Some advice about choosing a yeast or two

I make 3 gallon batches and I alternate between two yeasts and run about 6 or 7 batches of each kind of yeast then start over. For example my recent runs were with Trappist 500 and Cali 001 It went:

01. Golden Ale (001)
02. Belgian Pale Ale (500)
03. APA
04. Belgian Dark Strong
05. SNPA Clone
06. Dubbel
07. Big Brown
08. BDS #2
09. Brushfire Brown
10. Tripel
11. IPA
12. Belgian Pale Ale

You can see how I alternate between two different kinds of yeast and try to make a different style every time.

For my next round one of the yeasts is definitely going to be an English with a run something like light brown>PA>IPA>porter>stout>BW or something like that.

I'm asking two things:

1. What English yeast would you use that would be nice across several styles and not dominate the taste of every beer. A more neutral English I guess?

2. What other type of yeast would you like to use to make a run of brews?


ETA: Maybe this goes in the yeast forum. Duh. lol

1) Nottingham seems to be a very versatile and highly thought if yeast strain for many types of European ales

2) Safale-05 seems to be the most used variety for American ales

I plan on washing some starters with both but since I have more of the 05 than Nottingham, it will be first.

catdaddy66 said:

1) Nottingham seems to be a very versatile and highly thought if yeast strain for many types of European ales

2) Safale-05 seems to be the most used variety for American ales

I plan on washing some starters with both but since I have more of the 05 than Nottingham, it will be first.

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Thanks for the input. I'm looking for something different. I just did a whole run of 001 beers and I'm thinking something like hefes or saisons. Something to go with the warmer weather coming. I can rely on the Nottingham for more traditional beers and maybe mix it up with something funky for the other one.

Take a look at Wyeast 1275 Thames Valley. I used it in a brown ale and a stout last year, and felt the two beers were distinct.

elkshadow said:

Thanks for the input. I'm looking for something different. I just did a whole run of 001 beers and I'm thinking something like hefes or saisons. Something to go with the warmer weather coming. I can rely on the Nottingham for more traditional beers and maybe mix it up with something funky for the other one.

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Sorry, I was answering in a style good for "many styles". I really don't get very fancy or special with yeast (yet!). Those two are general use for sure.

I have been very pleased with the results of wlp004 irish ale. It is a pretty dry finishing, hard working yeast. It propagates very well, I step started it 3 times and pulled lots off for later use before pitching onto a large stout.

Wyeast 1099 Whitbread is probably my favorite all purpose English strain. Used it in pretty much every classic British style of beer and have loved the slight malt enhancing touch of English fruitiness that it gives the beer.

How much are you brewing at a time? I just did a Scottish ale (ok a strong Scottish ale) I used 3 different yeasts "Nottingham" "Windsor" and "US-05,
Different attenuation and different tastes for sure. Flat and warm im leaning towards the US-05.
The Nottingham and US-05 went from 1.068 to 1.009
The Windsor went from 1.068 to 1.019
When it is all carbed, cooled and tasted I will pick one and stick with it.

Happy Brewing!!!!

It depends on your setup...if you are fermenting in carboys and kegging, wy1968 london ESB is awesome. If you are fermenting in a bucket and bottle conditioning wy1318 london 3 is great - great flavour, low diacetyl and the yeast cake floats so it is a great top cropper that can be easily repitched multiple times.

This is a really good thread on the subject here
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/b...on-temps-profiles-cybi-other-thoughts-221817/

bazowie said:

How much are you brewing at a time? I just did a Scottish ale (ok a strong Scottish ale) I used 3 different yeasts "Nottingham" "Windsor" and "US-05,
Different attenuation and different tastes for sure. Flat and warm im leaning towards the US-05.
The Nottingham and US-05 went from 1.068 to 1.009
The Windsor went from 1.068 to 1.019
When it is all carbed, cooled and tasted I will pick one and stick with it.

Happy Brewing!!!!

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I'm brewing 3 gallons at a time. People really love that Nottingham it seems.

gbx said:

It depends on your setup...if you are fermenting in carboys and kegging, wy1968 london ESB is awesome. If you are fermenting in a bucket and bottle conditioning wy1318 london 3 is great - great flavour, low diacetyl and the yeast cake floats so it is a great top cropper that can be easily repitched multiple times.

This is a really good thread on the subject here
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/b...on-temps-profiles-cybi-other-thoughts-221817/

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I'm in buckets and bottles.

A lot of good input here and I appreciate it. I need to do some further reading about all the yeasts mentioned here. I'm intrigued by the Irish one because one of the ones I wanted to try was a big Scottish. I know there are yeasts just for Scottish ales but maybe I could get away with any English, Irish or Scottish styles with that yeast.

Need to do some reading...

elkshadow said:

Thanks for the input. I'm looking for something different. I just did a whole run of 001 beers and I'm thinking something like hefes or saisons. Something to go with the warmer weather coming. I can rely on the Nottingham for more traditional beers and maybe mix it up with something funky for the other one.

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How about 3463 Forbidden Fruit. Interesting yeast. Can work with Belgin Wit but I have used it in other. styles.

3522 is also nice.

Another fun choice is 3711. You can do sasions and Belgian styles with it.

For dry look at Belle Sasion. I just tried this a couple of times and like the initial results.

Just a few more to think about.

I like WLP007, not as estery as other british beers but ferments out fast and dry, and then flocs hard like a british yeast should. I also like WLP090 for the same reason, except zero esters. Super clean california ale yeast.

daksin said:

I like WLP007, not as estery as other british beers but ferments out fast and dry, and then flocs hard like a british yeast should. I also like WLP090 for the same reason, except zero esters. Super clean california ale yeast.

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Came in to say 007.

You could also use 002, but I prefer 007 and just adjust recipe or mash temp if I want a higher FG.


As for another yeast, I love Dennys Fav, its extremely versatile and between it and 007 I can make 80% of the beers I want to brew.

I use 007 a lot. Its great for English Pales, Eng. IPAs, Eng. Brown ales; as well as American pale ale, ipa, and brown ale as well. I've used it on an Imperial Stout in the past with great results as well. not real estery. drops like a rock. Very versatile IMO.

OK so after reading these responses and some more thought, I've kind of thrown out the idea of running 6 or 7 batches on two alternating yeasts. I want to make a variety of styles and I don't want to be constricted by having to re-use yeast. Originally the idea was to save money. When you make 3 gallon batches, $8 a batch for yeast adds up quick. So I went with my 2 yeasts idea and tried to get at least 6 batches out of each. It worked but I miss the variety. And really, 8 bucks? I'm not too worried about it. I do want to get 2 or 3 batches out of a tube but I'm not going to miss the 8 bucks when I'm drinking a killer beer.

Now I'm thinking I'll do a run with 007 and have 2 or 3 other yeasts to do more interesting stuff with. With the weather changing I'm thinking wheat beers and saisons or anything that ferments on the warmer side. I have a spare bedroom that I keep very warm for bottle conditioning that I could ferment hotter for these styles. I have fermented one of my recent belgians at room temp and at peak the fermometer said 78. I haven't bottled it yet but I can tell that I like the hot banana flavor more than the spice character that fermenting lower brings. The days of holding a fermentation to 62 for an 8 week primary and waiting forever for a beer that tastes (for lack of a better word) farty are gone my friends.

I have a finished crawl space room for the 007 if things get too hot.

Forgive my rambling. Just kind of thinking out loud.

If you start with something session-strength, you can save the yeast cake in your fridge for months on end. The yeast will slowly die off (Mr Malty has a viability thingy based on the age of the yeast, although I don't think it gives the yeast enough credit), but if you make a starter that's not a problem. I've currently got about 10 yeast samples in my fridge. Sadly, I'm always looking to expand my collection.

For English yeasts, I really like WY1318's over-the-top fruitiness. It's not the most attenuative strain out there, but there's several ways around that. As Beergolf mentioned, 3522/550 is also very nice.

I made a English IPA with WY 1469, when that fad done I put a nut brown on the yeast cake. Fermentation was fantastic for both - the IPA got down to 1.010 and hd A beautiful flavor. Waiting for it to condition.

kingwood-kid said:

For English yeasts, I really like WY1318's over-the-top fruitiness. It's not the most attenuative strain out there, but there's several ways around that. As Beergolf mentioned, 3522/550 is also very nice.

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1318 is fruity in a good way and is still decent up into the low 70s. ...and 1318 is a very easy yeast to repitch - when the beer is done, skim the yeast off the top. The floaty stuff is always very clean and viable - I've had mason jars of it pitched 2 weeks later that blew out in less than 4 hours when repitched.