I need more sulphur!

[Invalid Stout]

I think this may be a strange request but I really like beer with a good sulphury whack to it. What are the sources of sulphury aromas and tastes in beer, other than gypsum?

I've made some beer to which I added a tablespoonful of gypsum (in an 8L batch) which I think is about four times the recommended amount...

[coatesg]

The yeast strain will have a fair bit of influence here in getting a real sulphury nose. Burton Ale yeast is a good sulphur producer I think (and I have a feeling this is the same strain as Thames Valley/Brakspear).

[Invalid Stout]

Burton Ale yeast is a good sulphur producer I think (and I have a feeling this is the same strain as Thames Valley/Brakspear).

can anyone confirm (or refute) that it's the same strain? someone was asking recently on another forum.

[mysterio]

Yes it is the same. Try a blonde beer made with WLP023 and then have a bottle of Oxford Gold. It is unmistakeable.

It does produce quite a bit of sulphur during fermentation. But it doesn't carry through to the beer in my experience. I think you can ruin a beer by adding too much gypsum. In my experience there is no correlation between gypsum and sulphur production.

[coatesg]

It's a bit variable I've found - Brakspear Bitter on cask round here are often very sulphury - but this does die away if the cask is slightly older or well vented. I got amazing sulphur production from the last batch I used Brakspear yeast in, but it mostly got knocked out by the time it was conditioned a few weeks down the line (though there was a hint still). I've seen recommendations for Southwold (WLP025) giving a good sulphur nose too, but not tried that one specifically (and unsure if my 1335 I have is actually the same strain or not - not much sulphur in my current ferment as yet...).