Englander response to Safale-05

[niall]

I like S05 in APAs/IPAs etc., it's probably too neutral for English ales in general. It clears up very well without finings if it's cold conditioned (which to me means bunging the secondary in the fridge). It takes a few weeks to drop but it does get there.

[DRB]

delboy wrote - I've found my Nottingham ferments produce a peachy ester which i don't get from US 05.
Has anyone else noticed such a thing using Nottingham?

A local micro by me uses Nottingham and their O1 (light beer) got a peachy flavour to it, personally I like it.

[Whorst]

Today I racked over the pale ale I recently brewed with 05. I used Amarillo, Simcoe, Cascade and Centennial hops. It's the business. If you have access to any of the above mentioned hops, try it with 05. I don't start hopping until about 30 minutes through the boil. I may change my ways as you need to use more, and there is a hop shortage.

[mysterio]

What's the recipe? I don't think any of the homebrew shops here sell Simcoe, yet, but we can readily get the other three.

[Whorst]

Pale Ale Recipe-Sorry about pounds and ounces.

10lbs. Maris Otter
1lb. 40L Crystal
1/2lb. 25L Honey Malt
1/2 oz. Simcoe@45 min.
1/2oz. Amarillo@30 min.
1/2oz. Cascade@15 min.
1oz. Centennial@10 min.

Mash temp: 151F. or 66.11C. for 1 hour.
1 hour boil.
Batch sparge. SG=1.050
5.2 used in mash.

The honey malt is from Gambrinus. The description really fits.
"Add for a sweet, nutty and slightly toasted flavor. Good choice in Brown and Special Ales. Aroma is reminiscent of honey, hence the name. Effective flavor contribution from steeping."

I also have a beer blog. If you're interested in what we do on the West Coast, check it out. If you have a beer blog, please post so I can check it out. I enjoy seeing pictures of villages, city centers, pubs, tesco beer aisle, etc, etc.

Blog: http://www.whorstsbeerblog.blogspot.com/

[Hoppopotamus]

Hi Whorst,

Interesting blog.

In researching how to brew, my eyes have been opened to the huge variation of beers now available in the USA due to the emergence of the microbreweries. To be honest I'd previously thought that American beer just meant rubbish like Budweiser and pretty much discounted the US as a source of decent beer. I've only had the chance to sample a few US brews - I managed to get hold of a Sam Smith selection pack (not great to be honest), some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and some Dogfish ale that had been continuously hopped. The Sierra Nevada and the Dogfish were pretty good and did have a much cleaner, dryer taste than British ales which I imagine is due to the yeast that is used converting more of the sugars (or something like that).

I'd like to try some more US beers and will look out for them.

[Whorst]

You must mean Sam Adams, as Sam Smith is the British brewer from Tadcaster. British beers are evolving a tad I think. There are several that remind me of the west coast style. Hophead from Dark Star is one them, and I think Yankee is another one. Forget the brewery name, from up north I think. Although different, I love Timothy Taylors range, especially Golden Best and Landlord.

[monk]

Nice blog Whorst...I didn't realize you were in CA too. I'm about 30 min north of you.

As for the yeasts, I've begun to use S-05 and Nottingham more interchangeably. I tend to ferment on the cool side, so they are both quite neutral. I agree that 05 might be pretty bland in an English ale, and I prefer to use Ringwood. It has a nice flavor and leaves some sweetnesss in the beer.

For ales which have strong flavor and aroma additions, the 05 is good; otherwise, a bit weak in my opinion. I recently confirmed this for myself by making a pale ale with Maris Otter, crystal, and only a small amount of cascades with 15 minutes left in the boil. Unfortunately, it is a bit bland and dry. I think if I had used a different yeast, or a nice aroma hop addition, it would have what it needed to be a great beer.


cheers

[Martin the fish]

British beers are evolving a tad I think.

Er, weren't we making beer while the indians ran your place before you even got there?

Or did Americans now invent beer, like they won the war

[TC2642]

British beers are evolving a tad I think.

Er, weren't we making beer while the indians ran your place before you even got there?

Or did Americans now invent beer, like they won the war

LOL, I can see where Whorst is coming from, I have only just noticed in the past year that there are more interesting beers coming out from microbreweries i.e. higher strengh and higher hopping rates as oppossed to the usual bitters, stouts etc.

[steve_flack]

Or did Americans now invent beer, like they won the war

When we all know it was the Russians that won it - well, the war in Europe anyway.

[Martin the fish]

If you listen to the old codger in the local here you'd swear he won it single handed

Beers in the UK used to be higher in strength. It isn't 'just recently' that this has come about. It's due to the fact that like fashion, tastes change over time. And with the influx of weak, tasteless, easy to keep lagers, this influenced the breweries. Wrongly in my eyes. Now some breweries are reverting to older stronger styles we are now coming over to the yanks way of brewing? I think not.
Bigger, better, faster, more isn't always the ultimate goal of everybody.

[Martin the fish]

No-one won the War. Germany lost. Big difference.

[TC2642]

If you listen to the old codger in the local here you'd swear he won it single handed

Beers in the UK used to be higher in strength. It isn't 'just recently' that this has come about. It's due to the fact that like fashion, tastes change over time. And with the influx of weak, tasteless, easy to keep lagers, this influenced the breweries. Wrongly in my eyes. Now some breweries are reverting to older stronger styles we are now coming over to the yanks way of brewing? I think not.
Bigger, better, faster, more isn't always the ultimate goal of everybody.

Maybe not recently, probably the better thing to say is that some breweries are reclaiming back their lost heratige, and while more isn't the ultimate goal of everybody, I get tired of samping average ABV bitters and stouts all the time, the reason I notice the bigger beers is because they are so unusual in pubs the around me.

I also think there is a lot to be said for US brewing, their year zero has given new angles on a lot of styles and methods of brewing, I for one welcome that input while still acknowledging the brewing tradition here.

[Whorst]

Monk, is the Ringwood strain White Labs British Ale, commonly known as WLP-005? I've only used that strain once, it's nice.