I was reading that WY1968 is a crazy flocculent yeast and needs to be roused to reach final gravity. Is this much of an issue or is the Northern Brewer description just being alarmist?[/quote]
I would say it is quite flocculent, but I have never had an issue hitting final gravity. I just tend to hit it fairly quickly with 1968.[/quote]
Ditto here. I voted for 1968 (including it’s variants) as my go-to commercial yeast. I like that it is ultra-flocculent, and I usually re-pitch it through 7 or 8 generations (without washing or rinsing) with no issues. A daily rouse helps with the high grav brews, and I’ve made special “keeping” beers in the 12%ABV range with no attenuation problems.
Bottom line is that it’s great for just about any style of ale, “American” or “British” style. And it makes one hell of a traditional robust porter.
My actual house yeast (that I began using in the mid/late 1980s) is a mixed strain of unknown pedigree that was given to me and which I’ve kept alive since then.
At the moment, 1768. I’ve been making a lot of English ordinary bitter lately (fine tuning some session ale). That will change, I am sure, but the 21 days grain to glass is keeping me beered up, despite a lot of hungry hounds visiting lately…
I voted for 1056 because I guess it truly is my “house” strain. I have used it more than any other and have 4 jars of it in my fridge at home right now that will be used for future batches.
The issue is that it is not my favorite strain. I, like many home brewers, enjoy the variety. I do not brew enough to where I want to brew 4-8 batches in a row using the same yeast. I think of all of the strains I have used 168 is my favorite. That is a funky little yeast (looks like rotten milk) that does a great job. I just brewed an oatmeal stout with it and the beer is phenomenal.
1272 for me. I think it’s pretty versatile. Awesome yeast for an IPA, which I brew often. I ferment a bit warmer (68-70) to feature the hops, and cooler (60-64) for a cleaner/crisper beer.
