Substitute For Us-05

[aaronpetersen]

I've now done 3 brews using US-05 (dried version) and they've all had a strong yeast taste. I haven't had that problem with any other yeasts. Has anyone else experienced this and can anyone recommend a substitute (liquid or dry) for APA's? I was thinking of trying Wyeast American Ale II (1272) but it says it is a bit fruity and I want something fairly neutral.

 

[Pollux]

Odd, I can never taste the yeast and I almost exclusively use US05, what temps are you fermenting at??

 

[Sydneybrewer]

US-05 is the most neutral and clean ale yeast i have used, the only thing i could suggest that has a cleaner finish is maybe using an american lager yeast and ferment at 10-12 degrees but then that would be making an American Lager as apposed to an american pale ale and would be best to make it a little less malty. :mellow:

 

[Silo Ted]

WLP-001 California Ale

 

[bconnery]

I've now done 3 brews using US-05 (dried version) and they've all had a strong yeast taste. I haven't had that problem with any other yeasts. Has anyone else experienced this and can anyone recommend a substitute (liquid or dry) for APA's? I was thinking of trying Wyeast American Ale II (1272) but it says it is a bit fruity and I want something fairly neutral.

You could use the liquid version, or similar strain anyway, WY1056 I think it is. But as others have said this is normally a very neutral clean yeast. I'd be looking first at fermentation regimes and other aspects of your process perhaps.
If you can pop up some details of the beers, the method you used etc. you might get some ideas / tips, tricks etc.

 

[warra48]

Never had this problem, using either US05 or WLP001.

My regime is to ferment in primary for 2 weeks at 18C, then to drop the temperature to 3C for another 2 weeks cold conditioning. That tends to drop the beer quite clear at bottling time. I bottle from primary, and have clear beers without filtration or finings etc.

How long, and at what temperature are you fermenting?

 

[Gavo]

I have the opposite problem... US-05 is too bland for me. For me it's 1272 all the way. :icon_drool2:

As bconnery has said give up some info like fermentation temp etc.

Gavo.

 

[aaronpetersen]

Hmmm...it seems like I am the only one having this problem. I've done two DR Smurto Golden Ales (kit version) and an LCPA clone, which was also a kit and bits recipe. The DSGA's were fermented at 18 deg C and the LCPA at 20-ish. Normally in primary for 2-3 weeks, then when SG is stable I cold-crash for a few days and then bottle, all from primary fermenter. I did rack to a secondary with one DSGA before cold-crashing but that didn't make any difference. All the brews were reasonably clear at bottling, I wouldn't say crystal clear, but certainly not cloudy.
Is it worth trying the Wyeast 1056? Would the liquid version behave any differently to the dried?

 

[Sammus]

could try it.

Are you sure the taste your getting is yeasty?

 

[chadjaja]

Pacman wyeast :chug:
That has replaced 1056/so5 in a lot of the hoppy APA's I've been making. Some it doesn't suit but others it improves and brews out nice and clean with a great hops taste. :beer:

 

[aaronpetersen]

could try it.

Are you sure the taste your getting is yeasty?

I'm pretty sure it's the yeast that I can taste. I saved some of the slurry from my LCPA and, just out of curiosity, I tasted it :icon_vomit: . It's the same taste that I have in my beer. I must admit that other people who've tasted the beer don't seem to notice it as much as me. Maybe I'm just very sensitive to the taste of that particular yeast.

 

[aaronpetersen]

Pacman wyeast :chug:
That has replaced 1056/so5 in a lot of the hoppy APA's I've been making. Some it doesn't suit but others it improves and brews out nice and clean with a great hops taste. :beer:

That's a PC strain isn't it? Any HBS still have any stock left? Hey, I just noticed you're not far from me, any chance of scabbing a slant or some slurry? Happy to trade if I've got anything you want. US-05 perhaps .

 

[chadjaja]

That's a PC strain isn't it? Any HBS still have any stock left? Hey, I just noticed you're not far from me, any chance of scabbing a slant or some slurry? Happy to trade if I've got anything you want. US-05 perhaps .

I'm onto my second gen of it but I can spare a bottle of yeast if you like. I split up wyeast packs and then use the bottle to create a starter to pitch for each brew. All you would have to do is make a 1L starter, decant the beer in the bottle and pitch the yeast in the bottom of it. PM me if you want one.

Good to see another brewer in these parts. Me and Alan might even have a brew club at this rate.

 

[muckey]

they'll all taste "yeasty" to some degree. I'd recommend clearing your beer as much as possible to minimise the amount of yeast you are tasting. If you've got enough hop in there, you could try changing the malt profile a bit as well as more flavour from the malt and hops will help to mask other things like yeatyness.

other than that, us-05 fermented at around 18 - 20 degrees is about the most flavour neutral yeast I've ever used.

hope that helps

 

[seemax]

Not much yeast flavour when used in APAs and IPAs.

I've been using Cal Lager (2112) a lot recently in APA/CAPs and really enjoy it, brings out the malt a little more. Fermented at 14C it's still pretty fast and clears up well.

 

[Screwtop]

I'm pretty sure it's the yeast that I can taste. I saved some of the slurry from my LCPA and, just out of curiosity, I tasted it :icon_vomit: . It's the same taste that I have in my beer. I must admit that other people who've tasted the beer don't seem to notice it as much as me. Maybe I'm just very sensitive to the taste of that particular yeast.

Is it a kind of green apple taste? If so then look to fermentation management, although your description of temps times etc seems ok. I'm putting my money on old/badly stored extract and/or a high FG.

Screwy

EDIT: What hops??

 

[manticle]

Save a bottle or two and go into Grain and Grape in yarraville. Explain the problem you're having with US05, be polite and maybe make a purchase (they sell everything from beer to hops to yeast to equipment) and ask them to taste your beer. They'll be able to give you a helping hand.

Diagnosing over the net from reading a post is very difficult - is it yeasty like vegemite? If that's the case I think either yeast autolysis or overpitching can be causes but at least the second seems unlikely and autolysis isn't massively common unless you cook your yeast (above 40 degrees at least) or leave it for months on the primary cake (even then some people reckon it's no issue).

I have had yeast bite in a couple of brews and sometimes pick it up in commercial brews (sometimes subtle sometimes full on) but I'd be surprised if it were the 05.

NB In the interests of full disclosure: my affiliation with Grain and Grape is happy customer only. Also my brother lives in Yarraville.

Just a thought - are they individual packs purchased at different times or were they all from the same batch? Maybe there's a bad batch (although if it fermented your beer ok then I'm not sure if that's likely)??

 

[aaronpetersen]

Save a bottle or two and go into Grain and Grape in yarraville. Explain the problem you're having with US05, be polite and maybe make a purchase (they sell everything from beer to hops to yeast to equipment) and ask them to taste your beer. They'll be able to give you a helping hand.

Diagnosing over the net from reading a post is very difficult - is it yeasty like vegemite? If that's the case I think either yeast autolysis or overpitching can be causes but at least the second seems unlikely and autolysis isn't massively common unless you cook your yeast (above 40 degrees at least) or leave it for months on the primary cake (even then some people reckon it's no issue).

I have had yeast bite in a couple of brews and sometimes pick it up in commercial brews (sometimes subtle sometimes full on) but I'd be surprised if it were the 05.

NB In the interests of full disclosure: my affiliation with Grain and Grape is happy customer only. Also my brother lives in Yarraville.

Just a thought - are they individual packs purchased at different times or were they all from the same batch? Maybe there's a bad batch (although if it fermented your beer ok then I'm not sure if that's likely)??

I'm going to G&G on Saturday for the BIAB demo so I'll take a few bottles along and get some advice.
I used individual packs, purchased at different times, for each brew so it's unlikely, but not impossible, that it was a bad batch.

Screwtop: Definitely not a green apple taste. Can't really explain it other than to say it tastes like yeast. Could be old extract or kit, I don't know how long they were sitting around before I bought them. The hops were amarillo in the boil and dry hop for the DSGA; Cascade and Cluster in the boil and dry hopped with chinook for the LCPA. I do remember that the DSGA developed a bit of an odour, which was just like the taste that I now have in the bottles, after I added the dry hops (pellets straight into fermenter) but I didn't experience that with the LCPA. Oh yeah, the FG was 1.010 for DSGA and 1.012 for LCPA.

 

[aaronpetersen]

Well, I was wrong :unsure: . Took a few bottles to Grain and Grape on Saturday and handed them round to those attending the BIAB demo. General consensus was that there was nothing majorly wrong with the beer and that what I was tasting may be astringency from the hops. Nothing to do with the yeast after all. The good news is that I can keep using US-05, I even bought a pack while I was there. The bad news is that now I need to find out what causes hops astringency.

 

[manticle]

Are you boiling them in wort or water?