What Yeasts Should I Stock ?

[Gout]

I know this is an open question, however I used to have a lot of yeasts (too many) and i moved to the UK. I gave the slants to my mum and said can you keep these in a fridge, so she did....... a fridge that was turned off!

hence on my return 4 years later i had no yeasts D'oh ( to be fair they would have been dead anyway i guess but i didnt know i was staying that long)


Now i normally use US ale 1056 as i brew a lot of American ales, coopers slurry for simple aus ales but i think i would like 2 more just to change things up a bit.

An English ale and a lager yeast. I have been going over the wyeast specs over and over and looking in my books and i end up picking too many, does anyone have a "most used/fav" yeast for English style bitters/ales.

Wyeast 1098 - British Ale
Wyeast 1099 - Whitbread Ale
Wyeast 1275 - Thames Valley Ale
Wyeast 1968 London ESB
the list goes on!!!

on the lager front, maybe a Wyeast 2278 - Czech Pilsner for use with the swag of saaz from the bulk hop buy

I know there is better yeast for a specific beer etc however since i got back into brewing my theory is less is best (and as you can see i am hopeless at deciding so less to pick from on brew day is also better)

other details, i have a brew fridge with temp control so temps are not an issue, 10 kegs all empty pale ales are my fav. beer as they are fast and hit the spot however would like to try a few lagers again

cheers and thanks for any opinions or advice

 

[Bribie G]

If you like a Yorkie of the TTL style, since you were away (welcome back by the way :icon_cheers: ) there are some new yeasts on the scene, and you will love the new Proculture liquid yeasts from Perth - order via Gryphon Brewing - they do "Wood Ale" that is a fantastic Yorkshire Stone Square type yeast.

Wyeast Whitbread :icon_drunk:
Wyeast Ringwood :icon_drool2:

:icon_cheers:

 

[Gout]

given ringwood can be a bit harder to brew, maybe the whitbread and British Ale are a good pick..... does anyone elses mouth water when reading yeast specs

(mmmm memorys of real ale in a pub waiting for the rain to stop... i mean ease)

 

[Fourstar]

1968 FTW on the UK yeasts :icon_cheers:

A great alternative to the 1056 is the 1272 American Ale II. I use this as my stock US ale yast now. :icon_drool2:

As for lager yeast you cannot go past the Bohemian 2124 yeast IMO.

 

[Gout]

thanks 4star, i only worry about "Diacetyl production is noticeable and a thorough rest is necessary. Yeast traps trub easily and autolysis during storage is accelaerated" with the ESB - sometimes i get busy and cant keg when needed and although it sounds nice is it a tricky yeast to keep happy?

I think i will order a US ale 2 also as i used to like that and this i have thrashed my current US ale.

The Bohemian for some reason i didnt read but sounds like another US ale- can brew anything yeast - and i like that

Food or beer for thought! I will order on monday (prevent a weekend in the post office / strikes)

 

[Fourstar]

the 1968 is fine, ive made arolund 1/2 doz ales with it with no noticable diacetyl. The only issue is flocculation, if you have stable temps and can ramp up at the end of fermentation you are safe.

The bohemian is a good all rounder for lagers. Team that with the Munich or Bohemian Lager and you can brew pretty much anything on the lager scene. These two are great for very malt forward lagers.

 

[Bribie G]

4* - I like the sound of the 1272 - apart from being of the liquid persuasion what advantages does it have over US-05? I love 05 but it has some irritating idiosyncrasies such as hanging on and hanging on at the end of the fermentation. Is 1272 a fairly fast finisher?

 

[Fourstar]

4* - I like the sound of the 1272 - apart from being of the liquid persuasion what advantages does it have over US-05? I love 05 but it has some irritating idiosyncrasies such as hanging on and hanging on at the end of the fermentation. Is 1272 a fairly fast finisher?

Fastest turnaround ive had is 3 days, slowest is 7, ang is 4-5. It usually floccs out pretty quickly and within 24 hours of a crash chill its almost bright. There is something special i just love about the profile of 1272. As noted by wyeast i think it does help push citrus notes in the beer quite well. Ive also experiemented with differing fermentation temperatures ranging from 16-22. 16 being really muted and 22 being light citrus but still really clean. I find its hard to get it to throw big esters which IMO is a good thing for this yeast. I have yet to run into attenuation issues with it and it doesnt seem to floc out early which is a plus.

Maybe quiz Tony on it as well, i know he is a big fan of it. 1056 is dead to me!

 

[Gout]

thanks for the help lads, i have ordered

1272 - All-American Ale (US ale 2)
2124 - Bohemium Lager
1099 - Whitbread Ale
and some east kent goldings mmmmm

yum i cant wait

 

[Bribie G]

I've got an English Special Bitter, fairly standard type recipe, on the go with Whitbread at the moment, going berserk at 19 degrees and looking good.