Different Brews, Same Yeast (US05) All very similar

[neo__04]

Hey all,

Have done a few brews of late, Golden Ale, Mornington pale ale clone, Little creatures bright ale, all from the recipe DB.

They all have different hops, different grain bills, All used US05, and they all seem very similar.

The pale ale I wasnt overly happy with as it didnt have that fresh & hoppy flavor, not like some commercial pale ales i've had.

I'm wondering if using US05 on all those beers is giving me a similar flavor in them all? Or are the grain bills just quite similar and i cant really tell a major difference between a few of them.

Just curious, Just wanting to get better as I go and learn what I may or may not be doing wrong.

Thanks all

 

[Wadey]

From my understanding the yeast type can have a large impact on the beer flavour. Assuming you have temp control in place I would do the same recipe but try a different yeast type, like Wyeast and experiment. I am also about to do a LCPA with US05 so I might try the same exercise and see how much it impacts flavour profile.

Stay tuned, there will be others that have way more experience then me that will help out.

Wadey

 

[neal32]

Hey all,

Have done a few brews of late, Golden Ale, Mornington pale ale clone, Little creatures bright ale, all from the recipe DB.

They all have different hops, different grain bills, All used US05, and they all seem very similar.

The pale ale I wasnt overly happy with as it didnt have that fresh & hoppy flavor, not like some commercial pale ales i've had.

I'm wondering if using US05 on all those beers is giving me a similar flavor in them all? Or are the grain bills just quite similar and i cant really tell a major difference between a few of them.

Just curious, Just wanting to get better as I go and learn what I may or may not be doing wrong.

Thanks all

I don't know how your water is but I remember when I first went to AG my beers using Perth water where similar when using us05 or even an english yeast(at 18 degrees). Not bad at all, just lacking clarity in flavour. Also with that is your mash pH dialed in?

If you have the ability to, use something like Tasty McDoles Pale water numbers, see if that makes a difference. It did for me.

Once you have your water and mash pH dialed in, commercial pale ales will seem mundane. Good luck.

 

[Spiesy]

Hey all,

Have done a few brews of late, Golden Ale, Mornington pale ale clone, Little creatures bright ale, all from the recipe DB.

They all have different hops, different grain bills, All used US05, and they all seem very similar.

The pale ale I wasnt overly happy with as it didnt have that fresh & hoppy flavor, not like some commercial pale ales i've had.

I'm wondering if using US05 on all those beers is giving me a similar flavor in them all? Or are the grain bills just quite similar and i cant really tell a major difference between a few of them.

Just curious, Just wanting to get better as I go and learn what I may or may not be doing wrong.

Thanks all

You've made 3 x American Pale Ales/Golden Ales. How successful your brews were and how discerning your pallet is - will play a large part in how those beers turn out, and are perceived.
If everything was done correctly, they should taste different (although they will have a similar American "vibe" to them - think, "fruity").
US-05 is a fairly transparent yeast, the majority of the flavour you will be experiencing should be from your grain or hops - unless of course, you've fermented at a high temperature, then you'll likely get some nasties out of your yeast.

I understand a lot of local commercial breweries (Mountain Goat, Kooinda) almost exclusively used US-05, but their beers certainly don't taste all the same.

 

[Lecterfan]

The same yeast used across different beers will give them similar attributes - but whether or not it is 'the same' is really up to your palate and ability to describe what you are tasting. Grain bill is obviously a huge factor, but often the defining characteristic of a beer (think of the ale/lager distinction) comes down to what yeast is being pitched. For the extreme example of this, throw wy3711 in almost any grain bill and marvel in wonder at how they all consequently share the same main, often defining characteristic.

Try BRY 97 and then the MJ U.S. yeast, then wy1272 etc etc etc...there are plenty of suitable yeasts for pale ales...only through brewing, brewing, brewing, will you discover what your palate prefers (with the obvious added bonus that your skills and system should also become more refined along the way). I am also in the minority in thinking that US05 isn't really 'neutral'...sure, it is subdued compared to many other yeasts, but it's lack of obvious huge yeast flavours is, in turn, it's defining characteristic and therefore can still give similar attributes across a range of beers. I generally agree with what people say about it, just that I describe it differently.

 

[djdjustin]

I would agree with lecter fan that US05 does have a flavour to it. Try a beer made with US05 and a beer made with Nottingham, another 'neutral' dry yeast and the yeast flavour is certainly different. I once made a beer with US05 that had a distinct wine (think Sauvignon Blanc) taste to it which took 2 months to mellow out. I attributed this to forgetting to aerate the wort and fermenting at 15C.

 

[danestead]

You've made 3 x American Pale Ales/Golden Ales. How successful your brews were and how discerning your pallet is - will play a large part in how those beers turn out, and are perceived.
If everything was done correctly, they should taste different (although they will have a similar American "vibe" to them - think, "fruity").
US-05 is a fairly transparent yeast, the majority of the flavour you will be experiencing should be from your grain or hops - unless of course, you've fermented at a high temperature, then you'll likely get some nasties out of your yeast.

I understand a lot of local commercial breweries (Mountain Goat, Kooinda) almost exclusively used US-05, but their beers certainly don't taste all the same.

What he said.

 

[neo__04]

Hmm, interesting info.

As for the procedure, everything is temp controlled, no problems there.

As for my water, i've never adjusted mash ph, or done anything with the water.

Should that be my next step? Workin on my water for each beer type?

I'm certainly not saying any of the beers I made weren't good, they were just sorta similar.

As i'm still resonalby new to AG, I just like to learn as I go and if i need to change my process i'd adapt to suit

 

[thisispants]

Yeah, I agree that a lot of us05 beers taste quite similar. Try Danstar's West Coast Ale yeast, it's great!

 

[peas_and_corn]

I'd say that there would be a number of things that are making your beers have similar attributes. Having the same yeast each time, especially if your process (mash temp, aeration method, ferment profile) is the same will have an influence. My own bias is that US05 is a great yeast to start brewing with because it's less fussy than other yeasts and you can spot issues with your fermentation really easily with it.

That said, the ester profile for US-05 is quite simple and I got bored of it after a while. I quite like wyeast Irish ale yeast as its ester profile is far more interesting.

Also, are you using the same/similar malts but in different ratios? That can easily lend a 'samey' feel to your beers as well. I sometimes browse Brew Adelaide's store and say "hey, never used that. I'll work it into my next beer" just to see what it would do.

 

[Blind Dog]

All of your ingredients (grain, hops, water, yeast) impact flavour, as does your mash profile, boil and cold side processes. using US05 across muliple beers should give very different results depending on the variations in the other parameters as it's one of the more subtle yeasts around for ales. Personally, I'd be looking first at my other ingredients

 

[neo__04]

Thanks again for more info.

Well i guess to an extent most of the procedure is the same. Eg. Mash temps on them were all around 66, fermented at 18 degrees, same yeast.
Its just the grain bill and hops that varied.

Can someone recommend me a great pale ale recipe and a yeast to go with it? I'll try something different, order grains to suit, fresh yeast, and see how it goes.
I've tried 4 pines pale ale recent and it was quite nice, also mornington pale ale is a ripper. Something along those lines would be good.

I'll make it an experiment, see if i can get it much better than the rest!

Should i worry about my water and mash PH etc on this next brew?

Edit - Just checked the 4 pines web site for the pale ale, lists everything i need to know.... Just not quantities i guess.
The Finer Details:
Alc. Content: 5.1%
Beginning Gravity: 12.5
Ending Gravity: 3.1
Bittering Hops: Simcoe
Finishing Hops: Cascade, Amarillo and Citra
Bitterness Units: 35
Malts: Ale, Wheat, Munich and Crystal

 

[Spiesy]

Tony (on AHB) has a great Little Creatures clone recipe, I believe it's called "Little Fellers Pale Ale" - or something similar.
Dr. Smurto's Golden Ale is also very good, if you have Amarillo.

>> both of these recipes probably call for US-05, but if you want to try something different, you could try WLP090 San Diego, WY1272 American Ale II, BRY-97 West Coast, M44 West Coast, WLP008 East Coast Ale... etc.

 

[Spiesy]

Wouldn't be a bad idea to try one of the recipes you've already done, and are familiar with - but change the yeast up. See if it makes the difference you're after.

 

[neo__04]

Yeah the golden ale is a favourite, so i'll do a brew of that, using a different yeast.

Little Fellers Pale ale was actually the next one on my list, so might make that and use a different yeast again.

All experiments, delicious experiments.

Thanks again!

 

[marksy]

Brew it again and change the yeast. They def add flavor.