Hey all! I’m planning on doing my first Russian Imperial Stout this winter and wanted to get some yeast recommendations/input. I was originally looking at using the WLP-004 strain but after doing more digging, it looks like people are using lots of different yeasts like chico and english ale strains too. I know alcohol tolerance is a factor but I guess there have been many successes pushing the envelope of non-traditional strains. Anyone have a favorite they always reach for when doing a RIS? Looking to make something along the lines of a Stone RIS or Parabola. Thanks!
I think that with a style like this with so many different flavours yeast choice is slightly less important. I wouldn’t use a belgian yeast or a super high gravity but any british or neutral american yeast would be fine. Personally I would go british, wlp007 or wlp002 or WY1968 because I like the fruitiness those lend and the floc out really well. The 007 is the most attenuative of that bunch.
Unless your going really over the top with the gravity none of these will be negativly affected by the ABV.
The WLP 4 has a nice flavor profile, but depending on how strong your RIS is, it may crap out too soon. My RIS is round 11-12% ABV. I like the WLP 13 London Ale yeast to start and then add the San Diego Super yeast (WLP 90?) for clean-up.
I like the WLP007, you get the ester profile of English strains, with the attenuation of WLP001. Plus, it floccs out like an English strain when fermentation is complete. A very consistent,reproduceable workhorse.
In my opinion WLP090 is kind of finicky and throws some diacetyl as well. Neva Parker for White Labs says this strain requires more oxygenation than other strains. So if you choose WP090 you may want to hit it with another shot of oxygen 12-18hrs into fermentation and do a diacetyl rest.
I brew my stout with 1084. It works well for me.
While it may not be a RIS, my standard stout clocks in around 1.080 OG.
Like Mort said, there are so many other flavors there I’m not sure that the profile of the yeast comes through.
I have plans to try some different yeasts, just to check the flavor impact, but I have not done so yet.
Can’t go wrong with a yeast cake of WLP-001 / Wyeast 1056. Its clean and handles high-gravity fermentations well with proper fermentation management (oxygenation, fermentation temp. control, pitching rate, etc.).
This is what I use - mainly because I am most likely to have a yeast cake of it handy. I use it for most of my normal-gravity beers.
good point here. whatever yeast you choose it’s a good idea to brew a low gravity beer with it first and use most of or all of the yeast cake for the RIS.
+3 for 007
Awesome, thanks so much for all of the suggestions!!! The recipe that I’m toying with is coming in with a projected OG of 1.090 and ABV of 9.3 so it’s not too much of a bomb. I think I may go with the 007 on this first attempt. I used it once before on an amber-ish ale a while back and was really happy with the results. Thanks again for all the suggestions!!!
For the WLP007, I would pitch at 66F, slowly let it rise to 69F and hold for 4 days. Then slowly let it free rise. This yeast likes to take off fast and run hot if you don’t reign it in!
And make a big starter, or use the yeast cake from a regular strength batch.
Lots of oxygen and lots of temperature control