Dried English ale yeasts

[Clibit]

Maltmiller seems to have dropped their Ale 2 yeast. And doesn't stock Mauribrew, shame. Has started doing MJ yeasts though. I think it would make sense for suppliers to offer all the dried yeasts, saves us having to order elsewhere. Muntons and Youngs not on their list either.

[boingy]

It took me a long while to cure myself of my S04 habit and it has mostly been replaced by a Notty habit, especially as I just bought half a kilo of it.

I've heard some good reports of Mauri but never had the opportunity to try it.

I didn't get on with Windsor and I'm always put off by the Muntons word.

All of these yeasts pale into insignificance when compared with the fresh yeast slurry I occasionally manage to scrounge from a local micro but otherwise Notty is the only game in this particular town (but bear in mind I tend to brew a very limited range of beers).

[seymour]

...all of these yeasts pale into insignificance when compared with the fresh yeast slurry I occasionally manage to scrounge from a local micro...

Don't forget about retrieving yeast from bottle-conditioned beers, another easy alternative. This gives you access to far more diverse yeasts than dried options.

[Charles1968]

Gervin Ale (Nottingham)

Is Gervin GV12 really the same as Nottingham? I wrote to Lallemand (Danstar manufacturer) to ask if they produce the Gervin yeast for Wilko and they said they definitely don't. I tried Gervin too but no reply. The two strains might well be similar or derived from the same stock, but the only sources I can find claiming they're the same yeast are discussion forums on the internet, which tend to propagate dodgy info..

[seymour]

Is Gervin GV12 really the same as Nottingham? I wrote to Lallemand (Danstar manufacturer) to ask if they produce the Gervin yeast for Wilko and they said they definitely don't. I tried Gervin too but no reply. The two strains might well be similar or derived from the same stock, but the only sources I can find claiming they're the same yeast are discussion forums on the internet, which tend to propagate dodgy info..

It's true, some Gervin packs even blatantly labeled "N.A. strain." The reason you got those responses are obvious: Gervin doesn't want to admit to ripping-off Lallemand/Danstar, and Lallemand/Danstar is angry about being ripped-off.

[Charles1968]

That's interesting. Gervin ale yeast has been around a long time - I used to use it in the 1980s. Could it be possible that Danstar ripped off Gervin rather than vice versa?

I'm using Gervin as we speak and it certainly matches the profile - fine down to 12 C for lager style beers, and sticks down well in the bottle. But I'm wary of believing info I've never seen anywhere but internet forums.

[Clibit]

Are Gervin and Danstar yeasts not from different manufacturers? Danstar won't be happy that another supplier provides the same yeast or very similar for less than half the price.

[Rookie]

I brewed a pale ale 9 days ago and was planning to use S-33. The S-33 I have is well past best by date so I threw in a pack of Munton's too, also past the best by date.
It went from 1.050 to 1.014 pretty quickly and tastes great. I'll be dry hopping the last few days before I bottle.

[TC2642]

I used S04 and S05 exclusively, SO5 is my main go to since I make a lot of hoppy pale beers where I want a neutral tasting yeast, S04 for bitters and dark beers since I like a bit of a yeast profile.

I have used Muntons and Muntons Gold but usually avoid them since I don't like paying for 5gms, wish they would go over to the 10-11gm packs which give you more viability.

Haven't used Nottingham for years but I may give it a go along with a few of the Mango Jack strains to see what I get with them.

[Rookie]

I have used Muntons and Muntons Gold but usually avoid them since I don't like paying for 5gms, wish they would go over to the 10-11gm packs which give you more viability.

I don't know what Munton's costs in your neck of the woods, but I just purchased a bunch at $1.35 each. That's $2.70 for 10 grams and still cheaper than any dried yeast in the larger packs. S-05 goes for $2.99 to $4.99 depending on where you get it, same for S-04.
The smaller size is good for experimenting on smaller batches. I threw an outdated one into 1 1/2 gallons of coconut cider that turned out great.

[Clibit]

It's generally 99p for 5g.

[Clibit]

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.

Still want a packet, squire?

[Monkeybrew]

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

That's good to hear.

I've recently purchased a pack, and plan to use it in a Porter or maybe in a dark rich Xmas brew.

How did it attenuate?

Cheers

MB

[basswulf]

From the list, I've tried:

S04
Nottingham
Mangrove Jacks Newcastle Dark Ale
Gervin Ale (Nottingham)

I've had decent results with S04, Notty and Gervin but couldn't clearly distinguish them. All have performed well at a reasonably fast rate and settled securely at the bottom of the bottle, giving clear results with tastes ranging from okay to very satisfying. Typically they've dropped to about 1.006 from worts in the 1.040 - 1.050 range over about 4-5 days and temperatures round about 20°C.

My last couple of batches have been done with MJ Newcastle Dark Ale. I've been able to keep the temperature very consistent around 20°C and they have completed in about the same time but only dropped to 1.012. The resulting beer has still been good - possibly a little fuller bodied, which I'd count as a good characteristic, although I don't have a scientific basis for comparison. My next couple of brews will probably be with MJ Burton Union and I'm interested to see how that turns out.

Wulf