yeast



## rude (2/9/09)

Just getting a ringwood ale smack pack ready, making a 1 litre starter (the pack is a year old).
Anyway the pack has puffed up after 3-4 days no worries so will be using it on a dark mild 3.3%
So I am wondering what to put down on the yeast cake next ?
Wyeast recomend American ipa,oatmeal stout, english brown.
Any suggestions would be welcomed with recipes Im doing AG 
Thanks from Rude


----------



## Bizier (2/9/09)

I would suggest any variation of an English bitter or brown after your mild, and then go again with a hoppy beer, maybe a Texas brown or UK IPA.

I absolutely love this yeast, and I try to use a mild as a large starter for a more subtantial beer. You get great esters in your mild, even if you underpitch etc ( h34r just give it nutrients and sanitary aeration - and then you get a great batch of strong ale.


----------



## Scruffy (2/9/09)

Ringwood? Crackin' stuff!

Yorkshire born yeast, 150 years old mix of strains, has a high oxygen demand at the beginning of fermentation. It's very forgiving temperature-wise, but the ester production at higher temperatures can overwhelm. It can be open fermented (it forms a crusty 'lid' of foam and blows a lot of Carbon Dioxide). It does throw varying degrees of diacetyl, which might be of benefit in ESB's - but if you remove all of it from British-style ales you're removing a very important component from the beer. It's like taking the clove and banana phenols away from hefeweizen or the funk from lambics.

You might even taste oranges...


----------



## drsmurto (2/9/09)

G'day Rude

I use Ringwood more than any other yeast.

So far i have used it in dark milds, bitters, IPAs, porters, stouts and will be using it shortly in a low OG american amber ale.

Cheers
DrSmurto


----------



## Scruffy (2/9/09)

We are talking 1187, yes?

They used to call this 'Swedish Porter' - so there's another style!


----------



## gibbocore (2/9/09)

DO NOT LET IT GO COLD

Mine dropped to 15 degrees overnight at 1020, when i rouse the yeast by spinning the fermenter back and forth you can watch the yeast rise into soloution, the just as quickly it drops back down. The heater and cosntant spinning has it down to 1016 now though, don't think it will go much lower, what's the general attenuation for ringwood?


----------



## sam (2/9/09)

English styles, esp. bitters.

If you want to try something a little different, brew an American IPA, but use Ringwood. 

I don't post much, but as soon as Ringwood pops up I'm all over it like a forum whore.

Cheers


----------



## Bribie G (2/9/09)

+1 about the oxygen. I rouse mine twice a day for the first two days with one of these.





I pitched a mild ale with yeast cake off a Landlord last Wednesday and it's ready to bottle tomorrow. Next cab off the rank with some of the yeastcake off the mild is a FWK IPA from St Peters brewery that I've had hanging around for 2 months. Now my comp brews are finished for the year, time to get into some more offbeat stuff again :beerbang:


----------



## Stubbie (2/9/09)

Dr S,

How did the IPA turn out?

I have planned a double batch of IPA, to be split with 2 different yeasts. I'd pencilled out 1187, thinking the esters would be overwhelming in a high gravity beer?

Cheers
Stubbie


----------



## sam (2/9/09)

gibbocore said:


> DO NOT LET IT GO COLD
> 
> Mine dropped to 15 degrees overnight at 1020, when i rouse the yeast by spinning the fermenter back and forth you can watch the yeast rise into soloution, the just as quickly it drops back down. The heater and cosntant spinning has it down to 1016 now though, don't think it will go much lower, what's the general attenuation for ringwood?



Attenuation 68-72% from Wyeast.

Yeah, don't let it drop out, it doesn't seem to start up again to easily. It isn't the easiest yeast to work with, but the effort is worth it.


----------



## drsmurto (2/9/09)

Stubbie said:


> Dr S,
> 
> How did the IPA turn out?
> 
> ...



For the IPA i kept the ferment temp down around 18C rather than pushing it at 20-22 like i do for milds and bitters. I also mashed at 65C instead of 67C.

Although i do prefer a higher attenuating yeast in an IPA - west yorkshire (1469) and cask ale (1026).


----------



## nickel (2/9/09)

You's have just talked me into it, I just preordered some. :chug:


----------



## Stubbie (2/9/09)

Thanks Doc.



> Although i do prefer a higher attenuating yeast in an IPA - west yorkshire (1469) and cask ale (1026).


Zaccly what I had in mind; 1469 is on hand and I've been toying with ordering the Pro Culture Cask Ale (supposedly 1026).

Cheers
Stubbie


----------



## muckey (2/9/09)

ringwood and the yorkie are both great yeasts, love 'em both.

Have to say though 1469 is a little easier to handle. Ringwood needs to be roused a la Bribie for a well attenuated finish whereas the yorkie needs to be beaten back into the fermenter if you try the same thing


----------



## rude (2/9/09)

glad I posted will stir with a holy spoon brieby for the first few days
thanks for all the tips it smelt nice out of the smack pack
will try a IPA with it after the mild
The rudest one


----------



## hazard (2/9/09)

sam said:


> Attenuation 68-72% from Wyeast.


I fully support Bribie's recommendation to beat the crap out of this. I used Ringwood (first time) on my last AG, firstly started it in a 1.5L solution of DME and thence beat twice daily for first 2 days after pitching. Kept the beer on a heat pad, with the temp master set to 18 deg.

After 2 weeks, i got from 1060 to 1012 - attenuation of 80% if I can add up. 

Slightly off topic.....
But maybe high attentuation is because I added 3 drops of olive oil to my starter when I first opened smack pack, and 3 drops just before I pitched. I do this with every brew now, never had a stuck fermentation, nor finished higher than expected - I always get expected, or lower fermentation copmpared to beersmith. There has been a lot of posts lately about stuck fermentation, a couple of drops of oil can't hurt so give it a go.


----------



## haysie (2/9/09)

hazard said:


> After 2 weeks, i got from 1060 to 1012 - attenuation of 80% if I can add up.



Thats a big call for that yeast, how did you do it?


----------



## Stubbie (2/9/09)

> attenuation of 80% if I can add up.


+1

a Bitter 1.041 down to 1.008, and then on 1/2 the yeast cake, a Stout 1.053 down to 1.010 :blink: 

Stubbie


----------



## Kai (2/9/09)

A question for the rousers and beaters:

So if you don't reoxygenate ringwood with a few rousings and beatings at the start of the ferment, do you find the yeast just quits before target FG has been reached?

I remember I brewed with landlord a few years ago and the ferment just completely died in the arse around 3/4ths of the way through.


----------



## haysie (2/9/09)

Stubbie said:


> +1
> 
> a Bitter 1.041 down to 1.008, and then on 1/2 the yeast cake, a Stout 1.053 down to 1.010 :blink:
> 
> Stubbie



Thats far from 1060>12, that yeast does not attenuate that far, open for correction. 41>08 tick the box 53>10 hmmmm 60>12 ???


----------



## hazard (2/9/09)

haysie said:


> That's far from 1060>12, that yeast does not attenuate that far, open for correction. 41>08 tick the box 53>10 hmmmm 60>12 ???


Haysie, not far at all if my maths is correct
41->8 = 80%, 53 -> 10 = 81% 
Therefore, according to my calculation, not far from 60 -> 12 at all.
So Stubby has achieved same attenuation as me. Why do you say that Ringwood won't attenuate that far?

As for question in other post "How did I do it"
1. Lots of break material in the fermenter - I tip the whole wort through a kitchen sieve, I guess the hops will filter a lot, but some must get through
2. regular beating for first 2 days
3. constant temp
4. olive oil (refer earlier post)
5. big starter - a smack pack into 1.5L of wort @ 1040
6. fresh yeast
BTW - I wasn't aiming for this level of attenuation - it just happened.


----------



## Stubbie (2/9/09)

hazard said:


> BTW - I wasn't aiming for this level of attenuation - it just happened.


Me neither. <_< 

Haysie,
I was really surprised at my FG's, so much so I grabbed a spare hydrometer, a new one, for a second opinion. Identical readings.

Stubbie


----------



## Bribie G (2/9/09)

Kai said:


> A question for the rousers and beaters:
> 
> So if you don't reoxygenate ringwood with a few rousings and beatings at the start of the ferment, do you find the yeast just quits before target FG has been reached?
> 
> I remember I brewed with landlord a few years ago and the ferment just completely died in the arse around 3/4ths of the way through.



I did a stout on Ringwood recently and only thrashed it for one day and the bloddy thing blooped every thirty seconds for about ten days but turned out ok in the end. My latest Mild got whacked twice a day for two days and has finished and clearing from the top in only 5 days. As far as I have found, the early oxygenation is very desirable.


----------



## hoppinmad (2/9/09)

Dr. Smurto put me onto this yeast for a stout i made a while ago and i have to say it is now one of my favorites. I have however found you need to be a little patient when priming a beer fermented with it. Some of mine have taken over a month to get properly carbed and never less than 3 weeks (even in a warm room). The first lot i made was still flat after 3 weeks which prompted me to re-prime half the batch... only to find a month later the original bottles were pefectly carbonated... so yeah... don't make the same silly mistake i did


----------



## Kodos (2/9/09)

Does anyone know how the White Labs ringwood strain (WLP005 British Ale Yeast) compares to the Wyeast version?

The website has audio of the White Labs president saying it's the Ringwood strain but it's been trained to bottom ferment - so does this mean there's no need to give it a BribieG-style thrashing?

My first brew with it was clear as mud, some gelatine and PVPP (following instructions taken of this website) cleared it up beautifully but there a fair bit of fluffy sediment still made it into the bottles (I bulk prime, so thought I'd left most of that stuff behind), tastes great but if the sediment gets disturbed it looks a little odd.

It fermented from 1048 down to 1013 after about a week.

The cloudiness might relate to forgetting whifloc in the boil. I did crash cool for 2 weeks at 0-2 in the fermenter (with dry-hops) but this didn't seem to help.

I used a sterile water wash to save four stubbies of the yeast cake from primary, (1cm of slurry at the bottom of each stubby) hope to do another brew with it in a week or so. Incidentally, the yeast dropped out beautifully in the stubbies - crystal clear after a week in the fridge.


----------



## buttersd70 (2/9/09)

HoppinMad said:


> Dr. Smurto put me onto this yeast for a stout i made a while ago and i have to say it is now one of my favorites. I have however found you need to be a little patient when priming a beer fermented with it. Some of mine have taken over a month to get properly carbed and never less than 3 weeks (even in a warm room). The first lot i made was still flat after 3 weeks which prompted me to re-prime half the batch... only to find a month later the original bottles were pefectly carbonated... so yeah... don't make the same silly mistake i did



Treat the bottles similar to the fermenter; rouse it often to keep the yeast in suspension, instead of on the bottom of the bottles.  



Kodos said:


> Does anyone know how the White Labs ringwood strain (WLP005 British Ale Yeast) compares to the Wyeast version?
> 
> The website has audio of the White Labs president saying it's the Ringwood strain but it's been trained to bottom ferment - so does this mean there's no need to give it a BribieG-style thrashing?
> 
> ...


Fluffy sediment could be indicative of too high a dose with the finings.  Less is more.


----------



## Kodos (3/9/09)

buttersd70 said:


> Fluffy sediment could be indicative of too high a dose with the finings.  Less is more.



Thanks butters, any tips on where to read up on appropriate amounts? I was going off the instructions here: (Gelatine) and (PVPP), also probably based the latter on Al Korzonas's _Homebrewing - volume I _which suggests 3-5grams (4-6 teaspoons) of PVPP per 5 gallons.

next time hopefully I won't need any finings.


----------



## Bribie G (3/9/09)

I have put Ringwood beers into comps with only a couple of weeks to spare and they have carbed up by simply up-ending the bottles twice a day. I'm currently carbing two bottles of a Best Bitter by sending them in the mail to Adelaide :lol: :lol: - should get them started off on the right track.


----------



## buttersd70 (3/9/09)

kodos,
I was referring to the geletine, not the pvpp. Specific dosing rates are hard to determine...it depends on the volume to be treated, as well as the amount of yeast that is actually in suspension, and also the way it's administered. The guide that you linked to is a very good guide, but it is only a _guide_. Some use less (in the discussion thread iirc there are several ppl that say they use half the amount), some use the amount in the guide. Personally...I use 1 1/2, myself...but I fine as soon as it's cold, so it has a fairly large amount still in suspension at that point. If cold crashing for longer before fining with geletine (or if using a high flocc yeast), you will have less yeast in suspension, and therefore less geletine is required...it really comes down to trial and error, using the rates in the guide as a starting point. Too little, and it will be hard to clear, too much, and it will have fluffy sediment. Given that you have fluffy sediment when using that rate, I would be looking at using slightly less, say 1 1/2 tsp, then if still a problem drop it to 1 tsp. I wouldn't change your other process to match your fining rate; but rather change your fining rate to match your process/yeast strain/amount of yeast in suspension.


----------



## Bizier (3/9/09)

Oh, I forgot to mention that I have had problems with it looking finished at a gravity like 1.010 or whatever and then deciding to kick off again in the bottle. Spritzy mild ales are not my thing... It pays to make sure that Ringwood has finished its job completely.


----------



## Kai (3/9/09)

BribieG said:


> I did a stout on Ringwood recently and only thrashed it for one day and the bloddy thing blooped every thirty seconds for about ten days but turned out ok in the end. My latest Mild got whacked twice a day for two days and has finished and clearing from the top in only 5 days. As far as I have found, the early oxygenation is very desirable.



Thanks Bribie, I'll bear that in mind.


----------



## rude (3/9/09)

jeez Im excited this sounds like a really good yeast.
Hope I can pull off a good fermentation havent got fridge control but the whether is just warming up here in perth so hopefully Ill be able to hold it at 19 - 20 c.
Some great tips here cheers Bribie & others for comming fwd with there knowledge otherwise it would take me a lot longer to make a good beer.


----------



## rude (3/9/09)

here is *Type*_*:*_ All Grain

*Date*_*:*_ 27/08/2009*Batch Size:* 25.00 L

*Brewer:* Rude*Boil Size*_*:*_ 30.11 L*Asst Brewer:* *Boil Time:* 90 min *Equipment:* My Equipment *Taste Rating(out of 50):* 35.0 *Brewhouse Efficiency:* 75.00*Taste Notes:* *Ingredients*​AmountItemType% or IBU3.20 kgPale Malt (2 Row) UK (5.9 EBC)Grain79.21 %0.44 kgCaramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (118.2 EBC)Grain10.89 %0.25 kgBlack (Patent) Malt (985.0 EBC)Grain6.19 %0.15 kgWheat, Flaked (3.2 EBC)Grain3.71 %25.00 gmChallenger [7.50 %] (60 min)Hops20.7 IBU18.00 gmGoldings, East Kent [5.00 %] (10 min)Hops3.6 IBU1.00 itemsWhirlfloc Tablet (Boil 10.0 min)Misc1.00 tspYeast Nutrient (Primary 3.0 days)Misc​my mild go hope it doesnt end up spritzy


----------



## rude (3/9/09)

sorry about the horizontal post not sure how to paste beer smith vertical like others


----------



## muckey (3/9/09)

rude said:


> jeez Im excited this sounds like a really good yeast.



got a best bitter in the fermenter at the moment. bramling / styrian and ringwood yeast. Is almost finished and ready for secondary conditioning.
hydro sample at 1016 smelt and tasted absolutely devine.

Love that ringwood!!


----------



## rude (3/9/09)

Hey mucky care to post youre bitter recipe
cheers rude


----------



## Ross (4/9/09)

One of the most used (commercially) yeasts in the USA.

Guess what yeast Dogfish Head use B) 

Cheers Ross


----------



## matti (4/9/09)

Kai said:


> A question for the rousers and beaters:
> 
> So if you don't reoxygenate ringwood with a few rousings and beatings at the start of the ferment, do you find the yeast just quits before target FG has been reached?
> 
> I remember I brewed with landlord a few years ago and the ferment just completely died in the arse around 3/4ths of the way through.



pretty much.
Ringwood Yeast Loves Oxygen as it is a Hybrid yeast.
Because it attenuates so well it is important to give a good rouse and it is worth to give the fermenter a shake after 4 or 5 days especially if the temperatur drop by a couple of degrees.

Luv that yeast even if only used it 3 times thus far.


----------



## chucke (4/9/09)

Yeah, Ringwood does love the Oxygen-

I never plug/airlock the carboys with this one- just sterilized tin foil.


----------



## muckey (4/9/09)

rude said:


> Hey mucky care to post youre bitter recipe
> cheers rude




I actually got it from butters and he's welcome to post it if he wants. I asked him for a recipe and he put it together based on some thoughts he'd had about TTL type beers.


----------



## THE DRUNK ARAB (4/9/09)

Kai said:


> A question for the rousers and beaters:
> 
> So if you don't reoxygenate ringwood with a few rousings and beatings at the start of the ferment, do you find the yeast just quits before target FG has been reached?
> 
> I remember I brewed with landlord a few years ago and the ferment just completely died in the arse around 3/4ths of the way through.



Kai, it seems to work best with a repitch in my experience. Took a 1075 FES down to 1012 in 2 weeks without so much as a stir. Admittedly I added adjuncts to the primary whilst fermenting.

C&B
TDA


----------



## drsmurto (4/9/09)

THE DRUNK ARAB said:


> Kai, it seems to work best with a repitch in my experience. Took a 1075 FES down to 1012 in 2 weeks without so much as a stir. Admittedly I added adjuncts to the primary whilst fermenting.
> 
> C&B
> TDA



Agree with that. 

The first use is always from a big starter - 2L for a 20L batch and then _maybe_ a gentle swirl of the fermenter for the first day or 2. Krausen always seems subdued on 1st pitch. 

Repitch needs no help. krausen tries to escape the fermenter.

But then i generally try and keep it around 20-22C, and then step it up to maybe 24 for the last 2-3 days of primary.


----------



## buttersd70 (4/9/09)

Muckey said:


> I actually got it from butters and he's welcome to post it if he wants. I asked him for a recipe and he put it together based on some thoughts he'd had about TTL type beers.



You're getting your recipes and conversations muddled up, mate. :lol: No TTL inspirations _at all_ in this bitter.....
heres the recipe for any that want it.

TF golden promise, 93.5%
caraaroma 5%
carafa spec t1 1.5%
OG 1044, single infusion 67C

bramling 60min
bramling and styrian 15min, 0.86g/L combined (10g of each in 23L  ...scale as required for volume.)
29 IBU

ferment ~20C

oh, and Muckey.....slightly OT....when I looked at your sample the other day and seemed confused about the colour...it's cos I had a brainfart and was thinking of a different recipe, which is meant to be darker. Yours is exactly as it should be.


----------



## np1962 (4/9/09)

Muckey said:


> I actually got it from butters and he's welcome to post it if he wants. I asked him for a recipe and he put it together based on some thoughts he'd had about TTL type beers.


and seeing as he is likely to drink most of it... :lol:


----------



## muckey (4/9/09)

NigeP62 said:


> and seeing as he is likely to drink most of it... :lol:




It's the butters cult - brainwash people to brew for him so he has a steady supply of beer


@butters noted re colour and conversations :icon_cheers:

edit spellingk fart


----------



## big78sam (17/3/10)

Bizier said:


> Oh, I forgot to mention that I have had problems with it looking finished at a gravity like 1.010 or whatever and then deciding to kick off again in the bottle. Spritzy mild ales are not my thing... It pays to make sure that Ringwood has finished its job completely.



Bump, after a search...

I have had the same issue as this twice recently, the only 2 times I've used 1187. The last was a robust porter that went from 1052 to 1014 a week. After 2 weeks in the fermenter and constant readings I bottled. It must have kicked off again in the bottle as it is overcarbed now despite a moderate bulk prime. I had the same thing with an ESB a few months ago. I didn't aerate for the first 2 days but will do so now.

If my maths are correct 1052 to 1014 is 73% attenuation. It seems the above comments about up to 80% attenuation might be correct...


----------



## Bribie G (17/3/10)

big78sam said:


> Bump, after a search...
> 
> I have had the same issue as this twice recently, the only 2 times I've used 1187. The last was a robust porter that went from 1052 to 1014 a week. After 2 weeks in the fermenter and constant readings I bottled. It must have kicked off again in the bottle as it is overcarbed now despite a moderate bulk prime. I had the same thing with an ESB a few months ago. I didn't aerate for the first 2 days but will do so now.
> 
> If my maths are correct 1052 to 1014 is 73% attenuation. It seems the above comments about up to 80% attenuation might be correct...



I'm a big fan of Ringwood but, as pointed out, it can hang on and on and on if you don't give it a good rousing early on in the piece. Last August I had a brew day, and there was a stout on Ringwood that had been in primary for about 10 days. It was just sitting there in the Brewhouse at ambient (around 20 degrees) and every minute or so it would go 'bloop' The attendees cottoned on to this and whenever it went bloop the guys would chant "bloop". Simple things..... :lol: :lol:

Since then, with Ringwood, being a Yorkshire Yeast, I always treat it as being a stone square type yeast and thrash, aerate and rouse it twice a day for the first two or three days to emulate the Yorkshire square pumping and rousing system. Works a treat.

edit: looked back and realised that brew day was in August. time flies


----------



## Howlingdog (18/3/10)

BribieG said:


> I'm a big fan of Ringwood but, as pointed out, it can hang on and on and on if you don't give it a good rousing early on in the piece. Last August I had a brew day, and there was a stout on Ringwood that had been in primary for about 10 days. It was just sitting there in the Brewhouse at ambient (around 20 degrees) and every minute or so it would go 'bloop' The attendees cottoned on to this and whenever it went bloop the guys would chant "bloop". Simple things..... :lol: :lol:
> 
> Since then, with Ringwood, being a Yorkshire Yeast, I always treat it as being a stone square type yeast and thrash, aerate and rouse it twice a day for the first two or three days to emulate the Yorkshire square pumping and rousing system. Works a treat.
> 
> edit: looked back and realised that brew day was in August. time flies



The new squares at Black Sheep Brewery, Masham are round now.


----------



## Bribie G (18/3/10)

Meh 
can't beat the old method




You just knew I was going to post that one more time didn't you :icon_chickcheers:


----------



## gap (18/3/10)

HowlingDog said:


> The new squares at Black Sheep Brewery, Masham are round now.



So you have done the Black Sheep Brewery tour also.
Did they have you at the top of the Brewery and turn out the lights and then
release the wort into the hopback??? Amazing aroma of hot wort and hops!!!!

edited to add: 

At Black Sheep they pump the wort back to the top of the fermentor much like a herms system.

The wort splashes back into the fermentor. This occurs for 15 minutes every 6 hours for the first
36 hours after the yeast is pitched.

Regards

Graeme


----------



## Howlingdog (18/3/10)

OT, but thought this might be interesting http://petebrown.blogspot.com/2010/03/excl...s-cask-ale.html


----------



## bullsneck (18/10/11)

When you guys are pitching a fresh wort onto the yeast cake, are you washing it prior or is it a case of just dumping it in there. I'm thinking of a TTL inspired bitter then using the yeast cake on a 1.067 Oatmeal Stout.


----------



## RdeVjun (18/10/11)

bullsneck said:


> When you guys are pitching a fresh wort onto the yeast cake, are you washing it prior or is it a case of just dumping it in there. I'm thinking of a TTL inspired bitter then using the yeast cake on a 1.067 Oatmeal Stout.


No, I don't wash fermenter slurry before use in subsequent batches, just discard all but about 1/3 of it- that's generally leaving less than 1L and pitch the new wort straight on to it. Usually fermentation is obvious overnight, sometimes within hours. 
Its a really easy way to get maximum value out of a pack of yeast, be it dried or liquid. I'll generally do four or five batches on the one strain like this, so one after another and no farting around with starters while saving say $5- $10 per batch, plus the actual pitching is over and done with in seconds.
Hope that helps! :icon_cheers:


----------



## argon (18/10/11)

I donthe same as Rdevjun. Just take about 1/2 a cupmof slurry for ales 1 cup for lagers and pitch it directly into the next batch. Don't like the idea of pitching on to a while yeast cake. IMO massive overpitch and won't get the characteristics out of pitching the correct amount.


----------



## technoicon (18/10/11)

I have used the ringwood in an APA, it was awesome. I also pitch striaght onto my yeast cake, if I have a wort ready. Other wise I put it in a couple of pet bottles and pitch that when ready.


----------

