Best high gravity/high alcohol tolerant yeast?

[tschmidlin]

That usually keeps my average temp very close to 70.

Have you ever had any of your high gravity beers or meads judged?

I’m with Denny, I prefer fermenting cooler than that.

[system]

I usually let it run hot, right at the top of the temp range, for the first 48 to 72 hours, this helps the yeast reach the desired population and health levels.  Then back it down slowly to about the middle (or let it run on the hot end) for a really high gravity ale.  I can’t say I have ever tried an ale at the lower end of the recommended temp range for an ale yeast.  Always thought it was better for them to run warm as most ale yeasts produce their desirable flavor compounds at the warm end.

This is a recipe for disaster; like denny said, you’re running the risk of creating too much fusel alcohol and other unwanted character.  There’s a second issue - the nature of high gravity fermentation is that lots of esters (the combination of alcohols and acids) will be produced.  So in a high gravity ale you’re still going to end up with a fair amount of esters even when

1. a good yeast choice is made
2. a proper amount pitched
3. wort is properly oxygenated
4. lower end fermentation temperatures used

Try the upward temperature sweep (or just a simple lower end temp) in one of your high gravity brews and see what you think.  cheers, j

btw, what yeast strains are we talking about?  70f isn’t scary high but it’s higher than i would ferment most yeast strains in a high gravity brew

  my original comment was based on barleywine not mead or belgian beers

[gordonstrong]

3787.  Start cool, but let it rise to where it wants to be.  Do not try to cool it down, or it will stop on you.  Let it finish.  It knows what it’s doing.  Plenty of oxygen, sufficient nutrients, bigass starter, yada yada.  You’d need to do that for any strain.

[bonjour-user]

I usually let it run hot, right at the top of the temp range, for the first 48 to 72 hours,

IMHO, no never.  Especially on a big beer.  You do NOT want to develop any fusels from higher temps.

[bonjour-user]

The best yeast,  I do not believe it makes a big difference.  What makes a big difference is to take care of the fermentation.

I typically brew something like a mild as a starter, or alternately for this big of a beer start with 3 packs of rehydrated US-05.
Plenty of O2.