Dried English ale yeasts

[Clibit]

What's your favourite dried yeast for English ales, and what are its merits? Any you have tried and not liked? Why not? I'll list the ones I can think of, feel free to add any I've missed...

S04
Nottingham
Windsor
Muntons
Muntons Gold
Mauribrew 514 Ale
Youngs
Mangrove Jacks Burton Union
Mangrove Jacks British Ale
Mangrove Jacks Newcastle Dark Ale
Safbrew S33
Gervin Ale (Nottingham)
NBS Ale (Nottingham?)
NBS Ale 2 (Mauribrew 514?)

[GarethYoung]

I haven't used all those strains but my favourite, of the ones I have, is S-04, which I like a lot. Attenuates pretty well, flocculates extremely well and gives a nice ester profile. It's my go-to strain for hoppy pale ales, actually. I used to use US-05, but if you ferment at lower temperatures, I find it too clean (I find a lot of pale ales fermented with this are almost lagery - I want to know I'm drinking a pale *ale*), and if you ferment warmer, I don't like the esters you get (sort of jammy, stewed fruit character). S-04 is pretty much perfect for this sort of beer, I find, and you get a nice clear beer pretty fast to boot.

It also does strong beers surprisingly well. I made a 10% imperial oatmeal stout with it, which was delicious and had a great fermentation character. I think the key is to massively over-pitch (I put it on the whole yeast cake from a weaker beer) and to keep the temperature fairly low for the first couple of days of fermentation, before letting it rise and finish the beer. I'd re-yeast before bottle conditioning though, or it will take aeons to carbonate (presumably because it's very flocculant and not super alcohol tolerant).

[jaroporter]

great topic. love the convenience of dried yeast, but since comparing results with liquid yeasts ringwood and fuller's i tend to use them more to conveniently get a different second beer from the same wort than as the main yeast itself. normally go for 514 or windsor.

current favourite is the mauri 514 / nbs 2 yeast (i've heard they're the same and the characteristics of both have convinced me also). nice fruity yeast with a distinctive flavour in all shades of beer, though i've found it can be slow to fully attenuate or at least needs a bit of agitation. in practise racking to the polypin and leaving it a while makes for some lovely natural condition. i've repitched it a few times also and haven't found any noticeable deviation in performance or flavour so far.

i also quite like windsor, though more often in darker ales than light bitters. nice esters though a distinctive yeasty taste in paler beers. not repitched this so no idea of effect on flavour performance. i find it surprising that people complain about it being a low attenuator and not dropping clear in the same breath when - if you allow the same fermentation rules as with other yeasts - those two things should perhaps indicate that it's still going.. ? just 'cause nottingham is done then cleared inside 3 days doesn't mean all will..

so-04 i hate with a passion and even find myself unable to drink commercial examples with it. just really can't stand the flavour. used a couple of times but never repitched, obviously :p

nottingham i would use in american style ipas, but have really gone off in english ales, probably since i started using ringwood and fuller's yeasts and discovered a world of malty goodness it just doesn't seem to do enough

[RobWalker]

MJ Newcastle Dark is a fantastic yeast for dark beer, the bucket absolutely stinks of fruit!

[seymour]

I still like using the original Muntons yeast sometimes. Fast starter and fast finisher. Provides the glue for a recipe with equally balanced malt and hop aspects. Moderate undeniable English ale esters which meld nicely with some crystal malt sweetness and fruity hops, resulting flavours remind me of peach, mango, dried apricots. A bit cidery if fermented warm, but not in a bad way. Medium-attenuator: Muntons finishes drier than Windsor, but not as dry as Nottingham or S-04.

I don't like Muntons Gold as much, it's as neutral as Nottingham, perhaps even more devoid of personality.

[Clibit]

Great replies thanks.

S33 seems to be a love or hate yeast.

Any views on Youngs ale yeast. Small red packet. Orfy's Boddingtons clone uses it.

Would Muntons Gold suit an American ale?

[seymour]

S33 seems to be a love or hate yeast...

I'm in the love camp, but then you already knew that.

Any views on Youngs ale yeast. Small red packet. Orfy's Boddingtons clone uses it.

My view is I want some. It's not distributed to the US.

[Clibit]

I'll get you some next time I order.

Muntons Gold suit an American ale?

[robbarwell]

S04 is great as a dried yeast...does what it is supposed to without fuss..I find it a bit grainy but for pales its smart!!

[seymour]

I'll get you some next time I order...

That would be AWESOME, but I was half-joking.

...Muntons Gold suit an American ale?

I suppose so. To the same extent as any other neutral ale strain like US05 and Nottingham to a certain extent. Regular Muntons would still be my preference though, even with American styles, because I like the estery interplay.

I feel like I say it all the time, but yeast is not a determining factor of APAs and A-IPAs. It's the pungent hops and so much of 'em. All our clean, high-attenuating "American Ale yeasts" are descended from English and Scottish strains anyway.

[Clibit]

Ok thanks. Will Mauribrew Weiss affect my Two Hearted ale much do you think?

[seymour]

Ok thanks. Will Mauribrew Weiss affect my Two Hearted ale much do you think?

Yeah, it'll definitely affect it, but not necessarily in a bad way. Bells uses the Anchor Liberty ale strain, out of San Francisco, available as Wyeast 1272 and White Labs WLP051. Yours will have some interesting black pepper and clove lurking underneath the hop flavours.

Timothy brewed a hoppy rye APA somewhat similar to yours, using Mauri Weiss. Delicious.

[Clibit]

That's good for me. Cheers Seymour.

[Rookie]

What's your favourite dried yeast for English ales, and what are its merits? Any you have tried and not liked? Why not? I'll list the ones I can think of, feel free to add any I've missed...
S04
Nottingham
Munton's
Mangrove Jacks British Ale
Safbrew S33

I've used S-04 in bitter, mild, imperial stout, and barleywine with good results.
Nottingham is the only yeast I use in brown ale.
Munton's has worked well for me in mild, bitter, and cider. I just bought 5 more.
M J makes a good bitter.
I have a couple of packs of the S-33 that I plan to use in a rye porter and maybe an IPA.

[Clibit]

I've used the following yeasts from the list:

S04: Done two dark ales with this but no pales. One was under-carbed and pretty average, the other came out really well, but there is a taste to S-04 which is not what I am looking for - I prefer other yeasts. I ferments really well though, and drops out and stays in the bottle. I just prefer other yeasts flavour-wise. Need to try a pale ale with it though. I did taste a mate's pale with S04 though, come to think of it, and felt the same. Good, but just very slightly off putting.

Nottingham - A great yeast in many ways, does the job quickly and clears really well. Not quite as neutral as US-05, but drops out much better, easier to use. Hence a lot of American homebrewers use it instead of US-05.

Mauribrew 514 Ale - the ales I've done with this, 5 in total, have all come out really well. Good flavour, fruity esters, made a beautiful pale with Northdown and First Gold, and another with Summit, Apollo and Sterling. Bit like a convenient, poor man's WLP002, perhaps. But attenuates more.

Safbrew S33 - made two really nice golden ales with this. It only got down to 1018 ish, so left some malt sweetness behind. Has a good smooth flavour.

Gervin Ale (Nottingham) - as above.

NBS Ale 2 (Mauribrew 514?) - I agree this must be MB 514. Results too similar not to be.

To add: All the ales I've made with US-05 have been great. I like the effect it has, you really do taste the other ingredients - the hops and the grains, much more cleanly than with most if not all other yeasts, in my limited experience.