English Yeast Fermentation Profiles to get "English Character"

[Randai]

Just posting this out there to see if anyone else has done/noticied similar flavours and a FYI if you haven't tried it.

So after my usage of English yeast for a number of batches (10-15) I've become really interested in that "English Ester Flavour" that occurs in the English(British?) beer.

I've seen a huge thread on homebrew talk

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=221817

Where they were experimenting with different fermentation profiles and what not. I've given a shot a couple of times now with the fullers yeast (WLP002/Wyeast1968) and it has provided that "English Character", that I remember from the pints in England end of last year.

But I've been reading Ron Pattison's (author of shut up about barclay perkins) book on bitter beer and an interesting segment on the fermentation at an old brewery 1889 Salt and Co. Where they talk about the fermentation schedule. Ron talks about that they did something similar at Barclay Perkins with the following quote
"Here's an example from Barclay Perkins a PA brewed in 1886. It was pitched at 60 F (15.5C), After a day the temperature has risen to 65 F (18.3 C) and after 2 days to 71 F (21.6 C) By the time the primary fermentation was complete, after 5 days, the temperature had dropped back down to 62 F (16.6 C)"

He then puts an example of a fullers fermentation schedule in a table that goes along the lines of. Pitch at 59.5 F (15.2 C) at 19.5 hours temp is 62 F (16.6 C) by 22.5 hours 63.5 F (17.5 C) 29 Hours 69 F (20.5 C) and it sits there up until 86 Hours where it seems they begin dropping it down to 58.5 F and rack it off.

Edit: Found the post on his blog here http://barclayperkins.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/messrs-salt-and-co-part-three.html

In the long HBT thread the hypothesis is that the cooling down when its done makes it so that the yeast won't clean up the esters that its put out.
I've noticed this to a degree myself personally, but haven't done a side by side comparison of using the fullers yeast in a beer with a normal "set at X temperature and let it ferment out" and "pitch cool, let rise, then when nearly finished cool down to finish fermentation and then cold crash to stop".

But at least it seems not only fullers but another two brewers back in the day were doing a similar practice in two different parts of Britain.

I do have a stout fermenting that I didn't do the "fermentation schedule" on that is using the fullers yeast, so once its kegged I'll see if I can taste that same "estery" goodness.

 

[Randai]

Also just to give some more anecdotal data on at least 'English Character' with relation to WLP002.

I did the stout, which didn't really have any hint of the "esters" that I've tasted in fullers themselves. Though this could be due to the stout being quite flavourful in the roast character that it drowns out that "flavour".

I also did a couple of beers after that, one which was a simple bitter, which I follow the fermentation schedule of, lower, let rise, bring back down around 50% fermentation, to 17.7 C and then crash.

As well did a small 2.8% ale beer with ginger as an addition that followed that and its got a huge amount of the british bready character you get from the fullers that the stout didn't have.

 

[Bribie G]

I don't know that there is a single "English Character".. I find that the beer styles differ markedly around the country - perhaps not so much nowadays when you can get TTL in London etc. A lot of the character comes from the malts and hops but yeast certainly plays a part.

Fullers are famous for their "reverse J curve" fermentation" that you mention.
The most documented fermentation schedule would be Yorkshire Stone Square brewing, where the beer is fermented pretty much at the temperatures in the Barclay Perkins example but not allowed to rise to more than 20 degrees.
However I'd bet that most breweries nowadays just do a straight through fermentation around the 20 degree mark.

The Barclay Perkins examples would not be recognisable as modern English ales. In those days the breweries themselves kept huge stores of "keeping beer" to mature. They were a lot stronger than modern ales and were racked and sent out to the pubs after several months of storage.

Modern "running beers" didn't come in until the turn of the 20th century when breweries bought up or built big estates of pubs called tied houses. The weaker modern style milds and bitters could be sent out to the pubs fairly young, and it became the responsibility of the landlord to finish off the beer in the cellar prior to serving. This saved the breweries a motza. I'd love to recreate some of those old keeping beers if I ever get the time or storage ability.
OT but some of the old Australian breweries in the 19th century also used to "vat" the ales and keep them for months (see "Bronzed Brews").

There's a good section on brewing in the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica that mentions the new running beers, with a reference to the premium "keeping beers". They state pitching at 60F and not allowed to rise to more than 70/75 F except for Yorkshire stone square beers, that are kept cooler throughout fermentation.

A good place to post would be one of the UK forums such as Jim's Beer Kit or The Brewing Forum.

 

[Randai]

Interesting on that "English" character, I'd say at least in my limited experience you'd be bang on, because yeah there is no overall "english character", that'd be impossible to nail down, heck at one stage the keeping/stale ales would have had a hit of brett in there.

But I guess its probably what I am referring to is keeping as much of those esters and what not around for the flavour they bring, so maybe some strains clean it up and some don't, I don't have too much experience on a wide range of British yeasts, nor must I say on the different beers sold over in the UK.

Saw that in Bronzed brews, especially with the stouts and adding in the Brett.

Although I do remember from a "Can You Brew It" that apparently fullers still does that sort of thing, at least back in 2011.
http://byo.com/aging/item/2318-fuller%E2%80%99s-the-pride-of-london

Guess I'll have to expand out in the future and try other yeasts, to see if there is a difference with a sort of rise, lower and then crash to preserve.

Thanks for the article, I'll give it good read.

p.s: I'd love to give those keeping ales a crack, but I'd imagine it'd be a lot of effort.

 

[manticle]

For me - uk malt, simple grist, don't overdo the crystal.

Yeast strain - 1469, 1728 and a few others.

Start cool, let rise late to maybe 20-21 (wort/beer temp, not ambient).

Enough conditioning time to see beer go clear/bright.

Served not too cold or fizzy.

 

[Mardoo]

I seem to be noticing proper aeration during the pour - either via hand pump, a vigorous pour, syringe, etc. - helps the esters show more prominently. I'm not yet 100% sure on this, as I've only tried it with a few beers brewed with 1469, but the (anecdotal) evidence appears to be swinging that direction.

 

[Bribie G]

A good estery yeast is Wyeast 1187 Ringwood fermented at a shade over 20 degrees.