# Favourite Yeasts



## Rubes (9/5/04)

What are you're favorite yeasts and what styles do you use them for?

I can start it off with WLP 833 German Bock Lager Yeast. Use it all the time for Bocks but also any malty lager. Great rocky head on this one - best I have seen. The old two finger variety.


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## Justin (10/5/04)

Wyeast 1968 ESB London ale yeast.

Low attenuating yeast so finishes a bit sweeter than most but hopped accordingly makes for a great beer. I've used it on an ESB to great effect and will certainly be making a few more ales with this yeast. I cannot recomend this yeast enough for someone who's trying to make a quick beer that needs to be ready very soon. Ferments very fast (pitch a good amount of yeast of course though) then drops crystal clear in a day or so. Extremely floculant yeast so a shake (not an aeration, just to rouse the yeast off the bottom) of the fermenter after the first day (and maybe the second) will help keep fermentation rocking along.

The ESB I brewed with it finished in 4 days at 18oC, on the fourth it was so brilliantly clear that I kegged it on this day, chilled and carbed and served the next day. It didn't even taste green for reasons unbenownst (??) too me. The first pint poured didn't even have any yeast.

I really like this yeast and will use it again in any situation where I need to quickly turn out a beer for an upcoming BBQ or the like.

JD


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## JasonY (10/5/04)

Wyeast 1272 Amercan Ale II - great yeast for any APA

Agree with Justin 1968 is a great yeast, huge malty finish but brilliant in any english ale. Clearest finishing yeast I have ever seen, kegged an ESB yesterday and the yeast cake was coming out in chunks it was that packed. Have an APA fermenting at the moment with 1968 so that should be interesting.


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## THE DRUNK ARAB (10/5/04)

Wyeast 1028 and Nottingham Ale yeasts.

English style beers obviously B) 

The 1028 lends some fruitiness but also has a pleasant dry finish.
Nottingham is a workhorse and has high attenuation. Leaves a crisp and clean taste which is not unlike lager yeasts (not that I have used Lager yeasts extensively) YET  

I also love Wyeast 1338 European Ale, great accentuation of malt but still allowing hop bitterness to come through ( now I'm just wanking on :lol: )

C&B
TDA


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## Jovial_Monk (10/5/04)

Nottingham and Windsor. I alsways have a few packets of each in the fridge.

1278 Scottish. Another workhorse, and ferments down to 13C. Great for Scottish Ales but also barleywines and stouts

Jovial Monk


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## jayse (10/5/04)

Justin i think you have sold me on 1968 one yeast i still haven't used.
My favourite yeast is wyeast 1272 which i give a hammering too from one batch to the next.
Although I believe a purist may find it leaves too much fruit flavour and some may consider that a fault but not me its wicked.
Also a almost idiot proof strain.
I have had unreal results also with thames valley which by the sounds of justins discribtion of 1968 it is along the same lines but it does ferment out much better.
The thames valley beers i have made are the clearest i have made ever with a great light malt profile without hiding the hop bitterness or flavour.
It works well in lower gravity beers also such as a beer to the mash paddle specs.
One of the latest i have been using is london 3 the youngs yeast which so far iam very pleased with it...it has given a nice clean and balanced ferment.



Cheers Jayse


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## wee stu (10/5/04)

1056 American and 1278 Scottish have to be my favourites by default - cos there the only two I've had experience with yet


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## chiller (10/5/04)

You've started a new yeast strain JM? Scottish is 1728 but I also have trouble remembering it as well. It is a very clean profile witha "hint" of smoke. Works well at low temperatures but not too low. My experience says about 17 - 19 is a great range.

Wyeast 2112 is a very versatile yeast with a lot of forgiveness built in. I ferment this one at 15 and it reaches its flavour peak at about a month in the keg. I find it tends to emphasis the hops but is a very malty yeast with very good lager qualities.

WLP 500 Belgian Trappist. WOW!!!! 

WLP 005 British ale. Clean malty and bright.

Wyeast 1007 a superb ale yeast that works wonderfully at 16 - 17 degrees and gives a very balanced malt hop profile.

Wyeast 1318 London 3 Great malty clean yeast.

Wyeast 1056 American Ale .. the liquid yeast you're having when you're not having a yeast.

Nottingham ... for a dry yeast ... very good.

Some of my favourites.


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## Doc (11/5/04)

If I had to pick four ale yeasts to start off with they would be
WLP001 California Ale yeast (Pale Ales)

WLP002 British Ale Yeast (Dark Ales)

WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast (Wheat Beers)

WLP400 Wit Yeast (Wits/Saison Beers)
If I had to pick 2 two lager yeasts they would be
WLP800 Pilsen Lager Yeast (Pilsners)

WLP920 Old Bavarian Lager Yeast (Oktoberfests)
Beers,
Doc


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## Wreck (11/5/04)

Doc, that's four ale yeasts


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## johnno (11/11/04)

Thought I would bring this up again and hopefully we can get some more replies.
I think I had only used the Wyeast 1056 when this thread first came up. Even now I havent used too many more yeasts.
I am drinking a brew made with the Wyeast 1335 British Ale II at the moment and I might have to say its the one I have enjoyed the most so far. 
I also have a another brew in primary with this yeast that has been slowly fermenting at arounf 14 C. The past 10 days or so have been very cool in Melb.
I will be making one more brew using this on the weekend.
So c'mon fellow brewers tell us what you like.

cheers


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## jaytee (11/11/04)

Of the two liquids I've tried, it's the 1275 Thames Valley over the 1968 ESB by a whisker.

I get a slightly less sweet finish with the 1275 which I prefer


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## johnno (11/11/04)

Got to say I always found the Wyeast 1056 always seemed to finish too sweet for me.

cheers


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## GMK (11/11/04)

My Fav yeasts are:

1084 Irish Ale,
1272 American Ale II
2308 Munich Lager
3184 Sweet Mead

trying the 1026 cask conditioned, 1762 Belgian Abbey Yeast II

have yet to try/smack the packs and brew with:
1275 Thames Valley
1968 London ESB Ale.


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## neonmeate (11/11/04)

i thought thames valley was a bit hohum, not much to it, 1968/wlp002 gives a much richer flavour for mine.also wlp013 was good as english stuff goes, nice and round and woody.

belgian bastogne is my fave belgian yeast, really complex and fruity.

WLP833 for lagers - oh yeah.


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## Hophead (11/11/04)

As a wheat fan WLP300 and WLP380. With WLP380 preferred over WLP300 even though it does not seem to ferment as strongly and takes much longer to ferment out.


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## barfridge (11/11/04)

WLP 833 has been my favourite so far. I did a pils and a bock with it, and they were great. Lovely maltyness, which blends nicely into the hop finish.

I'm brewing a stout with WLP002 at the moment. I was after 007, but they were out of stock


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## chiller (11/11/04)

I have used WLP 005 for quite some time now [same orginal culutre] and the flavour profile is wonderful. Malty, great hop balance and quite neutral.

I've used this yeast in light [coloured] beers right through to the blackest stout and always the beer character shines as opposed to yeast profile. I'm not classifying this yeast as neutral but what it adds is so very subtle. I have found it responds well with temperatures from 10 -- 23 degrees with no flavour changes.

WLP 008 is a yeast I've use for 3 beers and it is fast becoming a must keep in the yeast ranch.

It is very slightly fruity but with a very clean profile. It doesn't overemphasise any aspect of the beer but each component is recognisable on the palate. This yeast doesn't seem too happy below 19 and I've kept it in the very low 20's.

WLP 028 and wyeast 1728 while compared don't seem to respond in the same way from my experience. 1728 seems reasonable happy in lower temps where 028 is much happier 19 -- 21 degrees. 

Both of the yeast will attentuate way down so if you intend to make a malty Scottish ale mash at 69 -- 70 and hopefully it will finish about 1.018 [ish]

Those 3 yeast are my pick, in fact I'm happy to use them for most of my brewing ............ so what to do with the other critters in the yeast ranch

Steve.


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## Bobby (11/11/04)

i like british ale, cailfornian ale, burton ale and budejovioce.
just used belgian wit ale and it taste fine too..


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## Gulf Brewery (11/11/04)

My top yeasts
WLP 833 - Bock
WLP 023 - Burton Ale
1007 - German Ale
2278 - Czech Pils

Cheers
Pedro


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## nonicman (11/11/04)

WLP400 Belgian Wit and WLP023 Burtons Ale, so far....

Add White Labs 380 Hefewiezen IV, had my first bottle of hefe last night. Wonderful banana flavour.


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## Weizguy (21/11/04)

I still have some Yeastlab purchased at the old Hunter Street shop in Newcastle. They are Pilsner (allegedly W34\70) and American Ale (maybe SierraNevada, similar to 1056), both purchased in 1998. Both do a great job, as does Bavarian Wheat blend W3056; my first liquid yeast.

And I can say good things for WhiteLabs Wit II, just don't ferment too high, or you'll be waiting about 3 years (at last reckoning) for the phenolics to fade enough...and it makes a nice honey ale at 7% (oops :blink: )

Also, a yeast which came from a bottle of Matilda Bay Real Ale (great beer, send more. I only had 1 stubbie), makes a great Winter Warmer at O.G. 1.072

This is your brain on drugs. Any questions?


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## sluggerdog (22/11/04)

If there any good liquid yeasts that can be used in higher temperatures for lagers at all?

I don't have the equipment to keep the temperature below 20C (18C at very lowest) until winter anyway...

Thanx


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## roach (22/11/04)

Wyeast 2112 California Lager Yeast produces lager characteristics at 18 and below. WOrks up to 20c Used it a few times and is OK


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## sluggerdog (22/11/04)

Cheers roach, might have to get that one a go sometime soon.

Thanx


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## Slight (24/12/04)

JasonY said:


> Wyeast 1272 Amercan Ale II - great yeast for any APA
> 
> Agree with Justin 1968 is a great yeast, huge malty finish but brilliant in any english ale. Clearest finishing yeast I have ever seen, kegged an ESB yesterday and the yeast cake was coming out in chunks it was that packed. Have an APA fermenting at the moment with 1968 so that should be interesting.


 How did the APA turn out?

I'm trying to make a LCPA clone and the only yeasts I have are 1084, 1338, 3944 and 1968


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## Jovial_Monk (24/12/04)

Saisson yeast! Following on pitching a sachet of this into half of my IPA I am now keen to brew a proper Saisson next year, well one or three 


Jovial Monk


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## neonmeate (24/12/04)

saison yeast is great stuff! i just bottled a saison that never got below 26 or so and it still came out beautiful - best yeast for summer there is! yummy fruity/earthy/peppery flavour too.


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## kook (24/12/04)

WY1272 (American Ale II)
WY3068 (Weihenstephan Wheat)

You can use 1272 for so many different american styled beers and get good results. I've used it for (US) porters, APAs, IPAs etc etc and its always consistant.

And 3068 can turn a standard kit wheat beer into something pretty damn tasty. One of my favourite no-fuss brews was a wheat beer kit, a kilo of liquid wheat malt extract, and 500g of dried wheat malt extract (muntons). Simple kit brew and with the 3068 makes a good weizen!


When I get back I really want to try some brews with the 3278 lambic blend. I've got some hop flowers "aging" at home for when I get back


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## mje1980 (26/12/04)

My faves are:

Ale:
White labs burton ale, it has a top flavour, and is a great fermentor ( needed a blow off everytime)
Wyeast kolsch ale yeast. I think i broke my record for finishing a keg using this yeast. Dry, but slightly sweet finish, definately one of my faves.
Wyeast weihenstephan weizen, this is seriously flavoursome!.

Lager:
Wyeast czech pils, lovely malt flavour.


What about yeasts you dont like??

Ale:
Tried white labs london ale, was o.k, but not great.
Wyeast irish ale, not reel keen on this either

Lager:
White labs san francisco lager, the most horrible yeast i have ever used!! green apple would have less bite!

Not saying the above yeasts are crap, i just didnt like the results i got with them.


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## Barry cranston (27/12/04)

Good day
My favourite yeast is WLP San Fran for all lagers from a Bohemian Pils to a dopplebock, best at 10-12oC but good up to 16oC for us winter garage brewers. I have never had a "green apple" problem with this yeast so your experince has me wondering/perplexed. One thing about home brewing it is always interesting and so variable.
I am about to rack to identical special bitters, one with WLP Southwold and one with WLP London Ale. Will be interesting to see the difference.
All the best, Barry.


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