US-05/WLP001 for sweet stout?

[mbach72]

I plan on brewing a sweet stout later this week. It will pretty much be the Deception Cream Stout recipe found inthe recipe database. I have everything I need for it except for the yeast.

I have a citra pale ale that I plan on bottling over ther next few days. Its sitting on a cake of WLP001. I considered reusing that yeast but a quick look at the White Labs website shows that they rate it as a "1" on a scale of 0-4 for use in sweet stouts. There is also a Left Hand Milk Stout clone in the database that uses US-05 and it seems to get pretty good reviews.

What is the possible downside to using the Chico strain in a sweet stout? Is it fear of overattenuation leading to a much dryer beer? Would I be able to counteract that enough by adjusting the mash temp? If its just a matter of profile, I know that it isnt going to throw out the same nuances as the British strains, but I'm just fine with a very clean profile on this one.

The reviews of the LHMS make me think that it would be okay, but then again, searching through tons of stout recipes shows me that it isn't used very often and I'm sure there is a reason for that.

Bottom line is, if its not worth using, I'll go to my lhbs and get some more yeast. It's pretty much a wine place so they have a very limited number of yeast strains available. What is a suitable alternative that I'm likely to find among a bare bones selection?

Thanks!

 

[grathan]

The recipe calls for 0.5# lactose. It will be sweet whether you use Denny's 1450 or 1056.

 

[betarhoalphadelta]

For a sweet stout, the main concern would be high attenuation, as you mention. Going for a high mash temp and perhaps bumping up the lactose (1# per 5 gallons) will help. But you run the risk of having a thin/medium-bodied sweet stout, which may or may not be what you want (FWIW, I've found the Left Hand to be a bit on the thinner side as stouts are concerned).

I really like a bit more body in my milk stouts, so I've had good luck with Windsor yeast. I've made the below recipe with both Windsor and S-04, and the Windsor came out very well. This stout won the Stout category in the West region of the 2008 LongShot and took 1st place in the SW region of the 1st round of 2008 NHC:

http://www.brewcommune.com/recipedb/recipe.php?r=209 (note: 15 gal recipe)

 

[biestie]

It really depends on what you're looking for. I, like the poster above tend to look for some body in my sweet stouts, and I'm not as concerned with it being noticeably sweet. If your going for something that's quite sweet, I'd up the crystal malt a tad. If you're going for body, I'd do that with lactose.

Either way, if it's a tried and true recipe, I can't imagine that a Chico strain could ruin it.

 

[KeystoneHomebrew]

I think you'll get a tasty beer using the Chico. A nice English strain will provide some good complexity like dark fruit and those typical English esters. But without it, it'll still be a good Milk Stout.

I do +1 in bumping up the lactose to 1 lb. Not only are you using Chico, but a crap-ton of it. That is going to more than likely increase attenuation.

 

[mbach72]

Thanks for the replies. I definitely like my stouts a little chewier so I think I'll take the advice and increase the lactose and bump up the crystal a little.

 

[BayviewBrewer]

I have done a few sweet stouts now and i find that s04 is really good for this type of beer.

 

[goodsuds]

How about Wyeast 1272? It finishes a little sweeter than 1056 and still results in a clean profile. I actually think I like the flavor profile better than 1056 unless I'm going for the most neutral flavor profile I can get. I think it is just a little more interesting, even fermented in the low 60's.

 

[mbach72]

I'm heading to the lhbs shortly so I'll check out their yeast selection. Bayview,
Thanks for the tip on S-04. I did a little more reaearch and found that its a possible solution. I know the local shop has that and it seems like a no-brainer to spend $3 on that rather than using the chico and crossing my fingers.

 

[KeystoneHomebrew]

S-04, along with bumping up the lactose will without a doubt give you the best Milk Stout possible. I love that strain of yeast.

 

[BigFloyd]

S-04, along with bumping up the lactose will without a doubt give you the best Milk Stout possible. I love that strain of yeast.

+1 on the S-04 and bumping the lactose.

I'm slowly working my way through bottles of a sweet chocolate stout brewed in February. 1lb of lactose and 8oz unsweetened cocoa (mixed dry and then made into a slurry) added at 10 min.

I tossed this on 1/3 of a S-04 yeast cake from a batch of ESB I had just racked to a keg. It turned out very nicely after a 3-month conditioning period.

 

[mbach72]

I ended up getting the S-04 yesterday. Sounds like that plus bumping up the lactose is going to make a tasty beer. Im going to brew it tomorrow. If I remember, I'll post an update on how it turns out.

 

[BigFloyd]

I ended up getting the S-04 yesterday. Sounds like that plus bumping up the lactose is going to make a tasty beer. Im going to brew it tomorrow. If I remember, I'll post an update on how it turns out.

Good luck with it. Hope it turns out tasty.

 

[KeystoneHomebrew]

Please keep us updated. I feel we're all owed a bottle at this point.