S-04

[jt]

OK, I've given '05 a shot and it's got it's uses, seems to go really well in the Blande Hallertau Blonde Ale and the pale coloured Cascade flavoured ales.
I'm still not sure it fits in with pale coloured Styrian flavoured ales though. It seems to sharpen up the hop profile too far - to my tastes - or expectations anyway, I'm wanting something mellower.

Now it's a few years since I bought S-04, but I recall it was a full on malt favouring yeast and I didn't get much in the way of hop profile.
I was going to start again with something pretty simple, along the lines of Palmers Crouchback. OG 45 and BU 38 for an 84% ratio - and I'm sure at that ratio S-04 is going to let a little hop flavour through ?

93% ADM 4.0kg
7% Medium crystal 0.30kg
Should get around 1.044 at my standard eff % so say 36 IBU

Of course the FG could screw up the balance completely - what sort of attenuation do you get with '04 for your mash temp on a simple grain bill like this ? How's it compare to 05 ?

[Stu McKinlay]

Keep it low and it'll be ok. It's way too estery when the temp jumps a little. I've got a Brown Porter downstairs (NZ pils and all German specialty - leftover wort from a Dubbel/Bruin that also included invert sugar)... I used S04 in and it is tasting really good. It's all about the malt and a little ester. Temp started about 16 and rose close to 20 as it fermented.

I'm not really a fan. I don't see myself using it much at all this year.

I do really like S05 for bigger beers, especially big hoppy ones.

[jt]

I hear you on the temps Stu and that's completely do-able with the Welly weather right now.
What was your impression of the hops in that brown porter - what's your hop profile like for your BU:OG ratio ?
Maybe not the right comparison with a pale coloured beer I know.

As for bigger beers, well 1.044 is as big as I go, the usual is the 1.040 - go the naughty forty !

[Stu McKinlay]

Hops are virtually unheard, unseen and unspoken... and I can't really taste much, it is a big malty beer with not a lot of hops in there (ended up being 70g and 30g of EKG @ 4.2% in a 44L batch, OG of 1.056). I'll taste tonight and give you something more to go on.

[MrC]

I used it in the brown ale I brewed for the case swap (around 19c) and found that it completely killed all hop taste & aroma. It flocculates well and seems to be fairly reliable though.

Overall, I'm not a fan and have no plans to use it this year also.

I'm drinking a Styrian/MO/1056 SMaSH beer at the moment and it has really grown on me. Didn't like it at first but now the bottles just keep dissapearing.

My two cents on US-05/Stryrian vs S04/Stryian? I think the answer is simple, do you want to taste the Styrian?

[Stu McKinlay]

Agreed.
If you want a hoppy English beer - go liquid.
Kieran might disagree, he seems to be able to get the hoppy goodess through S04 now and then.

[MrC]

What about those "other" little yeast packages at the back of the fridge at GE? Munton's Gold? Anyone tried them? I'm always too scared.

[jt]

I don't blame you - I'm never keen on opening that door

[Stu McKinlay]

They have a new fridge - it is actually cool inside!!
And there was a new guy working there the other day - he was new enough to not know how to work everything quite right but he was friendly. I noticed the grinch turning up as I drove off...

[jt]

Only the temperature Stu .. there's not much of anything desirable in there

[Reviled]

Ive tried Muntons Gold a couple of times, borderline average, nothing special really.. I definately wouldnt go and pay money for it again, allthough it is fairly similair to S-04

[jt]

OK, in fairness to dried I'm going to go S04 on this and then again in the next brown coloured ale.
I think it'll give me what I'm after in the brown and there's nothing going to fix my curiosity on the pale coloured styrian ale front unless I try it.
My previous last pale with Styrians and dried yeast was two years ago, Gervin at 1.042 : 30 BU for 73% and the tasting notes were along the lines of "this recipe needs work to become repeatable" So at 80% plus, it could be ok

If it fails I'll probably go back to W1968 and W1275. It's just that dried is so easy and predictably the same, with no effort

[Reviled]

Pitch on the yeast cake for your second batch with S-04 I reckon, 2nd pitch is allways better for some wierd reason?? my 2 cents