What is a good dry yeast for a best bitter?

jceg316 · Feb 10, 2020

I'm making a best bitter for a friend's wedding and would like to use dry yeast because reasons, however it's been a long time since I used a dry yeast for any British style. I used S-04 and I wasn't sure what it brought to the party, but my palette has developed since, so maybe it is a good yeast. Here's the recipe:

MO 3.7kg
Caramalt 0.5kg
Brown 0.3kg

Polaris 15g @ 60 min
Fuggles 10G @10 min
Saaz 10g @ 10 min

It's a 23 litre batch.
OG is 1.048

Does Mangrove Jack do a good English style yeast? I think I may have tried one once and wasn't keen on the beer. I've not used Nottingham or Windsor and was wondering whether either of these are good?

Thanks in advance.

chesters-mild · Feb 10, 2020

Safale US05 should do the job

Brewed_Force · Feb 10, 2020

Mangrove Jack M15 Empire Ale ?
Also, check out Crossmyloof's range of dry yeasts: https://www.crossmyloofbrew.co.uk/yeast-specs

Hanglow · Feb 10, 2020

I'd use one packet of windsor then about 8 or 12 hours later pitch a packet of notty.

Have you brewed that before? That's a lot of brown malt for a bitter, they are quite variable in flavour as well, can add quite a bit of coffee at that amount. Also a fair amount of caramalt. I'd like to drink it though :)

jceg316 · Feb 10, 2020

chesters-mild said:
Safale US05 should do the job

I'm sure it can but it doesn't have the esters an English ale yeast has.

Hanglow said:
I'd use one packet of windsor then about 8 or 12 hours later pitch a packet of notty.

Have you brewed that before? That's a lot of brown malt for a bitter, they are quite variable in flavour as well, can add quite a bit of coffee at that amount. Also a fair amount of caramalt.

That's interesting, why would you pitch both? What temperature would you keep the beer at during this time?

I haven't made this recipe before but I have brewed with caramalt and brown malt before. That probably is a bit heavy on the brown malt and I might reduce to to 100-200g. Caramalts is ~10% which is a good percentage to get caramel flavours and body.

Ben034 · Feb 10, 2020

I've used MJ liberty bell from time to time (after using liquid yeasts for English bitters for a number of years) and was impressed with the fruity esters. Fermented at 20/21c.

Dutto · Feb 10, 2020

Wilko Ale Yeast - aka Nottingham Yeast - aka Gervin-12 Yeast

It's my "Go To Yeast" for almost any UK brew to do with beer.

It's a temperature tolerant yeast that gives a nice crisp taste to a bitter.

An Ankoù · Feb 10, 2020

The trouble is that everybody's got their favourites. I like MJ-M42. Don't like S-04 or Wilco Gervin Ale yeast, but others swear by them.
I'd use US-05 of even W-34/70 fermented at ale temperature. I think it depends on whether you like your bitter tending towards the crisp and dry or full and malty. BUT SO4 is a safe bet. It ferments quickly and forms a good, hard sediment. Keeep your mash temp down to 65C max.

Hanglow · Feb 10, 2020

jceg316 said:
That's interesting, why would you pitch both? What temperature would you keep the beer at during this time?

I haven't made this recipe before but I have brewed with caramalt and brown malt before. That probably is a bit heavy on the brown malt and I might reduce to to 100-200g. Caramalts is ~10% which is a good percentage to get caramel flavours and body.

Windsor has some decent fruity esters but can't ferment maltotriose so it finishes a bit high, whereas notty is a bit neutral for a bitter imo but can ferment a bit further than windsor. So you can combine them to get come complementary characteristics . I'd keep it about 18c

An Ankoù · Feb 10, 2020

Hanglow said:
Windsor has some decent fruity esters but can't ferment maltotriose so it finishes a bit high, whereas notty is a bit neutral for a bitter imo but can ferment a bit further than windsor. So you can combine them to get come complementary characteristics . I'd keep it about 18c

This is interesting, and I've heard it mentioned before. (might have been you, elsewhere) So I'll get hold of some Windsor and give it a try. I suppose the second yeast adds little to the profile and that any high "clean" fermenting yeast- US-05 for example would do the trick just as well?

Hanglow · Feb 10, 2020

Yes, although it doesn't flocculate nearly as well, not a problem if you fine/not bothered about clarity etc

Sadfield · Feb 10, 2020

US05 would work to attenuate, however it doesn't flocculate or sediment well, which is another aspect to consider when dual pitching.

JonBrew · Feb 10, 2020

I recently brewed a Strong Bitter (bordering on English Strong ale) and pitched a blend 70/30 of the Lallemand East Coast ale and S-04. I'm really please with how it turned out. Nice (and unique) stone fruit esters from the East Coast strain, bit of bready yeast character from the S-04 and dropped lovely and bright due to the latter without fining or cold crashing. Pretty much exactly what I was hoping to achieve. Then again my perceptions could be pure confirmation bias!

An Ankoù · Feb 10, 2020

Hanglow said:
Yes, although it doesn't flocculate nearly as well, not a problem if you fine/not bothered about clarity etc

Sadfield said:
US05 would work to attenuate, however it doesn't flocculate or sediment well, which is another aspect to consider when dual pitching.

I'll bear that in mind. I use a lot of US-05 and don't have any clarity issues, but I do notice that it flocculated less and less well the more it is reused. I tend to use a new pack, collect the slurry and share that among three or four other brews.
I'll get some Nottingham and do the experiment properly.
Thanks both.

jceg316 · Feb 10, 2020

An Ankoù said:
I think it depends on whether you like your bitter tending towards the crisp and dry or full and malty.

Good point. I'm going for malty but still within the easy drinking range. Maybe Windsor on its own could be the way to go?

jceg316 · Feb 10, 2020

An Ankoù said:
I think it depends on whether you like your bitter tending towards the crisp and dry or full and malty.

Good point. I'm going for malty but still within the easy drinking range.

matt76 · Feb 10, 2020

An Ankoù said:
BUT SO4 is a safe bet. It ferments quickly and forms a good, hard sediment. Keeep your mash temp down to 65C max.

@An Ankoù can you elaborate on this - why is keeping the mash temp low important for S-04?

(I've read about keeping the fermentation temp below 65degF but nothing about mash temps)

Hazelwood Brewery · Feb 10, 2020

jceg316 said:
I'm making a best bitter for a friend's wedding and would like to use dry yeast because reasons, however it's been a long time since I used a dry yeast for any British style. I used S-04 and I wasn't sure what it brought to the party, but my palette has developed since, so maybe it is a good yeast. Here's the recipe:

MO 3.7kg
Caramalt 0.5kg
Brown 0.3kg

Polaris 15g @ 60 min
Fuggles 10G @10 min
Saaz 10g @ 10 min

It's a 23 litre batch.
OG is 1.048

Does Mangrove Jack do a good English style yeast? I think I may have tried one once and wasn't keen on the beer. I've not used Nottingham or Windsor and was wondering whether either of these are good?

Thanks in advance.

I think you’d do well with Mangrove Jacks Empire Ale yeast but I’d use 20g given your OG and volume.

An Ankoù · Feb 10, 2020

In the mêlée of enzyme activity going on in the mash, a higher temperature- 68C+ tends to favour bigger polysaccharide chunks which are less fermentable, give more body and mouthfeel and are sweeter on the palate as the enzymes in your mouth quickly converts them to sweet sugars. A lower mash temperature tends to favour conversion to more fermentable sugars, which, being duly fermented, leave a stronger but "thinner" beer. S-04 has a lower attenuation than some other yeasts, which means that it struggles more with the bigger sugar chains. Keeping the mash temperature lower, then, means you'll get more alcohol and less sweetness. It all depends on what you like. I don't like sweet glugging beer and your crystal malt addition is already going to give you some of that. Nevertheless, S-04 probably strikes a happy medium between the yeasts I prefer and something like Danstar Windsor. Mangrove Jack M42 derives from old Whitbread yeast in spite of its packaging name. Get it right and it's lovely, but it can be temperamental. I'd stick with S-04, to be safe, and I like the thinking behind Hanglow's method, but I've never tried it.

foxy · Feb 10, 2020

For a good dry yeast, S-04 or CN-36 both attenuate and flocculate well.

What is a good dry yeast for a best bitter?

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