Ringwood 49er clone with Wyeast 1187

[JCU]

Hello Everyone,

I am planning to brew a Ringwood 49er clone with Wyeast 1187, based on the GW recipe. This will be a 65 litre batch using steel fermentation vessels and lids. The fermentation room stays at a steady 19'C, and previous brews have stayed at 20'C in the FV.
Would like some advice on using this yeast before I go ahead.
a) Can you safely use the open fermentation vessel method with Wyeast 1187 as suggested by commercial brewers who use the real Ringwood Ale brewery yeast? Or should I cover the FV with muslin cloths?
b) Any advice on using liquid yeasts like the 1187 would be gratefully received, as I've not used them before.
c) Does the fermentation need daily stiring as the yeast has a fickle reputation?
d) The Wyeast product specifications show attenuation to be 70%, but actual experience from forum posts shows this to be upto 77%. What should I expect in the real world?

Thanks

JCU

[Bribie]

The yeast used by the Ringwood Brewery came originally from the Hull brewery when it closed down and one of the last brewers "rescued" it. It's a great example of a top fermenting Yorkshire Stone Square yeast.
However on other forums I've read that Wy 1187 isn't that exact strain and that it even comes from some yeast bank in Sweden.

I've used it quite a few times myself and to me it's as Yorkshire as it gets - producing a massive cauliflower head that persists. I've always been a bit wary of open fermentation at home - in breweries the environment is kept spotlessly clean, whereas at home all sorts of undesirables, that you wouldn't find in a brewery, are drifting around in the air. I use GW's method for "northern yeasts" and simply open the FV twice a day, give it a good rousing with a stainless steel slotted spoon for the first couple of days, then seal up under airlock for the duration.
That emulates the "pumping" employed in stone squares to keep the wort in contact with the yeast. This yeast loves to floc.

To start the yeast, although it's supposed to be direct pitch, after smacking the pack and waiting for it to "prove", which can take up to a couple of days, I usually pour it into some oxygenated wort in a half litre lab bottle (or you can use large sterilised glass jar from olives whatever) and wait for it to show definite signs of fermentation, usually within 24 hours depending on how long since date of manufacture.

Not sure what the maximum attenuation can be, I've used it in TT Landlord tributes and it seems to do the same job as Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire, I'd say the higher the mash temperature and dextrin levels the lower the attenuation? So if you are after a drier beer maybe mash at 65 degrees or a tad less.

One method I use (and which I sometimes get flack for) is to ferment at around 17 degrees as Stone Square brewing is/was done at a couple of degrees colder than their Southern colleagues and was one of the factors in producing a more carbonated and lively cask beer back then.

[McMullan]

Ringwood is probably sensitive to the back pressure (build up of CO2) promoted by airlocks. In my experience, it ferments without issue when a big starter is 'over pitched' into well aerated wort then fermented open. It's how commercial Brewers ferment it. It is one of the most widely used ale yeast cultures in the world, so not that difficult to obtain. I grew up drinking Ringwood ales in the New Forest. In my opinion, it undoubtedly originates from the North (England). Mr Malty's claim it's from Pripps Brewery must be a typo. Sweden has no tradition for brewing English ales. Pripps, like all traditional Scandinavian breweries, was influenced by German lager brewing. Having tried Pripps Blå, I'd rather have a decent German beer any day of the week.

[oz11]

in breweries the environment is kept spotlessly clean.

You haven't been to Harveys brewery have you? Ahem...pigeons...

Then again, you might not want your beer to taste like Harveys.