I haven't brewed with Notty lately, as I avoid this yeast like the bubonic plague as soon as I know the fermentation temps with be North of 65F.
But the last time I used it, it was boring business as usual. Slowish-starter, boring fermentation, not particularly quick to ferment and clean enough to be completely non-perceptible in an otherwise flavorful beer.
Lol... I think you're doing it wrong.
Clean, quick start, quick ferment (2-3 days down to FG), high attenuation, highly flocculent, clean flavor.
Good up to ~68°.
Hey, I keep seeing that Donatello SMaSH brew in your sig and I feel the need to ask about it. Did you do any other of the turtles? And what makes it Donatello themed?
Hey, I keep seeing that Donatello SMaSH brew in your sig and I feel the need to ask about it. Did you do any other of the turtles? And what makes it Donatello themed? TMNT was my absolute favorite thing as a kid. I cant remember how many times I was Donatello for Halloween, or any other random day. I even bought my new car (2015 dark green ford fusion) cause I think the grill makes the front look like a ninja turtle. Just need to add a purple racing stripe that goes around the headlights.....
Back on topic, I stopped using Nottingham when I noticed about 50% of the brews I used it in had weird off flavors....I prefer US-05 if I need to use dry yeast
last batch, i used notty. went nuts at 67 and in a couple days had already blasted 1/2 gallon out of the blowoff. big mess, loss of beer. but it fermented out in 3 days.
i have plans to wash it for an upcoming lemon/rosemary pale.
1. Donatello is awesome, best turtle, easily
2. I used Amarillo... I thought Donatello was fitting.
3. @TheCADJockey and I both did MO SMaSHes, same recipe, different hops... we are going to swap and do it again at some point in the future. He did Shredder. Good vs. Bad.
So... recipe?
Anyone having any issues with Nottingham lately? Slow starts? Off flavors? Last few batches have had both.
Maris Otter / Nugget hops / Notty and 4 freshly ground turtles added at flameout.
I am no Notty loyalist (it's ok) but I think I am more inclined to raise an eyebrow at people's processes before outright blaming a particular yeast strain.
So far several people that have poor results have mentioned:
1) year old yeast in fridge
2) yeast pitched dry
3) fermentation temps raising (62-64 Deg ambient could potentially be 68+ in the fermenter)
I have used both S05 and Notty with great results. I have also used both and had less than stellar results. The brews that went wrong? You guessed it - mistakes during brew day. That's why it's so important to keep good notes.
For those of us with questioned looks on our faces and taste buds, would you folks care to throw out anything resembling a flavor, noun, adjective, modifying participle to help us with what "off flavor" might be? Are we talking banana or worm entrails? Bandaid, clove, medicine or 4 day old diaper results of feeding infants jalepeno pea puree?
For those of us with questioned looks on our faces and taste buds, would you folks care to throw out anything resembling a flavor, noun, adjective, modifying participle to help us with what "off flavor" might be? Are we talking banana or worm entrails? Bandaid, clove, medicine or 4 day old diaper results of feeding infants jalepeno pea puree?
I got a weird sort of earthy/oaky/harshness from an English IPA fermented at 62F, ramped up to 66F over a week or so that I have come to associate with Nottingham. We've brewed the recipe with other yeasts without that particularly Nottingham character and I get that flavor on occasion from certain commercial beers. At this point, I just think of it as "Nottingham flavor".
Did you rehydrate? what was the pitch temp? pitch rate? age of yeast?
I love UK ales/IPAs/bitters for their earthy notes. Are you sure this isn't just simply the result of the style?
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