I have used wyeast 1768 on a few special bitters recently with great results. On the second repitched cake, the consistency was like dough or soft clay and it came out very cleanly when I swirled the bucket. I have never had a yeast floc so tightly. I repitched it and it is working away this morning, so this is looking like it may become a house yeast for my bitters…
I’m thinking you mean 1968 London ESB? If so then yes, it packs down solid and drops very bright. I use it alot. One thing to note that if it gets too cool < 60F late in fermentation it will completely floc out and leave your beer up to 10 gravity points underattenuated or about 55% apparent attenuation vs. mid 60% AA. This happened 2 weeks ago with my last ESB. If that happens rouse the yeast (I stir mine back in suspension) and you will get to the mid to high 60’s for attenuation.
This is the yeast:
Wyeast 1768 PC English Special Bitter
A great yeast for malt predominate ales. Produces light fruit and ethanol aromas along with soft, nutty flavors. Exhibits a mild malt profile with a neutral finish. Bright beers are easily achieved without any filtration. It is similar to our 1968 London ESB Ale but slightly less flocculent.
Attenuation 78-72%
Alc. Tolerance 9%
Flocculation high
Temperature Range 64-72°F (18-22°C)
All that they say is true. I held it at 66F for 3weeks and it fully attenuated. Then moved it to a cold garage and it was like soft clay coming out on the cake. If you can get a hold of some, give it a try.
I might try that sometime. Mrmalty says it is the Young’s yeast, and I always liked those beers in London. Often you could get a little sulfur on the nose, maybe from the yeast, maybe from the water.
I’ll watch for the sulphur, as I am bringing 1 keg of lager and a few growlers to my sister’s Christmas Eve dinner this afternoon. Over 20 people to serve and my brother in law asked me to serve homebrew!
Merry Christmas to all!