Alternate Yeast for Denny's Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter?

General Homebrew Discussion
1

Hello all.  I’m brewing this recipe for the first time this Saturday.  Trying to keep it as close to the exact recipe on the wiki as possible, but LHBS does not have WY1450 in stock.  Considering US-05, WY1056, WY1272, Pacman, or WY1084 (Irish) as a sub.  Which of these would you use?

Also, the 1450 is available at another shop, but will require about a 45 minute drive out of my way tomorrow.  Do you think the 1450 would make enough of a difference vs the alternates that it is worth the drive?  If so, I’ll make the trip.

Thanks in advance!

2

Out of those three, 1056 first, 1272 second, not 1084. If you lived closer to the other LHBS or were inclined, 1450 is a great yeast that attenuates well but leaves a malty mouthfeel - perfect for that beer. In a pinch I’d go with 1056.

3

Yes, it is.

4

Thanks HoosierBrew and Denny!  I am going to make the extra trip to get the real deal yeast.

I have another question about this brew (probably should go in a separate thread, but I hate to make multiple threads about the same brew).  I have very soft water, and Bru’n water is calling for what seems like an alarming amount of baking soda to get my mash pH up to 5.4, which is my understanding of the minimum I should be at for this beer.  How much is too much baking soda?  I don’t want to add so much that the beer tastes nasty, and I’ve heard that calcium carbonate is not effective unless dissolved with Co2, so I’m not really sure what to do.  I don’t have access to my spreadsheet right now, so I can’t tell you the exact amount of baking soda it was calculating would be needed, but it seemed like a lot.  I rarely brew dark beers, so this isn’t an issue I deal with frequently.  Thanks!

5

How much sodium is Bru’n water estimating? What sort of profile are you targeting?

6

I can’t recall the amount of sodium.  Unfortunately I won’t be able to get home and look at the Bru’n water spreadsheet for probably a couple of hours, but I’m going for the brown balanced profile.  Its the mash pH that I’m really concerned with.  I don’t have a meter or strips but I usually just plug the grist into Bru’n water and use what it says.  It has always worked well for me.

7

My last stout used .36g/gal in the mash for 2g in 5.5 gallons. That got me to 5.5 in a very roast heavy recipe where about 8% was roasted malts.

8

Okay, Bru’n Water is calling for .9 grams per gallon of baking soda to get the pH up to 5.4.  Will that be detrimental to the taste of the beer, or should that be okay?

9

The sodium from baking soda is the real issue. Put it this way - I mash stouts and porters @ 5.6, make pretty roasty stouts (my American stout especially), and use baking soda to raise pH. My Na levels never get over 50ppm. Per Martin (ie., Mr Brunwater) this is perfectly fine. And my taste buds say the beer is delicious. One qualifier - I use RO water for my beers as the base. I wouldn’t be scared to go a tad over 50 ppm Na for a roasty stout or porter.

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10

That level of baking soda puts my sodium level at 67 ppm in the mash water.  I wouldn’t add the baking soda to my sparge water, so my overall sodium level in the beer should be below 50 ppm if I’m understanding this correctly.  Does that sound like it will be fine?

I really need to get a ph meter.

11

It’ll make a good beer. Go for it. Be sure to post how it comes out. May have missed it but what yeast are you going with?

12

Thanks for the help!  Going with the 1450.  I will definitely let everyone know how it turns out.

13

That yeast is fantastic in that beer, or any American stout, brown, amber, or pale for that matter. Good luck!

14

I have to agree with Denny. I wouldn’t brew this recipe without 1450.

15

What sort of water are you using? How thick are you mashing?

16

Using the brown balanced profile in Bru’n water.  I start with my tap water, which is extremely soft.  I am mashing in at 1.25 qts per pound.

17

What happens if you mash thinner? I mash 1.7

18

You’re on to something there.  By mashing at 1.5 qts per gallon, I can drop the baking soda addition from .9 g/gal to .6 g/gallon, and still hit 5.4 pH.  Thank you!

19

Even at the thicker mash, you’re likely fine.

20

Just checking in with a little update.  I ended up using Pacman yeast rather than 1450, as I just couldn’t make it out to pick up the 1450 at the other brew shop.  Life then got in the way of transferring out of primary until last night (after 5 weeks in primary).

I racked it onto two chopped vanilla beans, and also tasted a sample.  OMG!  This is the best Porter I have ever brewed, even flat and 64 degrees!  I can’t imagine how good this is going to be with the vanilla and bourbon.

So, how long do most of you leave this on the vanilla before packaging?  Thanks!