Well, I read the OP and what I understand is he’s saying he feels he’s getting a subtle flavor from US-05 and wanted to know if anyone else had a similar experience. Didn’t appear that it had anything to do with the style. So, I would have to agree that your initial post was a bit off base and I think that’s all Paul was getting at. Cheers!!!
let me start this with my usual, “i am no expert”…
ive been using only liquid yeast since my second beer; haven’t kept track but maybe i’m around 60-100 brew days so far. in that time while i use maybe 5 different strains, my neighbor tended to use one or two different dry yeasts and i simply preferred my beer.
i really wasn’t sure that it was the yeast, until i took off to mcmurdo for five months and gave him a kit to brew w/liquid yeast; it was a big beer and he didn’t want to make a starter for it…undrinkable…when i got back he gave me one of his kits, which i brewed and used dry yeast for…same off taste, at least to my palate.
Howdy, guys. Looks like the conversation picked up while I was commuting home from work.
To answer some of the issues:
- I’ve always used US-05 in a style appropriate way. Mostly I’m making IPAs and Pale Ales.
- I said that I’ve gone as high as 68 degrees for fermentation, but that was unusual. Typically I set my temperature controller at about 63. But I find that in practice, that setting puts me between 61-64 during the fermentation.
I’m curious about the split batch idea, Glug Master. I’ve never tried to take US-05 under 60 before. I’m curious if that would make a difference too. If you perform the experiment, please keep me in the loop.
I just ordered some other yeast strains. I’ll make some starters and try them out.
Can you tell I like US-05 a lot? I get it for $2.65 per package when purchasing 12 or more.
Musty? I get that from US-05, in varying concentrations depending on the pitching rate.
Greg, Midwest sells it for $2.75…
I’ve never gotten this off flavor from US-05. I’ve fermented it down into the mid to upper 50’s (ambient temps) with good results. It doesn’t ferment terribly vigorously, but it works.
+1 - the US ale strains benefit from “cold” fermentation. Go cold ferment with a sufficient slurry high 50s and warm it up to the mid 60s after fermentation slows significantly; cold crash mmmm good stuff.
I make mainly Am. styles. I’ve used US-05 a lot since it came out and always kinda thought it gave me pretty similar results to 1056. Recently, though, I started noticing the same kinds of things as the OP. On my last batch, I went back to 1056 for a beer I’d used 05 on the last few years. There was more differnce than I expected. The 05 had some esters that 1056 didn’t and seemed to produce a beer with less body even when the FG was the same as 1056. I’ll still keep using 05, but I’ll take these differences into account when deciding what to use it in.
The only thing I’ve noticed with US-05 vs Liquid Cultures is that it requires a bit more age and time to drop clear. Other than that, it’s a great strain. But for me, I just go with the liquid since I spread the extra $3-$4 out among several batches. If I were using a new pitch of yeast every time, or making A LOT of beer at once, I can see why using dry yeast is preferable.
But from what i hear, US-05 and Danstar Nottingham are the only two dry yeasts worth using. Has anyone made great beer using the other strains? (note that I said great) 
I have used T58 with very good results in a saison and a tripel.
Thing about that, a tripel and a saison have very differnet fermentation profiles. I can’t imagine that the same yeast will produce flawless examples of each style. I guess that’s what I’m after, “flawless”. Maybe it’s just not possible with dry yeast.
I don’t know…maybe I made a tripel and a tripel-lite. I did alter my water and fermented at different temps and I did get different yeast character in each beer.
I’ve used US-05 several times with good, consistant results. However, the last time I used it, for an american brown, the fermentation was odd. The wort rolled like boiling water. It constantly churned for four days, my temps stayed in the high 60’s. The beer never really cleared and it was almost undrinkable. Two days ago I brewed a pale and used US-05. The wort is doing the same thing with temp at 64. I’m seeing here that maybe the temp is still too high? Does anyone think that I may have gotten a couple of bad packs?
The brew before this, dry stout, I used S-04 (first time) and everything was perfect.
Same here. And I’ve found S-189 and 34/70 dry lager yeast to be very good.
Same here. And I’ve found S-189 and 34/70 dry lager yeast to be very good.[/quote]
Denny, how many packets of 34/70 would one need for a 1.060 gravity lager?
Same here. And I’ve found S-189 and 34/70 dry lager yeast to be very good.[/quote]
Denny, how many packets of 34/70 would one need for a 1.060 gravity lager?[/quote]
Off the top of my head, I’d say 2 would do it.
[quote=“Denny”]
Off the top of my head, I’d say 2 would do it.[/quote]
Hmmm, at the price, I might as well buy liquid yeast and step up a starter. That stuff is $6.75 at Northern Brewer and $4.99 at Midwest. It ain’t cheap.
It ain’t cheap, but it’s easy.
[quote=“Beersk”]
Hmmm, at the price, I might as well buy liquid yeast and step up a starter. That stuff is $6.75 at Northern Brewer and $4.99 at Midwest. It ain’t cheap.[/quote]
True, but you really need to factor in the cost & time for making a starter, and then stepping it up at least once to pitch in a 5 gallon batch of Lager. Ironically I just pitched 2 packets of 34/70 in a 5 gallon batch of Dortmunder @ 1.060. That yeast will make 40-50 more gallons of beer before it’s retired and by pitching thick slurries no starter is necessary. That’s how I get my money’s worth out of yeast. Cheers!!!
EDIT: I should note the subsequent batches will be 10 gallons each. The 5 gallon Dortmunder is really just a BIG starter, and drinkable… Cheers!!!
[quote=“hamiltont”][quote=“Beersk”]
Hmmm, at the price, I might as well buy liquid yeast and step up a starter. That stuff is $6.75 at Northern Brewer and $4.99 at Midwest. It ain’t cheap.[/quote]
True, but you really need to factor in the cost & time for making a starter, and then stepping it up at least once to pitch in a 5 gallon batch of Lager. Ironically I just pitched 2 packets of 34/70 in a 5 gallon batch of Dortmunder @ 1.060. That yeast will make 40-50 more gallons of beer before it’s retired and by pitching thick slurries no starter is necessary. That’s how I get my money’s worth out of yeast. Cheers!!!
EDIT: I should note the subsequent batches will be 10 gallons each. The 5 gallon Dortmunder is really just a BIG starter, and drinkable… Cheers!!![/quote]
Solid, thanks for the info.
