Wyeast 1469 - West Yorkshire Ale Yeast

[kebabman]

Some people have had success with this yeast and I am pleased for them.
But for for me it is hopeless for several reasons. It fermented over vigorously at first, even at around 19 C, and then seemed to burn itself out and stuck at far too high a finishing gravity, even with a warm up and frequent rousing, and it didn't give any flavour characteristics of Taylor's beers.
I don't see how it can be a complete version of Taylor's yeast as that is multi strain and as I said a while ago it had none of the flavour or aroma characteristics of some yeast I reused from a polypin of Landlord years ago.
It was interesting to note that on my last two visits to Keighley the Landlord sampled was completely out of character. In the autumn it tasted like it had finished at around 1015+ and was too sickly sweet to have a second pint of, now that I have a refractometer I might take it with me on my next visit to check the FG. At christmas it was properly fermented out but sadly was lacking any of the Landlord character.
So as a side issue it seems that Taylor's have a problem with consistancy. I know some of our regular posters live in the Keighley area and probably could comment on the beer's recent taste as to whether it is back on form.
I did think of buying an 18 pint polypin of Landlord to get the 100% genuine yeast but what with the cost and my recent tastings I am put off that idea. If any one else was interested in getting a group together and doing that I would be willing to pay for a small sample of yeast to culture up or brew with at my own risk. If anyone is on good terms with a pub landlord I guess they could buy a pint of nicely cloudy pint of LL from a fresh cask!?

[Bobba]

Hey kebabman, just wondering what your aeration techniques were - was it well aerated to begin with and did you keep rousing it, or just started rousing once it seemed to poop out?

[leedsbrew]

I know some of our regular posters live in the Keighley area and probably could comment on the beer's recent taste as to whether it is back on form.

to be honest matey, there are that many great little micros around here to choose from that I can't remember the last time i had a pint of Taylor!

I'd be more than willing to pop down into town on Saturday night to find out for you though!

[kebabman]

@Bobba
I pump sprayed the wort into the FV and roused practically every time I went past the fermenter.

I wanted the yeast to work properly as I love the taste of Landlord but now I am mainly using some Duvel yeast cultured up from a bottle which is performing very well.
I still have the 1469 but I'm a bit loathed to throw it out after paying a fair bit for it!
As I said I cultured up some yeast from a polypin of Landlord years ago and it performed completely differently and I did numerous brews with it and it practically always looked after itself and showed Taylor's type characteristics.

[Bobba]

Getting lovely peach and banana aromas from the fermentor. I've gone for a lower end temperature as from what others are saying, it can get too carried away and then poop out. Pitched it at 17C, and allowed it to raise to 19C, before the fridge would have kicked in and kept knocking it back to 18C

[Dr. Dextrin]

I've been drinking my Black Sheep Ale tonight. As I mentioned earlier this was fermented with 1469 and it's now fairly mature - so time to assess the result. I've done this same recipe before with Nottingham.

So what's different?

With 1469 the beer is a lot sweeter but the maltiness and bitterness are both a lot lower. The hop flavour and aroma are both as strong as with Nottingham, however (in fact the aroma may be better). So the beer isn't as well balanced. It tastes a bit like the over-sweet low-bitterness stuff that Greene King push out these days - not really to my taste, so I'm disappointed with this yeast. Also, although it fermented vigorously with some interesting slightly sulphury aromas, virtually none of that has made it into the finished beer. I don't know why it's attributed to Timothy Taylor, as I don't recognise it as the same taste as TTL at all. I think I might have produced a similar beer if I'd used Windsor yeast.

Probably I could correct the balance with less crystal malt, a lower mash temperature and more bittering hops, but why bother when Nottingham has already produced a better beer and this yeast isn't giving me any new flavours?

Good job I didn't pay H&G prices

[bosium]

I have a smack pack of this waiting in my beer fridge for when I have a chance to brew another British style beer. I'll reserve judgement until I've had a chance to use it myself.

Actually, it's mentioned in the CYBI for Black Sheep's Riggwelter, by the brewing network. Jamil Zainasheff said that he liked the yeast so much that he drank a pint of unhopped beer from a starter that he made using this yeast!

[Rubbery]

Well, my first brew with 1469 turned out ok: My First AG - Black Sheep Best Bitter.

I bulked up the yeast, so am using it again in my next brew: AG2 Single Hop Challenger IPA. I am fermenting a lot cooler this time (18C ambient), so I'll see how that compares.

[weiht]

i read the comments from jamil but i personally think the yeast is overrated. I have used it for 3 different (a pale ale, brown ale, porter) beers and the results are pretty much the same. The beers turn out a little dry, and the sweetness of the malt is lacking as a result. Im disappointed cuz i was hoping for it to be that missing ingredient to the TTL.

I wont bother with this yeast again.

[jim williams]

Hmm. I love it. I bought a pack last year, and I just keep it going. It's now my house yeast. It starts fast. Finishes completely. Produces the flavors I'm looking for. Clears quick in both my pins and firkins.
One thing I have noticed is that I get a much more vigorous in cask secondary fermentation than any other yeast I've used. I've taken to not adding any primings anymore, and I still see this during venting.


Maybe, those that need it finish a little lower would be wise to give it a little rouse towards the end, although I never do. I pitch the yeast, hit it with pure oxygen and let er rip. It's the yeast I've been looking for.

Does it taste like Taylors? Hmm. Good question. We were at a Taylors pub over the summer, and my friend commented that all the beers tasted like mine

[lancsSteve]

How much does it emphasise hop flavour?

[lancsSteve]

I pitch the yeast, hit it with pure oxygen and let er rip.

Maybe that's the secret - and something that's pretty much NEVER done over here as it's probitiously expensive and generally regarded as being unnecessary - however high oxygenation is what rousing/aerating/yorkshire squares would bring so could be 'the key' maybe?

[jim williams]

I pitch the yeast, hit it with pure oxygen and let er rip.

Maybe that's the secret - and something that's pretty much NEVER done over here as it's probitiously expensive and generally regarded as being unnecessary - however high oxygenation is what rousing/aerating/yorkshire squares would bring so could be 'the key' maybe?

Maybe you're right. We can buy little canisters of pure o2 in the hardware store here for a couple bucks. No biggie. I'm surprised to hear its so expensive across the pond! What about using an aeration stone with a fish tank bubbler? I used to do that, but found it to be too much of a pain with the inline filter. This is quick & easy.
Anyway, it's a little different since it's pre-fermentation not during like traditional rousing or the radical yorkshire square setup.