US05 vs S-04

[good4whatAlesU]

10 days and still going. This stuff won't quit.

I'll take it out of the water bath and see if it sorts itself out.

 

[good4whatAlesU]

Gravity is at 1.006 it's done I think.

1.038 to 1.006 gives me 4.2% (?) a mid strength. Have siphoned into a secondary, I'll leave it sit keg it in a couple weeks.

 

[Jazzman]

Help me please!
I have a can of coopers stout and 1.5kg of dark malt extract and some dex.
I wanna make a coopers stout. I have a packet of 04.
Should i use the 04 and a coopers under lid packet?
Or just the 04?
Or two coopers yeasts which i have?
After reading this great thread i'm just a bit worried it may not come out how i want.
Any and all advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[DJR]

Help me please!
I have a can of coopers stout and 1.5kg of dark malt extract and some dex.
I wanna make a coopers stout. I have a packet of 04.
Should i use the 04 and a coopers under lid packet?
Or just the 04?
Or two coopers yeasts which i have?
After reading this great thread i'm just a bit worried it may not come out how i want.
Any and all advice greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Just use the S-04 it will work fine for an english style stout

 

[peteru]

I've been unimpressed with S-04 for the last bunch of brews I did. I'd be inclined to chuck in two packets of the Cooper's yeast.

 

[Jazzman]

hmmm, so is the coopers yellow label stout an english or irish stout?
I quite like that drop and would like to get close.

 

[LAGERFRENZY]

I always used to throw in two packets of Coopers yeast for toucan or other strong stouts. They have always got the job done. If you want a slightly thicker brew drop the batch size down a couple of litres.

 

[Jazzman]

thanks for the help people.
l took a punt and used the 11g of 04 and the 7g of coopers under the lid yeast.
1 can coopers stout
1.5 kg dark malt liquid extract
500g dextrose
and i rehydrated the yeast

We'll see how we go. should be ok l hope.

 

[Let's Brew Beer]

How'd it turn out?

 

[pablo_h]

I like the flavours of S04, and did a few good beers in autumn with it but had troubles with it in winter and it drops out below 17C.
First time I used s04 ages ago I got the dreaded 1020 stall. I fixed my issues with sanatation and nutrients but when the temps get lower over winter, s04 started dropping out due to cold temps and needed constant rousing to bring it back off the trub/bottom to finish the job (it was stopping in the second week about 1016/1017, not the same as a 1020 stall in the first week at warmer temps trouble I had before).
I fixed that in the end by using coopers kit yeast to finish the job.
I could have persevered rousing and warming the S04, but I'd have flat beer in the bottles (or oxidized beer) if I kept going that route. But in the end I had beer mostly done with s04 (I like it's flavour), but beer finished off and carbed with the kit yeast (Didn't affect flavour that much, plus also rocketed it in to finish quick and carb in the bottles and be drinkable in 2 weeks of conditioning in cold ambients).
In contrast I stuffed around rousing s04 in another batch and it ended up oxidized and horrible. I left another batch alone to finish and it was just flat in the bottles.
So I recommend using s04, but bottling with coopers kit yeast. Only downside is not being able to reuse the s04 for a new brew as I wouldn't put kit yeast into a fresh wort.

E: OTOH problem with US05 is expect it to take up a fermenter for 3-4 weeks while it clears up. That yeast doesn't want to drop at all, completely the opposite to S04.

 

[Brewnicorn]

I've been reading up on a few yeast strains lately and the Ales I've made have been US-05 and S-04 mainly or BRY-97. What made me think a bit more recently was a thread I read about specialty saison yeasts that perform well for settling trub & eliminating the banana-ester flavour/smell and surprisingly some fruitiness which is kinda celebrated in a lot of pales. As a kit brewer it's got me interested.
I'm a noob so go easy, but can anyone buy in to this with any authority? Anecdotal experience is better experience than where I am now when it comes to yeast.

 

[Brewnicorn]

*perform well in ales***
Meant to write that in. Duh ie- how do saison yeasts perform in ales like IPA, APA etc if anyone knows. Thanks.
Signed - long bloody week.

 

[Kingy]

I'd imagine they wouldn't work to well. The saison yeasts I've used dry right out around the 1.000-05 mark. I used to love us-05 but I've been using s04 lately and it's been getting my beers down a few extra points.
The trub settles out quick to. It's great in my full flavoured mid strength milds, ordinary bitter and light-mid brown ale/mild. Ferments out fast to. It's great for quick turn around beers.
I wouldn't use a saison yeast for anything other than a saison.

 

[Kingy]

I'd imagine they wouldn't work to well. The saison yeasts I've used dry right out around the 1.000-05 mark. I used to love us-05 but I've been using s04 lately and it's been getting my beers down a few extra points.
The trub settles out quick to. It's great in my full flavoured mid strength milds, ordinary bitter and light-mid brown ale/mild. Ferments out fast to. It's great for quick turn around beers.
I wouldn't use a saison yeast for anything other than a saison.

 

[Brewnicorn]

Thanks Kingy. It was odd to read it but it's out there. Having said that can't say I've never had anything get below 1.009 so that's encouraging.
Do you ferment with temp control?

 

[peteru]

It was odd to read it but it's out there.

There's a lot of bullshit on the interwebs. Some of it even looks and sounds plausible.

 

[Kingy]

Do you ferment with temp control?

Yea mate, that's the best improvement you can make to your beers [emoji482]. If you don't use temp control it should be your main priority on your list of things to get.

Saying that I don't use temp control when fermenting saisons as they like to sit at the same temperature as my shed and they love it on hot days as well. It makes the yeastie babies feel at one with Mother Earth [emoji290] and it keeps them happy. The happier the yeast is the better beer they make for you.

 

[Brewnicorn]

Yea mate, that's the best improvement you can make to your beers [emoji482]. If you don't use temp control it should be your main priority on your list of things to get.

Yeah for true! I'm trawling for fridges on Gumtree and eBay and Santa has my Inkbird order. Never done a saison but the ale mastery is something I wanna get.
Thanks for the good words!