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You are here: Home --> Forum Home --> Brewing Forum --> Recipe Discussion --> Yeast Selection

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Half Day
Pittsburgh, PA
8 Posts


So my yeast game is pretty weak...primarily brewing IPA's using the chico strain.  I am dying to try out a new yeast for a pumpkin ale.  Any suggestions?



Posted 34 days ago.

ingoogni
nl
314 Posts


What would you like to get from a yeast?




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


For a pumpkin ale, I personally think that a nice English strain would give you some character that would play well with it.  



Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by homebrewdad

uberg33k
Charter Member
The Internet
314 Posts


"What would you like to get from a yeast?"

This is the right question followed by, "What recipe are you looking to use"?  Do you really want a pumpkin beer or a beer that contains the spices typical of pumpkin pie (nutmeg, cinnamon, etc.)?




Posted 34 days ago.
Edited 34 days ago by uberg33k

mchrispen
Bastrop, TX
485 Posts


Agreed with uberg33k. Chico is fairly clean and low on esters and attenuates reasonably dry... maybe some peachy thing when fermented warm.

Yeast esters should support the flavors you are seeking, and consider attenuation - many British strains attenuate lower (?) leaving behind more body and a little sweeter flavor and support the malt.

Think: Flavor - fruity or spicy or clean supporting the recipe, and attenuation/mouthfeel.

If I threw out an American styled yeast strain - I would say look at San Diego Super Yeast or maybe "Denny's Favorite" as good clean yeasts that leave really nice mouthfeels, low yeast character but supports both hop and malt character. I think SD attenuates a bit better than DF, but DF leaves a silkier mouthfeel. Otherwise, I would consider Dry English Ale or even something like West Yorkshire for a more fruity forward finish - but keep the OG low enough you don't have a cloying sweet beer.







Posted 34 days ago.

Half Day
Pittsburgh, PA
8 Posts


Thanks all - yes, what do I want the yeast to do...excellent question for my question.  My answer...not really sure.  As I mentioned, my yeast game is weak.

For the recipe I am using the following grain bill which is basically the dogfish head punkin clone recipe but I added some oats for a softer mouth feel.  The recipe also calls for 2 29 oz cans of Libby's pure pumpkin in the mash and 1.5 tablespoons of pumpkin spice in the boil for 15 minutes.

I also plan on throwing some vanilla beans in the secondary.  My target beer is a nice, soft, pumpkin spice forward beer rounded out with some vanilla.  I am leaning towards an english strain I think but figured i would throw this out there before I screw it up royally.. :)  Thanks all!

12 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM)


1 lbsCaramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM)


1 lbsSpecial Roast (50.0 SRM)


8.0 ozOats, Flaked (1.0 SRM)


1 lbsBrown Sugar, Light (8.0 SRM)


1.00 ozHallertau [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min


1.00 ozHallertau [4.50 %] - Boil 5.0 min






Posted 34 days ago.

chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


There are so many legitimate choices:
  • Sam Calagione would probably recommend Chico. That's the yeast he chose for the Punkin Porter in Extreme Brewing.
  • Wyeast 1450 is a good suggestion from above. It's featured in Denny's "Bourbon Vanilla Imperial Porter" if you've had that.
  • I suspect DFH's house "malty ale yeast" is a clean variant of one of the two Ringwood isolates: WLP005 or Wyeast 1187.
  • Pacman
    would be a good choice it you can get it (it's a Wyeast Platinum
    Collection strain), for a clean fermentation. Or look at American Ale II
    / California Ale V.
  • My personal choice would be either
    Whitbred "B" ("Whitbread Dry") (WLP007 / Wyeast 1098) for a dry, malty
    beer with some English esters,  or Fullers (Wyeast 1968 / WLP 002) for a
    maltier, more full-bodied beer with English esters.
  • But really, almost any yeast is a legitimate choice. Why not just browse the yeast library at White Labs' and Wyeast's sites, and see what catches your fancy?




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


I agree with chino.  As I mentioned above, I'd probably lean toward an English strain (WLP002/005/007)... but I enjoy the character of malty English beers.  I don't think you are going to go wrong here, though.

You could even go with something like Conan, ferment warm to emphasize the peach esters, and make a take on the infamous pumpkin peach beer. 

Yeah, okay, I probably wouldn't do THAT.



Posted 34 days ago.

uberg33k
Charter Member
The Internet
314 Posts


I'd say 1968 first, but 1450 is a really interesting option I hadn't thought of.  If you have the means, 833 would be an awesome experiment.  It'd be a little pumpkin beer, a little Oktoberfest.

Also, split that crystal bill up.  Maybe do 1/2 40L and 1/2 80L.  Or if you want to do pie crust, drop the 40L for biscuit malt.




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Oh, I definitely agree with uberg33k on splitting the crystal up.  This technique - layering the crystal malts - leads to more flavorful beer.    



Posted 34 days ago.

Half Day
Pittsburgh, PA
8 Posts


Thanks for the feedback all!  I took Chino's advice and just shopped around for something to catch my fancy and ended up with Mangrove Jack's Dried Yeast British Ale...code name, M07.  I have never fermented with dry yeast yet so I am pumped to give this a try.  I bought two packets after reading the info..would be interesting to see what this will do for an IPA...

AROMA CHARACTERISTICS:
Hops and malt aromas are enhanced and will tend toward earthy, nutty, orange peel, and mild spice. Esters will be nearly absent in normal strength beers fermented cool; below 68°F (20°C).

FLAVOR/MOUTH FEEL CHARACTERISTICS:
Beers fermented with this strain will finish dry, but very light beers will not be thin or watery. Acidity will be low, and mouth feel will be light and soft on the palate with smooth, not astringent texture. Highly flocculent and resilient, and not prone to autolysis, this is an excellent strain for cask or bottle conditioning.

I will tinker with the grain bill as suggested but like to keep my grain bills relatively simple for new recipes and build from there.  I do like the biscuit malt idea...stay tuned for a final recipe and brew day notes!




Posted 34 days ago.

homebrewdad
Charter Member
Birmingham, AL
2480 Posts


Good luck, let us know how it turns out!



Posted 34 days ago.

chino_brews
Charter Member
Eden Prairie, MN
301 Posts


Nice choice. I've loved all three Mangrove Jack yeasts I've tried: M02 cider, M03 Newcastle, and M44 West Coast Ale (similar to Danstar BRY-97 IMO, which is Siebel's BRY-97 strain, rather than Chico/US-05/WLP001/Wyeast 1056). I wish my LHBSs carried MJ! I feel those three MJ strains are comparable to the better dry yeast strains like US-05, S-04, and Nottingham in terms of being just as good as liquid strains in terms of delivering what they promise.

M07 is purported to ferment similar to WLP007, which is the same as Wyeast 1968 (Fuller's strain).

Let us know how it turns out on this thread!




Posted 34 days ago.

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