Yeast For Australian Dark (old) ? Help!

[Bribie G]

I'm doing an Aussie Old for a comp and following the BJCP guidelines. It should be about 4.8 % ABV and quite dark with plenty of choc, carafa etc and I'm looking for dry, clean, no fruit or sweetness but nice malt balanced by bittering hops. So I'm mashing low and fermenting at 18.

I've done two versions so far. First one I used two sachets of Coopers kit ale yeast and it turned out almost spot on but was judged (at a mini comp) to be a nice quaffing beer but needs more malt. It got 32/ 50 which is getting up towards the 'placings'.
Second version I used US-05 but fermented a bit high and it turned out fruity as, so can't enter that one.

This time around I'm doing an 'augmented' version of #1 with more malt, and a bit blacker and wondering about the yeast. I have:

• Heaps of Coopers bottle yeast coming up in a couple of days when I keg my Aussie Pale.
• S-04
• Packets of fresh kit yeast from my recent stout tins purchase

I'm concerned that if I use the Coopers commercial it's going to give esters
ditto the S-04
Should I go with the devil I know and use the kit yeast that actually seems to work well with this style?
Order some Notto although that's a UK yeast and might strip out flavours and produce something too thin?

Any advice from the Hunter Old / Tooheys etc gurus would be appreciated.

 

[AndrewQLD]

I used the Coopers strain for my Coopers Dark Ale Clone, fermented @ 16 and it shows no fruitiness. had a nice malt backbone with hints of subdued choc, not sweet but not too dry either.
Turned out to be very close to the original.
To be honest I'd go with the CPA yeast and ferment slightly lower, you'll get the bready malt character without the fruit.

Andrew

 

[geoffi]

CPA yeast. Makes a ripper dark ale. After all, Coopers do.

 

[Bribie G]

Thanks guys I'll go the Coopers. I had been worried about the 'pear drops' overtones, but can ferment at below 17 and avoid that. Yes I was wondering if they used the same yeast in the dark as they do in the sparkling and pale. :icon_cheers:

 

[buttersd70]

afaik, they use the same in the pale, sparkling, dark and stout. Happy to be corrected, though.

 

[geoffi]

My information is that it's the same.

Ferment at 17c you should be fine. Any fruit flavours will be subtle and probably hidden in a dark ale anyway.

 

[BoilerBoy]

Coopers yeast at 16-17C will still give you that wonderful signature apple/pear ester, its the "banana' you dont want that tends to appear above 18C, although some brewers don't seem to have had a problem with it from 18-20C, but my own experience is that its only ever occured at those higher temps.

Great yeast, Love it.

Cheers,
BB

 

[Kai]

If you want something clean, why not go with a wyeast 1007 german ale or somesuch?

 

[Maxt]

I wouldn't go pat us05 fermented at 18deg, but for real style, use a lager yeast fermented at 11deg.

 

[gregs]

Bribi you know the best yeast is S04 great clean flavor and flocks out clear in no time.

 

[drsmurto]

I've made quite a few dark ales/brown porters and tend to stick with either the coopers yeast (at lower temps as BB suggests) or a fairly neutral english yeast such as 1028 (got a 2nd in the aussie dark category last year using this yeast).

I do use ringwood as well but as you well now, the esters will push it out of style for an aussie dark but its sooooo good.

 

[reviled]

Bribi you know the best yeast is S04 great clean flavor and flocks out clear in no time.

I have to say I completely disagree with this, I hate S-04 and think the flavour isnt really clean at all, I can only really describe it as S-04 flavour as i havnt picked up on it from any other yeasts :icon_vomit:

 

[Bribie G]

I've done a batch on US-05 which I'm drinking currently, and it's the 'fruity' one I referred to in the OP. I don't mind it but not for this comp. However I have a masive batch of Coopers bottle-yeast available tomorrow when I finally get to keg my 'pitch to pour in 7 days' Aussie Pale that's taken 18 days so far <_< . Should be worth waiting for going on the hydro samples.

So I'll go the Coopers. However the lager yeast sounds cool. Originally I was actually going to use a lager yeast as Protz in his encyclopedia mistakenly said that Tooheys Old is no longer top fermented (but he also said that Cascade owned Boags so he's not infallable) but a lager would give a super clean version, hey.

Quick edit: I'm doing my first UK mild on Wednesday under the tutelage of Butters and I'll be using Ringwood yeast in that. Amazing how two styles of dark beers can have such opposingly different philosophies re mashing temperatures etc etc etc.