S-04 vs US-05

[BrewHouse]

A couple of weeks ago I did my first AG brew in absolutely ages. The plan was to do a 10 gallon batch and split it into 2 FV, one with S-04 and the other US-05. All went swimmingly well on the brew day but it got a bit messy towards the end and I didn't note which yeast went into which FV.

I have just kegged and one of the krausen was much darker than the other. The darker one has also finished a bit lower on the hydrometer 1013 as opposed to 1015 for the lighter coloured krausen

Can anyone tell me from this which yeast is likely to have been in which FV?

 

[Dull Boy]

US-05 finishes cleaner than S-04 from my experience, 05 attenuation is usally slightly higher also, so assuming both were fermentated at the same temperature & equal volumes, I'd hazard a guess the 1.013 FG is the US05.

 

[Slid]

US-05 finishes cleaner than S-04 from my experience, 05 attenuation is usally slightly higher also, so assuming both were fermentated at the same temperature & equal volumes, I'd hazard a guess the 1.013 FG is the US05.

I would go with what Dull Boy (?) surmises, as US 05 will usually go down to 85% attenuation after 3 wks. Also would agree with the assertion that US05 is a clean tasting yeast, with S04 being much more "English" and estery.

Which one is better in any situation can come down to personal preferences. I like US 05. An extra feature for me is that even after 3-6 months in the PET bottles, it is usually not over-carbonated, whereas most of my gushers have been from beers fermented using yeast that is initially less attenuating, but will carry on fermenting at temps as low as 3C.

 

[BrewHouse]

Thanks guys, I'll go with that, and try and stay sober enough to the end of the brew day should I ever repeat this!

 

[GerritT]

Thanks guys, I'll go with that, and try and stay sober enough to the end of the brew day should I ever repeat this!

Scotch tape to tape the yeast package to the fermenter.
#beentheredonethat