Looking to brew a handful of beers this year and do them multiple times:
Mild
Bitter
Barleywine (<9%, English Style)
Either a medium gravity version of Fuller’s London Porter or a sub 9% stout.
I contemplating a bulk buy of either S-04, Munton’s Gold or Windsor/Notty combo so I can have the yeast on hand and work with a single yeast for the year.
Any suggestions on the yeast choices? I’ll be purchasing 8-10 packages of a single yeast.
I vote for the Windsor/Nottingham combo because I have been meaning to try it myself and I would rather you be the guinea pig and post about it.
Derek, have you thought about starting with the mild and building up the yeast by repitching into the bitter then barleywine? I don’t suggest it to save money but I think you mind find it to work better, especially when you get to the barleywine. I would be especially curious about what becomes of the danstar combo.
Have you used wy1968? I have tried quite a few English strains and I keep coming back to 1968 as the easiest to use.
I look forward to your posts on this. These are among my favorite styles but I have yet to nail one. I have thought that my English ales have been a bit to clean so in true faux scientific fashion I changed a bunch of variables and brewed my current English Pale with a different recipe, different yeast, higher temperatures, and used an open fermentation. The green beer is horrible, it might be a dumper if time doesn’t work it’s wonders.
Pete, a few responses:
I really enjoy WY1968 (and liquid strains in general) but my local shops that carry WYeast charged on the higher end for it. On the flip side, my local shops offer pretty good bulk deals (>5 packs) on dry yeast.
I’m thinking of going with Munton’s Gold Premium as some members here have said it is the closest to WY1968 as they have found. I like the idea of doing an evaluation on the changes through multiple generations of the Windsor/Notty combo but don’t have the time to track that right now.
I was planning on going Mild → Bitter → Stout/Porter → Barleywine.
Mild will be the typical Dark Mild Variety, Bitter along the lines of London Pride/ESB, Stout will be a lower alcohol RIS (~7.5-8%), Porter will be a beefed up London Porter and the Barleywine will be ~9% English Style (Looking for Third Coast Old Ale, Ballantine Burton Ale characters).
I have been brewing English Pale’s lately. I have only tried two yeasts so far.
I just purchased WLP041 Pacific Ale which despite the name is supposed to be a good English yeast.
I like S-04. I haven’t used either of the others, but I’ve had some good results in a bitter, a pale ale, and a cider, with regular Munton’s.
For reference Pete, the smoked Porter I will be sending you used Munton’s Gold, 2 packs
3rd time I have used it for this brew and it does a great job
Any comparisons to WY1968 that you can muster? I have heard they are kissing cousins.
Sorry, have not used 1968 yet, but sure want to
I would work with the liquid yeast strain of your choice, buy it once, and simply repitch it from batch to batch. You should easily be able to get 7-8 repitches out of it if your sanitation is up to par.
I’m just trying to get away from doing that for a while. It’s a time thing, a space thing, a cost thing (not really but kind of), etc.
I appreciate your advice though. I do love 1968 though.
No worries, but isn’t repitching easier, less work, cheaper (by far with only purchasing 1 pack of yeast to start with), and more time saving?
If you want a dry strain for all of those, I would suggest SO4, if you like it. I get a little old on it after a while as I feel I can pick it out of a lineup, but it still is a pretty darn good yeast.
If I repitch the dry yeast then it’s cheaper. I can get 4 packs of Munton’s Gold for the price of 1 smack pack at my local shop. I can get 2 packs of S04 or Windsor/Notty for the price of one smack pack.
Let me rephrase: I really don’t have a space available to store slurry right now. Dry yeast is a cheaper option for me as well.
Thanks for the S04 suggestion. I know many have brewed great beers with it.
I wish I could remember the member here who said Munton’s Gold was a dead ringer for 1968…
EDIT: CHUMLEY!!! ding ding ding. https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/forum/index.php?topic=20515.msg260634#msg260634
If you want a pointer for the 8.5% barley wine, Robinson’s Old Tom is a classic strong ale and you’ll find recipes easily.
Awesome. Thank you.
I like my Barleywine/Old Ale a little less hoppy, a little less boozy, etc. The Bell’s Third Coast has it. Ballantine Burton Ale has it.
Derek, you bottle condition right? Don’t forget that you can always use the dregs as a way of “banking” yeast for later.
I typically use Red Star Premier Cuvee when I add bottling yeast.
Thanks Phil, that’s an interesting idea. I never thought of it that way.
Englishman here, having a browse. I believe the Standard Muntons is more like 1968 than Muntons Gold. I’ve read this, and I’ve used them. The Gold is more neutral and attenuates more, rather like Nottingham. The standard Muntons stops around 1015 so you get residual sweetness. It’s pretty good. But no dried yeast will do as good a job as 1968.
Great info! Thanks a bunch. Nice to have that perspective.
So regular Muntons and Muntons Gold might be worth trying.
Understood. Just looking for a dry option to use for a while.
I’m not sure I would use the standard Muntons on the higher strength beers you’re planning. I’ve not used it on anything above about 5.5% so I may be wrong but it might leave the FG too high. If you want one yeast for all four beers, I’d personally either go for S04 or Nottingham/Windsor, though I’ve never done the latter. Muntons Standard will get you closest to a Fullers bitter in my experience. Not really close, but decent, it’s given me some nice lower strength English ales.
I’ve only used S04 a couple times. It’s OK. It hasn’t grabbed me yet. But I wouldn’t say don’t use it.
Windsor/Notty is a great combo. I do not like Notty by itself, though Windsor is good by itself. Together, they and I have made some outstanding beers. I say go this route.