Best yeast for Rus Imp Stout

[brandonlovesbeer]

I will be brewing a Russian Imperial Stout this weekend and need a recommendation for a good yeast.
My LHBS only sells Wyeast so I need to stick with recommendations within that brand.

Some tips though.
I’d like to stay away from anything with licorice flavors.

 

[Gadjobrinus]

northern brewer (on this site) recommended WLP540, a belgian strain, to me, and it was awesome. I wouldn't have thought of it in a million years, but it worked beautifully. High alcohol tolerance, medium yeast characteristics (esters). Does require plenty of oxygenation.

Edit: Ugh, sorry, just saw you need to keep it to Wyeast. Northern is something of a yeast expert, with more knowledge than I could ever hope to have. I seem to recall that the origin of the strain is known and so maybe there's a Wyeast sub, but can't recall what that strain is right now. Perhaps northern or someone else will come along. Good luck.

 

[brandonlovesbeer]

WLP540, a belgian strain, to me, and it was awesome. .

I found this website. For the record. It says WLP540 equates to Wyeast 1762
https://www.homebrewsupply.com/learn/yeast-comparison-charts.html

It says this is a Belgian Abbey yeast. Is it going to impart Clove and banana?

 

[Gadjobrinus]

I found this website. For the record. It says WLP540 equates to Wyeast 1762
https://www.homebrewsupply.com/learn/yeast-comparison-charts.html

It says this is a Belgian Abbey yeast. Is it going to impart Clive and banana?

Awesome, thanks for the link, Brandon. No, I did not get anything in the way of those spicy, clove-y or banana esters. I actually experienced a clean beer, hints of esters only, but they meshed in well. My neighborhood loved the beer (friend loaned me his mig welder to build my system is basically in growlers for life, and 5-6 others just because I love them)

 

[stieg000]

1056, Nottingham, used both of these for imp stout.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

WLP540 equates to Wyeast 1762

It says this is a Belgian Abbey yeast. Is it going to impart Clove and banana?

No - WLP540/1762 is supposedly the yeast that Rochefort got from the Palm yeastbank in the 1960s after they stopped using Chimay yeast. It's not Belgian at all, it's a POF- British yeast so it will give you some fruit but no phenolics (ie clove), and obviously during its time at Rochefort it's developed rather better alcohol tolerance than its British cousins.

RIS is a British style so a British yeast seems more appropriate than 1056, you shouldn't be afraid of a yeast with a bit of character. Glad it worked out for you, @Gadjobrinus.

 

[GRJBowers]

I've used WLP028 (the Wyeast equivalent would be 1728) and it made a decent RIS.