whitbread yeast from the sixties

[brewjohn]

I started brewing in the late sixties after Reg Mauldling opened the flood gates for brewers.At the time I could only get yeast in a brown envelope with "beer yeast " printed on but had no idea were it came from ? then Whitbreads opened a new brewery down the road from me in Salemsbury Preston Lancs and a friend of mine got a job with them. One day he took me round and I came home with a sample of their yeast in a tupperware tub.The way it performed was nothing like the stuff I was used to. After fermentation it quickly dropped clear and settled firmly at the bottom allowing me to syphon the lot out without disturbing the yeast cake.Around that time Boots the chemist were doing a range of 1.8kg kits and they used to describe their yeast as "Genuine brewers yeast " on the label.This behaved very similar. I have often wondered what is the nearest you can now get to either of these. The only one I use now thats near to them is S04.

John Brown

[gr_baker]

Safale S-04 is said to be a Whitbread strain. Although Fermentis make no such claim it may be very close to the stuff you used in the 60's.

Was the yeast you got from Whitbread in liquid or dry form?

[FUBAR]

I well remember the boots genuine brewers yeast in suspension they used to do,a revelation in performance and improved the flavour of crap beer kits no end.

[brewjohn]

It was in dry form and he said he used to hydrate it. It came down from London by train and he collected it at the station. he also said that the Lager yeast came by air from Denmark and came to Manchester airport.

[gr_baker]

Ah that's interesting. Perhaps the S-04 is closer to what you used in the 60's than I thought. I must admit that it's my normal yeast of choice for most ales that I brew unless I'm trying to replicate a commercial beer closely.

Also interesting that the lager yeast came from Denmark. I wonder if it was being supplied by Carlsberg?

[PeeBee]

WYeast 1099 is supposed to be a Whitworth strain. It is often called on to knock up "historic" (17-18th century) because it has a long family tree (allegedly). Not very attenuating. I made an attempt at a 17th century London Porter with it last year. Terrific. I noted the way the drip-tray made the rest of the room smell like an old Pub room (without fag ends).

WYeast also do 1098 which is supposed to be the more attenuating, or "dry", yeast, and S-04 often gets claimed to be this. Never tried it, nor the White Labs "equivalent" WLP017. Used to use S-04 a lot until tempted to start messing with the enormous number of liquid yeasts and consigning S-04 to the "boring" heap.

I'm sure I remember Whitbread had six strains? That might be my sub-conscious linking "Whitbread" with "666" which would be in line with modern history thinking of Whitbread beers.

[Eric]

Brewlab is my first port of call. If there is a specific yeast you have in mind it is worth contacting them as they could possible have that strain.

I've still have some unopened Boots yeast if you need some. It was amongst the best available in early days.

[Dennis King]

Whitbread took over several brewery's around the country. In the 1970's most of those brewery's still brewed their original bitter but it was sold as generically as Whitbread trophy. On holiday in the peak district mid 70's I had a trophy, on hand pump, and was a great pint totally different to what I had drank from the London Chiswell St. brewery. The landlord told me it was from their Castle Eden brewery. I wonder if those regional brewery's still kept their own yeast. I can believe the London one used SO4 as their beer was extremely bland as I have always found SO4 to be not that I've used it for at least 20 years.

[IPA]

Brewlab is my first port of call. If there is a specific yeast you have in mind it is worth contacting them as they could possible have that strain.

I've still have some unopened Boots yeast if you need some. It was amongst the best available in early days.

Ask Alison at Brewlab for a slant of the Whitbread yeast that I sent them a couple of years ago. It came from a bottle of 1977 Silver Jubillee Ale. I cannot remember the reference number but ask her for the Whitbread yeast that Ian in France sent you.

[FermentedCulture2]

I've read a rumour saying that the old boots yeast would stick to the bottom of the bottle like glue. If you buy munton's gold yeast, which is really cheap, it does the same thing so might have the same lineage.

[Dennis King]

I remember Boots selling Edme yeast and one named CWT I think.