Yeast For A Stout

[Windy Hill]

G'day All ,

Just have a query re: Stout yeasts and in particular Wyeast 1084 . After a bit of research it seems 1084 gets a good thumbs up for use in Stouts / Porters etc ..

Planning a Choc Stout for sometime soon , Coopers Stout Kit + 1kg B'Craft Dried Dark Malt & maybe , maybe 200 mls of Bickfords Chocolate Milkshake concentrate . ( Please don't cringe at the Bickfords , it's a trial , never know if you don't have a go ) .

Anyway ! Back to the Yeast query . Wyeast 1084 . Having never had anything to do with this yeast , i can gather so far that it is liquid yeast in around 125ml quantities @ a cost of around $13 - $15 .

1) Does 125 mls do just one batch ? If so ,
2) Is the extra $13 - $15 investment really worth it in opposition to the standard kit yeast ? It more or less takes the outlay on the brew from
say $30 >>>> $45 .
3) Are there good dry alternatives able to do around the same/similar job ?
4) Is liquid yeast pitched as you would a dry ?
5) Am I missing something ?

Any advice much appreciated guys . Also any alternatives to the Bickfords Choc most welcome & finally , i have some Fuggles pellets on hand , any objections to these in a stout , or any suggestions ?

Happy Brewing . :beer:

 

[Phoney]

1. No, it can do many. Search for threads called "Splitting A Wyeast Smack Pack" or "Starting Wyeast"
2. Anything is better than the kit yeast. Although for a kit, if you want to save money, see Q3.
3. Yes. Ive had good results with Nottingham & S04
4. Yes, although you can make a starter. See threads in Q1.
5. Chocolate milkshake concentrate? There's another thread on here called "Brewing with cocoa" - have a look at that one. Fuggles will go very nice! Throw 10 - 20g into your fermenter along with the kit.

 

[Bribie G]

G'day All ,

Just have a query re: Stout yeasts and in particular Wyeast 1084 . After a bit of research it seems 1084 gets a good thumbs up for use in Stouts / Porters etc ..

Planning a Choc Stout for sometime soon , Coopers Stout Kit + 1kg B'Craft Dried Dark Malt & maybe , maybe 200 mls of Bickfords Chocolate Milkshake concentrate . ( Please don't cringe at the Bickfords , it's a trial , never know if you don't have a go ) .

Bickfords might actually go quite well, never thought about it


Anyway ! Back to the Yeast query . Wyeast 1084 . Having never had anything to do with this yeast , i can gather so far that it is liquid yeast in around 125ml quantities @ a cost of around $13 - $15 .

A sponsor at the top of the page does it for $11.50 but then you have to consider postage

1) Does 125 mls do just one batch ? If so ,
2) Is the extra $13 - $15 investment really worth it in opposition to the standard kit yeast ? It more or less takes the outlay on the brew from
say $30 >>>> $45 .
3) Are there good dry alternatives able to do around the same/similar job ?
4) Is liquid yeast pitched as you would a dry ?
5) Am I missing something ?

Just very generally, and there's heaps of tweaks that people do, but best to make up a starter bottle first with some LDME boiled in some water and allowed to cool in a sanitised container like a lab jar etc. The previous day you would have smacked the pack to release the yeast nutrient in the pack, let it swell up (preferably overnight) and add to your starter, and let it feed up for a day at around 20 degrees.

Then pitch into the brew. This yeast will go quite nicely at anything between 18 degrees and 24 degrees. I have had good results at 23 degrees which would be anathema for many other ale yeasts. It does produce a bit of 'fruit' at 23 but quite pleasant - currently doing a stout bang on 20 degrees. Then when you bottle the stout, save the swirled yeast cake in a couple or three sanitized PET bottles and fridge them, and you have 2 or 3 more brews worth. So long as you use them within a month or so. Some guys split the pack initially and brew up a number of starters and slants etc etc but that's getting a bit hi-testical for a 'novice' at the game.

Any advice much appreciated guys . Also any alternatives to the Bickfords Choc most welcome & finally , i have some Fuggles pellets on hand , any objections to these in a stout , or any suggestions ?

Alternative yeasts are Nottingham or US-05 or Windsor, but personally I'd never use anything other than 1084 in a stout. I usually get about 6 brews out of a smack pack then renew. Fuggles (say 15g) chucked in after 3 or 4 days of fermentation will give a nice touch. Stouts are not supposed to have hop aroma but I always put a touch in my kit brews to lift them.

Happy Brewing . :beer:

 

[Pennywise]

1084 all the way for liquid yeast, Nottingham for dry. If you go for 1084 make sure you do a good diacetyl rest, dunno if it's just me but I have it come through if I don't ranp the temp up a bit near the end of ferment.

 

[Windy Hill]

1084 all the way for liquid yeast, Nottingham for dry. If you go for 1084 make sure you do a good diacetyl rest, dunno if it's just me but I have it come through if I don't ranp the temp up a bit near the end of ferment.

No worries thanks for that , will keep it in mind .

 

[Windy Hill]

1. No, it can do many. Search for threads called "Splitting A Wyeast Smack Pack" or "Starting Wyeast"
2. Anything is better than the kit yeast. Although for a kit, if you want to save money, see Q3.
3. Yes. Ive had good results with Nottingham & S04
4. Yes, although you can make a starter. See threads in Q1.
5. Chocolate milkshake concentrate? There's another thread on here called "Brewing with cocoa" - have a look at that one. Fuggles will go very nice! Throw 10 - 20g into your fermenter along with the kit.

Thanks Phoney , will be sure to check out all 3 threads suggested . Think I'll stick with the Bickfords . A couple of Stouts ago i mixed in a small tin of Carnation Condensed Milk ( 250'ish mls i guess ) + a licorice root tea ( steeped root shavings in around 200 mls cooling boiled water ) & at that rate got both additions coming through evenly , so that's where i'm getting my idea of around 200mls of Choc from . Regards , Windy .

 

[Windy Hill]

Thankyou Bribie ,

Good info , lots of homework to do on this , great fun learning though . In the meantime i'll try one of the suggested dry yeasts til i feel confident enough to " smack the pack " and whatever comes after that .

Cheers .

 

[petesbrew]

I used the Windsor yeast (from Craft Brewer) in a stout, and it was brilliant. I reckon it'd go great with the Choc stout. Fuggles, Goldings, and Styrian Goldings (yum) go great with stouts.
Pretty sure the OG finishes higher than Nottingham (compared with Windsor in a completely different beer), so gives a bit of a fuller body.

 

[Windy Hill]

Thanks Phoney , will be sure to check out all 3 threads suggested . Think I'll stick with the Bickfords . A couple of Stouts ago i mixed in a small tin of Carnation Condensed Milk ( 250'ish mls i guess ) + a licorice root tea ( steeped root shavings in around 200 mls cooling boiled water ) & at that rate got both additions coming through evenly , so that's where i'm getting my idea of around 200mls of Choc from . Regards , Windy .

Yeah , bit of a reply to a reply but just in case for anyones future reference , the Licorice Root was 25 grams steeped in 200 mls cooling boiled water . Bought the Licorice Root at the local Health Food shop , 75grams for $11-50 , figured enough for 3 Stouts & a defiantely good inclusion in any kind of Stout , Dry or Milky IMO . Cheers Big Ears .

 

[Screwtop]

Given the following: Stout, Kit Ingredients, Newb Brewer.......Yeast = S-04 its a good yeast for a dark beer, typical English fruitiness, good attenuation, easy to use.

Using choc Syrup........... mmmm, it would contain sugar, artificial flavour , emulsifier, colour. Don't like the possibility of an emulsifier in my beer. When would you add it, if at fermentation time then the additional sugar would ferment out. The flavour would be on the bitter side I would imagine as it's meant to be added to a sweet drink and the sugar in the syrup would balance it out. After the sugar is fermented would the bitterness influence flavour.

Yes Fuggles!

Why not take a little step forward in your brewing experience and steep some choc malt. Will give choc flavour/aroma and no instant crap in your beer. Plus bragging rights........."I made this from a kit with some steeped grain, good yeast and some Fuggles hope" :super:

My 2c

Screwy

 

[petesbrew]

Given the following: Stout, Kit Ingredients, Newb Brewer.......Yeast = S-04 its a good yeast for a dark beer, typical English fruitiness, good attenuation, easy to use.

Using choc Syrup........... mmmm, it would contain sugar, artificial flavour , emulsifier, colour. Don't like the possibility of an emulsifier in my beer. When would you add it, if at fermentation time then the additional sugar would ferment out. The flavour would be on the bitter side I would imagine as it's meant to be added to a sweet drink and the sugar in the syrup would balance it out. After the sugar is fermented would the bitterness influence flavour.

Yes Fuggles!

Why not take a little step forward in your brewing experience and steep some choc malt. Will give choc flavour/aroma and no instant crap in your beer. Plus bragging rights........."I made this from a kit with some steeped grain, good yeast and some Fuggles hope" :super:

My 2c

Screwy

Good call Screwy, you'll only need about 200g choc grain steeped in a coffee plunger. Too easy.

 

[manticle]

I find combining choc malt with a hefty lactose addition gives a great choc flavour to a stout. I'd agree that other ingredients in the syrup might affect the beer - at least worth trying to find out what's in the syrup. Oil/fat can affect head retention.

That said, Young's double choc uses some kind of choc essence so it might be great. Any way you can find out what's in it?

With or without the syrup, the grain addition will only be a good thing.

 

[zoidbergmerc]

I find combining choc malt with a hefty lactose addition gives a great choc flavour to a stout.

For us newbie brewers, can you please define "Hefty addition"?

 

[Shed101]

Good call Screwy, you'll only need about 200g choc grain steeped in a coffee plunger. Too easy.

+1 ... the brew i'm proudest of was my first steeping effort (which I initially thought was a bit too involved for my second ever try).

Read this and rejoice!

 

[Shed101]

2) Is the extra $13 - $15 investment really worth it in opposition to the standard kit yeast ? It more or less takes the outlay on the brew from
say $30 >>>> $45 .

I'd look at this the other way around ... is it worth wasting $30 of ingredients for the sake of spending a bit of moolah on yeast?

... if you're nervous about spending that much, grab yourself Safale US-05 for less than half that price, learn to scavenge some from the krausen or the leftovers from the first brew (i'm about to start my third brew with the regrowth from a single sachet of this yeast so about $2 in yeast for 23 litres of beer ain't bad)

This way your investment actually grows

 

[Windy Hill]

Given the following: Stout, Kit Ingredients, Newb Brewer.......Yeast = S-04 its a good yeast for a dark beer, typical English fruitiness, good attenuation, easy to use.

Using choc Syrup........... mmmm, it would contain sugar, artificial flavour , emulsifier, colour. Don't like the possibility of an emulsifier in my beer. When would you add it, if at fermentation time then the additional sugar would ferment out. The flavour would be on the bitter side I would imagine as it's meant to be added to a sweet drink and the sugar in the syrup would balance it out. After the sugar is fermented would the bitterness influence flavour.

Yes Fuggles!

Why not take a little step forward in your brewing experience and steep some choc malt. Will give choc flavour/aroma and no instant crap in your beer. Plus bragging rights........."I made this from a kit with some steeped grain, good yeast and some Fuggles hope" :super:

My 2c

Screwy

Yep , good call Screwy re: the artificialness (is that a word ? ) of the Choc Syrup , will take up the idea of steeped choc grain , somewhere around 300g i guess . Can always palm off the Syrup to the kids . Yes i probably would've used the syrup from the get go . Thanks again .

 

[Windy Hill]

I'd look at this the other way around ... is it worth wasting $30 of ingredients for the sake of spending a bit of moolah on yeast?

... if you're nervous about spending that much, grab yourself Safale US-05 for less than half that price, learn to scavenge some from the krausen or the leftovers from the first brew (i'm about to start my third brew with the regrowth from a single sachet of this yeast so about $2 in yeast for 23 litres of beer ain't bad)

This way your investment actually grows

Thanks for that , reckon i replied earlier here somewhere that just for now will go with a good dry alternative , seems plenty to choose from , S04 , US-05 , Windsor & Nottingham . Much research to be done re: yeast regrowth etc... , will get comfortable with that & give a crack for sure . Cheers .