Advice on yeast for my Imperial Stout

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by castillo83, Sep 26, 2012.

Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. castillo83

    castillo83 Initiate (0) Jan 16, 2009 California

    Ok, so I like esthery dark, syropy beer (like hair of the dog, among others). I don't care too much about clean yeast when it comes to high gravity beer (with all those intense flavors, a little bit of phenol and other stuff people normally fuss about, as long as restrained, adds to the body/roundness of certain beers).

    Anyways, I will have a WLP001 Cal Ale yeast cake ready for it pretty soon, but if I want a little bit of those yeast derived flavors too and wouldnt mind relatively lower levels of attenuation if it adds some flavor, should I mix it with one of those british yeasts? or go that route completely if I am worried about too much of a "clean" yeast?

    Thanks in advance for your input.

    Cheers
     
    #1 castillo83, Sep 26, 2012
  2. Homebrew42

    Homebrew42 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New York

    If you want some yeast character I wouldn't even bother with the WLP001, I'd recommend (in order from the cleanest to the most characterful) either WY1084/WLP004, WY1028/WLP013, or WY1968/WLP002.
     
    #2 Homebrew42, Sep 26, 2012
    Bay01 likes this.
  3. VikeMan

    VikeMan Grand Pooh-Bah (3,067) Jul 12, 2009 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah

    +1 to skipping WLP001 for intense yeast character.
     
    #3 VikeMan, Sep 26, 2012
  4. hopsandmalt

    hopsandmalt Initiate (0) Dec 14, 2006 Michigan

    +1 to WY1028/WLP013 for an Imperial stout.

    I use this yeast alot and I love the oaky ester you get from it, especially in a roasty stout. I have found that fermenting a little warmer than recommended (72-73) really brings out the oak ester with this yeast.
     
    #4 hopsandmalt, Sep 26, 2012
  5. castillo83

    castillo83 Initiate (0) Jan 16, 2009 California

    What do you make of Edinburgh Ale yeast WL028? It might be a good option for an imperial stout no?
     
    #5 castillo83, Sep 26, 2012
  6. OldSock

    OldSock Maven (1,418) Apr 3, 2005 District of Columbia

    Hair of the Dog uses a Scottish yeast for their big beers, good choice (although it doesn't have a particularly estery character). They also do some long boils for added character (boiling down past the target volume and then topping off).
     
    #6 OldSock, Sep 26, 2012
  7. Homebrew42

    Homebrew42 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New York

    Scottish/Edinburgh ale yeast is a great "all purpose" ale yeast and performs very well in high gravity worts, though it's ester profile is more subtle than those mentioned above.
     
    #7 Homebrew42, Sep 26, 2012
  8. castillo83

    castillo83 Initiate (0) Jan 16, 2009 California

    I happen to have WLP023 (burton ale yeast) already, I am tempted to combine WLP023 with WL028 in the brew, so the first gives some esthers while WL028 takes care of the beer after the alcohol starts accumulating and gives a bready malty backbone. Maybe I tweak with cell counts so 1/4 WLP023 and 3/4 WLP028 at pitching time or something like that. Is this overthinking it?
     
    #8 castillo83, Sep 26, 2012
  9. Tebuken

    Tebuken Initiate (0) Jun 6, 2009 Argentina

    I think WY1028/WLP013 or Windsor dry yeast are more suitable for what you want.
     
    #9 Tebuken, Sep 26, 2012
  10. Homebrew42

    Homebrew42 Initiate (0) Dec 20, 2006 New York

    Yes.
     
    #10 Homebrew42, Sep 26, 2012
  11. mahak213

    mahak213 Initiate (0) Mar 5, 2012 New York

    Ale yeast, not lager yeast.

    /nonhomebrewerinput
     
    #11 mahak213, Sep 26, 2012
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.