Dr. Smurto's Landlord + Ringwood Yeast Fermentation Schedule

[Halfbeak]

I brewed up a 13 litre BIAB batch of Dr. Smurto's Landlord using Wyeast 1187 - Ringwood and I there are a couple of fine points I'm not sure about:

1. Diacetyl rest - I read somewhere that someone couldn't get their hands on any Ringwood so someone suggested using S-04 and a couple of tablespoons of butter... I brewed this one at 20 and it's been in primary for 2 weeks. Is that enough to take care of the diacetyl or do I need to bump up the temp?

2. Secondary - Bitters are supposed to be drank fairly green right? Should I rack to a secondary or just bottle?

Thanks for any help. I'm really looking forward to this one, even though I think I might have cocked it up and will have to do another one. When I was planning the mash schedule, I was flicking through the default schedules in Beersmith and thought to myself "I normally do 1 step temperature mash... 2 step has an extra step, so that must be better right?" Well, the extra step is a protein rest, so I'm looking forward to my beer flavoured water <_< .

 

[RdeVjun]

Hi HB,
firstly, congratulations on this, IMO it is a worthwhile recipe to have a chop at, that's for sure!

I'm not all that familiar with Ringwood, but, depending upon where you are, a few days at room temps (22C or above) should be fine for a diacetyl rest. If you're using a fridge in cold climate then just turn off the controller, pop in a hot water bottle or two for a few days then bottle. It won't hurt your brew if it didn't need a rest.

Yes, a green Landlord is quite something to behold, I'd sample the first within a fortnight. Ringwood should flocculate out pretty well without a secondary, can't even remember the last time I did that.

I feel the butter is either a misguided suggestion or just a pisstake, in future I'd ignore whoever suggested it, just tell them it is 'cock ale' you're making and the recipe includes a chicken carcass, wink, and tell them to google it.

I'd also be careful with ale malt that a protein rest doesn't kill off the head retention, a relatively minor although annoying affliction but unless you have a good reason, it shouldn't be necessary. If you're using a protein rest just to do a single decoction then I would suggest moving it to a mashout decoction instead. Decoctions for some more malt character in a 100% base malt Landlord are a godsend, but specialty malts should be quite OK at the beginning, 3% Caraaroma and just about any ale malt with a low, long mash will be a good start, while upping the late Styrian to 2g/L is another suggestion.

Do not be concerned if you think you've bolloxed it up, it should still be superb. Today I'm bottling my Landlord #24 (yes, number twenty- four) if that's any indication... B)

 

[dr K]

Now I cannot say that I am an expert in or on English Bitters but I hope the following may help...
Ringwood is an excellent, though sometimes troublesome yeast, not my first choice for the style of beer you are making but more than acceptable.
Butter in beer, oh dear.
As to the recipe, it will make a fine beer, though I must say if I were making an ESB I would drop the chocolate (I would drop the Munich as well, but the Munich is really neither here nor there) and use crystal, which is caramelised rather than just roasted, if I were making a TTL Landlord I would do the same but reduce the colour from the crystal, just my tuppence from the christmas pud.

K

 

[RdeVjun]

It isn't my OP, but ta dr K for your thoughts!

Any comments WRT protein resting of ale malt? I tried a protein rest just to facilitate a single decoction with 100% GP + caramelised wort as I needed to enhance the malt profile without any spec malts. But as related previously, I found head retenetion suffered, not that ESBs have a huge head hanging off them, but you get a bit worried looking down a glass at just beer and zilch head.

Sorry Halfbeak for the hijack.

 

[dr K]

The malts we are fortunate enough to have available to us today do not need protein rests, in fact, particularly with British pale malts, a protein rest is detrimental, as you have found.
TTL is quite pale, a single infusion at the high end with a judicious amount of xtal should get you there. I tend to run at about 60% apparent efficiency as I sparge less than others but prefer the results.

K

 

[Halfbeak]

No worries, Rde. I always like to see where topics end up.

I bottled today and had a taste and it is slightly watery, but I think it will turn out nice in the end. I'll be ordering up the ingredients for another go.

dr K: Can you suggest something that Ringwood might be a bit more appropriate for? I'm still quiet new to AG, so I'm enjoying just experimenting with everything and seeing what works and what doesn't.

Thanks for the help, all!

 

[brando]

I've used Ringwood yeast in several ESB's and I'm currently trying it in a stout.

I ferment it at around 20 degrees, and like the results.

However, the one big problem I find with it is that it flocculates out too early, and so I need to stir the trub every couple of days to wake the yeast up again, in order to reach the correct FG.

 

[manticle]

My only experience with ringwood is a recent smoked porter which seemed to attenuate fine. In secondary at the moment - can't remember the last gravity reading but something below 1020 when I racked and is tasting great. Will be doing an ESB soon using the remaining slurry I have on hand. The culture was stepped up from a case swap bottle and split into 2 longnecks.

 

[O'Henry]

I'm doing a mild with this yeast on Friday. I'd sort of forgotten about how eager it is to floc. Should I be worried?

 

[felten]

I'm also fermenting a Dr. S landlord + ringwood atm and after 2 days in the fermenter it looks like the yeast has dropped out at 1.022 from 1.044. Even though I cracked it open and roused it twice yesterday with a big arse spoon ala BribieG. I'll be rousing it again and seeing if I can coax it to do work.

semi-hijack, but I didn't want to start another ringwood thread

 

[mckenry]

[quote name='O'Henry' post='625497' date='Apr 26 2010, 07:25 PM']I'm doing a mild with this yeast on Friday. I'd sort of forgotten about how eager it is to floc. Should I be worried?[/quote]

Yes, be very worried. In Perth this yeast flocs even worse!

 

[manticle]

Just checked my aforementioned porter and it's 1012. No issues getting it there.