Danstar Windsor Wtf?

[MattC]

Hi guys, Ive just brewed a dry stout OG 1.045 and pitched a rehydrated pack of Danstar Windsor (first time ive used it) @ 18C, and rose the temp up to 21 C over 3 days as I have heard that its a bit hard to get this yeast to attenuate well.

Prot rest @ 50C, Sacc @ 65C, mash out @78C

SG has been at 1.019 for 3 days. It seems to have stopped. I pitched another rehydrated pack last night and still no change as yet. Think I might add about 200g of sugar in a low volume of water and see if it spark it up.

Thats only 58% AA????? Has anyone else had similar experiences with this yeast??

Cheers

 

[geoffi]

This yeast is a notoriously poor attenuator.

For a dry stout I'd recommend Nottingham.

 

[manticle]

Haven't used the yeast but if pitching another pack, try making an active starter with it first (even though it's dried).

 

[MattC]

This yeast is a notoriously poor attenuator.

For a dry stout I'd recommend Nottingham.

Yeah I know, ive been into liquid yeasts for the last few months but I just had these packets lying around.

Cheers

 

[winkle]

This yeast is a notoriously poor attenuator.

For a dry stout I'd recommend Nottingham.

What he said.
It can also crawl along very slowly toward the end, so you might get another point or two drop.

You might consider this a design feature if you use it in a mild :icon_cheers: .

 

[geoffi]

A couple of remedial measures I've had success with:

Try giving the fermenter a daily swirl for a few days and see what happens.

Alternatively, get a sachet of Nottingham and make a large, active starter and pitch it. That might finish the job.

 

[drsmurto]

What he said.
It can also crawl along very slowly toward the end, so you might get another point or two drop.

You might consider this a design feature if you use it in a mild :icon_cheers: .

Agree - Works a treat in a low ABV beer.

Last one was OG 1.036, FG 1.014 - 60% attenuation. :beerbang:

 

[MattC]

Cheers boys, a few helpful hints there. Will see what happens with the sugar syrup first. I only have a couple of S-04 packs left, so if the sugar and swirl doesnt work, mite try an active S-04 starter.

Cheers

 

[Howlingdog]

"Windsor demonstrates moderate attenuation which will leave a relatively high gravity (density)." I've never got better than 60% attenuation (nor expected better) as others have said great for milds and porters.

see Manufacturers website http://www.danstaryeast.com/products/windsor-ale-yeast

HD

 

[Shed101]

I got 57% the only time I used it.

 

[Dazza88]

It's a poor attenuator but the beer it makes is nice for a sweet choc stout. Got 1.018 with about 100g lactose (affects gravity?) in 15 L.

If you tipped in with us-05 or etc you could drop gravity . . . .

Re-call your beer a sweet stout.

 

[MattC]

"Windsor demonstrates moderate attenuation which will leave a relatively high gravity (density)."

I did read that, but I was thinking 65-70 low AA 70-75 moderate AA and 75+AA high, I wasnt expecting 58%.. for a dry stout!!

HHmmmmm perhaps I have just made a low Alc sweet stout?? :beerbang:

Cheers

 

[Shed101]

I did read that, but I was thinking 65-70 low AA 70-75 moderate AA and 75+AA high, I wasnt expecting 58%.. for a dry stout!!

HHmmmmm perhaps I have just made a low Alc sweet stout?? :beerbang:

Cheers

It doesn't matter what it's called, the success is in the drinking :icon_cheers: :icon_drunk:

 

[bradsbrew]

I stuffed up the mash temp of a recent 60L batch of AIPA and ended up mashing at 61 so to avoid a very dry bitter beer I thought I would try windsor yeast due to its poor attenuation. I am quite happy with the result, the malt character is way better and has balanced out nicely with the hops and bitterness than the cube I used us05 with. The third cube is currently cold crashing, after fermenting on the windsor cake, ready to be kegged for the Qld swap for evaluation.

Cheers

 

[kelbygreen]

ok dragging up a old thread. Would of been good if I read it first, But any way I put down a coopers pale ale clone and it was recommended to use this yeast.

here is the recipe

42lts
9.6Kg ale malt
POR 55g @ 60min
windsor yeast
66c mash

Well My targets was good it was 1048 well one was 1047 as split into 2 fermenters and had to top it up a tad. Any way pitched yeast on 12th and temps was 19c. I checked gravity on the 17th and they where 1020. I ramped the temp upto 21c .went away for 10 days and got back today and its on 1018. this yeast is crap well for what I want to use it for. Recipe was ment to come down to 1012 and be 4.7%, but now its at 3.9 and I would like it a bit higher then that.

What yeast should I pitch?? as I doubt this will drop no matter what I try. I am thinking notto as there is no hop flavour so it wont matter about that. I dont want to repitch but I dont want 40lts of mid strength lol

Edit: Oh yeah I put it into 2 fermenters as said and both are on 1018 so looks like its finished at that. And yes I did pitch one pack per fermenter just encase you think I am stupid

 

[Lord Raja Goomba I]

Probably notto. It might finish lower than you would like (I've had it as low as 1.002 and it consistently pokes its head well under 1.010).

I use windsor for mids/milds/low abv dark ales and anything else I want to finish high. What it appears as though you've tried to achieve, I wouldn't have ventured out with Windsor.

Not that I've made them, but all those who do make CPA clones generally all recommend coopers yeast - as the yeast profile is one aspect of the flavour of CPA. I daresay Notto will be cleaner than a CPA ought to be.

Goomba

 

[kelbygreen]

yeah I thought it was strange yet I never used it so thought it might be close to coopers. Any way will know next time

 

[kymba]

make up a starter out of 2 or more coopers stubbies and pitch that. you should get to .006 no worries

i tried andrew's recipe and used us-05 as the starter didn't work, and it was boring. still better than a megaswill though. you need that coopers yeast to liven up the party!

 

[Ross]

ok dragging up a old thread. Would of been good if I read it first, But any way I put down a coopers pale ale clone and it was recommended to use this yeast.

here is the recipe

42lts
9.6Kg ale malt
POR 55g @ 60min
windsor yeast
66c mash

Who on earth recommended Windsor for a coopers clone? - Sorry, but totally daft.
If it's tasting ok leave it, otherwise add some US-05 or Nottingham to get you some extra points, I'd recommend warming to low twentys as well.

cheers Ross

 

[kelbygreen]

it was a recipe generated by LHBS software but some have a few yeasts selected but that had windsor so didnt think anything of it, I think it was out of BYO. Well I went back into it and it recommends windsor or us05 I guess coz I never used windsor I thought Id give it a go as been turned off us05 lately.

As I said I never used it so wasnt sure. I was going to make a starter with coopers bottles but time was the factor and had to get it down that weekend. It tastes alright not to malty but just to heavy. There is still heaps of yeast in suspention the samples are almost white. Not sure if that will make it read higher I guess it would but after 17 days it would be clearing up but again never used it so it musnt drop very well.