We said we would get to yeast experiments this year and we finally did. Here’s a comparison of three different well known English ale yeasts. Mike brewed a big batch of English Brown Ale wort and split it between three different fermentors. He pitched one yeast strain into each of them and he got three different beers from them. Let’s watch!
What Did We Think Of These Yeasts?
Safale S-04: We liked this beer the least. It was first in the flight and last in our hearts. The beer brought a buttery coating to my palate. Mike said he picked up a phenol quality to the taste. It was an OK beer but not great.
Wyeast 1187 Ringwood Ale Yeast: This beer came out the driest of the three. It had a minerally aftertaste with some nice English yeast esters.
WLP007 Dry English Ale Yeast: – The beer that was brewed with this yeast was the one we liked the most. It had a lot of fruity notes in the aroma with a strong malt flavor. Mike was pleased with this beer as it hit all the notes he is looking for in an English Brown Ale.
BREW ON!
Andy
FWIW, I had similar problems with phenolic notes on a pale ale I recently brewed using Windsor ale yeast from Lallemand, even though I did the main fermentation right at 66 degrees! Looks like I might be sticking with Nottingham as my go-to dry English ale yeast….
John
Thanks Andy. I can’t wait for round 2.