I bought this kit w/o reading the instructions in great detail, and I didn’t know that it did not call for any time in the secondary. Consequently, I did not get the recommended yeast (I planned to use or re-use Wyeast 1056 American Ale or even just US-05). Now I’m reading about the flocculation of the recommended yeast (Wyeast 1945 or Danstar Nottingham Ale Yeast), and both are described as having a very high flocculation, whereas the 1056 and US-05 are in the medium-to-low range.
So, am I right in thinking that I will have a cloudy mess on my hands if I don’t use a secondary to allow this beer to clear out? Another thought I had was to use half of a Whirlfloc tablet, but to be honest I have no idea if that would help force the yeast out of suspension as I thought that Whirlfloc was meant more for just getting haze/proteins out of the beer.
Has anyone made this kit according to the instructions but used a different yeast? I’d love to hear about it! You cannot imagine my initial reaction when I learned that I could skip messing with the carboy on this!
That’s going to depend entirely on what degree of clarity you want/need. If you have the time, I’ve found that a 7-10 day cold crash in primary will clear Chico to a degree that I consider acceptable.
If authenticity is what you’re going for, though, consider that British pub ales would typically be served very young and unfiltered. Some degree of haze would be normal.
For me, US-05 drops clear with a 2-3 week primary and a couple of days at 32F. Regardless, a secondary does not do anything magical to clear the beer - if you leave it in the primary fermenter for the same amount of time as you would primary+secondary you’ll get the same amount of clearing.
thanks for your input guys - I can deal with a little haze (this is just a beer to drink until the real beer is ready ), but I had visions of almost complete opacity like the East River… or maybe the Cuyahoga.
You might try S04, its a dry British ale yeast. The British ale yeasts as a rule drop sooner and as a consequence leave the beer a little fruitier and slightly less attenuated. All of that plays into the profile of the Innkeeper or any bitter for that matter.
Yes, I think this beer fermented with US-05 or other clean american ale yeast will be BORING. I’d say half the goodness of the beer is a direct result of the yeast character. If you don’t want to get a liquid yeast, I second the thought of s-04 or even windsor ale yeast.
At the moment I don’t have much choice but to use the 1056 or US-05 as that is what I have on hand, and at the rate I’m going I should just have have my employer direct deposit my paycheck with NB!
I’m going to proceed with one of those yeasts now that I know it won’t result in a complete trainwreck. Since it is such a fast beer to make, I will save a few bottles and make the next batch with the British ale yeast you guys suggested (or perhaps the yeast NB suggests), and take the opportunity to teach my palate something.
Thanks again everyone for your opinions and input!
), but I had visions of almost complete opacity like the East River… or maybe the Cuyahoga.