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Hey all
Just thought Id share my experience with S-04 vs. S-05 yeast. This is more anecdotal than scientific, but I figured there are people out there who may find it interesting.
I brewed up a 10gal batch of Deception Cream Stout ( https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=141483 ) and split it into two fermenters. I pitched S-04 into one bucket, and S-05 into the other. Both were rehydrated before pitching.
One thing to note is that both buckets were fermented in my STC-1000 controlled fridge, with the probe attached to the S-05 bucket. This is probably the biggest flaw with the experiment, but it was the only option with the setup I have. I figured it wouldnt be a big deal though, because both buckets went into the fridge at the same starting temperature with roughly the same volume (and therefore same thermal mass), so unless one yeast throws much more of an exothermic tizzy than the other, the temperature control strategy is still decent for both buckets.
Fermented at 65F setpoint for 12 days, then bumped it up to 72F for an additional week.
Original gravity = 1.058
Final gravity (S-04) = 1.020
Final gravity (S-05) = 1.018
I bottled both beers on the same day, using the same amount of bottling sugar. The S-05 beer had a notable cloudiness that was not present in the S-04, which I suppose is a testament to the high-flocc characteristic of S-04.
Both beers were stored in the same roughly-room-temp location for conditioning.
After 2 months of conditioning in the bottles, I began doing some simple blind taste tests with some friends. Id pour a little bit of each beer for them to drink, without explaining any of the background on what makes the beers different. Since none of us are real expert tasters I asked them to simply tell me which one they liked better, and attempt to explain why.
There will be other tasters, but so far there have been 8 drinkers weighing in. So far, its a 7-to-1 lead in favor of the S-05 batch. All of these opinions were reached independently. As expected, the explanations reflect a rather basic beer-tasting vocabulary:
Its smoother.
Its creamier.
The [S-04] is a bit too bitter.
Needless to say, most were surprised to learn that the beers were the same, except for the yeast.
So, what do I think? I didnt taste them blind, but honestly, there is no need to because the difference is very obvious. I really like both versions, but I agree with the crowd, and prefer the S-05 version. The descriptors above are consistent with what I would say myself. My girlfriend agrees as well. The S-05 just has a nicer overall mouthfeel, especially for this style. The last few Ive had from the S-04 batch, have been chilled down to about 36F, as if they were blonde ales. Not what I would normally do for a stout, but that cold temp really suits this particular batch. The beer drinks almost like a sodavery tasty and almost refreshing, which is not normally a word I would attribute to a stout.
Just thought Id share my experience with S-04 vs. S-05 yeast. This is more anecdotal than scientific, but I figured there are people out there who may find it interesting.
I brewed up a 10gal batch of Deception Cream Stout ( https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=141483 ) and split it into two fermenters. I pitched S-04 into one bucket, and S-05 into the other. Both were rehydrated before pitching.
One thing to note is that both buckets were fermented in my STC-1000 controlled fridge, with the probe attached to the S-05 bucket. This is probably the biggest flaw with the experiment, but it was the only option with the setup I have. I figured it wouldnt be a big deal though, because both buckets went into the fridge at the same starting temperature with roughly the same volume (and therefore same thermal mass), so unless one yeast throws much more of an exothermic tizzy than the other, the temperature control strategy is still decent for both buckets.
Fermented at 65F setpoint for 12 days, then bumped it up to 72F for an additional week.
Original gravity = 1.058
Final gravity (S-04) = 1.020
Final gravity (S-05) = 1.018
I bottled both beers on the same day, using the same amount of bottling sugar. The S-05 beer had a notable cloudiness that was not present in the S-04, which I suppose is a testament to the high-flocc characteristic of S-04.
Both beers were stored in the same roughly-room-temp location for conditioning.
After 2 months of conditioning in the bottles, I began doing some simple blind taste tests with some friends. Id pour a little bit of each beer for them to drink, without explaining any of the background on what makes the beers different. Since none of us are real expert tasters I asked them to simply tell me which one they liked better, and attempt to explain why.
There will be other tasters, but so far there have been 8 drinkers weighing in. So far, its a 7-to-1 lead in favor of the S-05 batch. All of these opinions were reached independently. As expected, the explanations reflect a rather basic beer-tasting vocabulary:
Its smoother.
Its creamier.
The [S-04] is a bit too bitter.
Needless to say, most were surprised to learn that the beers were the same, except for the yeast.
So, what do I think? I didnt taste them blind, but honestly, there is no need to because the difference is very obvious. I really like both versions, but I agree with the crowd, and prefer the S-05 version. The descriptors above are consistent with what I would say myself. My girlfriend agrees as well. The S-05 just has a nicer overall mouthfeel, especially for this style. The last few Ive had from the S-04 batch, have been chilled down to about 36F, as if they were blonde ales. Not what I would normally do for a stout, but that cold temp really suits this particular batch. The beer drinks almost like a sodavery tasty and almost refreshing, which is not normally a word I would attribute to a stout.
