[JohnnyC]

I've got an ale fermenting right now with US05. The krausen has been steady for 11 days now, usually it starts dropping at day 4-5 for me. Another buddy in my brew club experienced this as well with a recent brew. Anyone else seeing this and/or thoughts on why the krausen would be so thick for an unusual amount of time?

[Stevie]

Similar experience for my last beer with us05. Also took forever to drop out of suspension.

[flars]

Long lasting krausen is typical when I use US-05.  Will have clear beer with three weeks in the primary.

[HoosierBrew]

Similar experience for my last beer with us05. Also took forever to drop out of suspension.

Same. I'll use it occasionally in a pinch, but I'm not fond of how long it takes to clear vs 1056.

[skyler]

IME, 1st generation US-05 can be slow to finish when I ferment very cool (under ~62F). Second generation US-05 is faster, more reliable, and more flocculant, IME - even when it is a month-old unwashed pitch stored in a sanitized mason jar in the fridge.

BRY-97 takes FOREVER to start and to finish, FWIW, even later generations of it. And it practically doesn't work at all when I try to ferment cooler than 62º F, IME. When I am in a hurry, I go with an English yeast and ferment in the low 60's, then ramp up to ambient when it hits high krausen.

[duelerx]

Do people get similar results using WLP001 and WY1056?

[bboy9000]

I have no issues with 1056 or 001.  Big foamy krausen and some blow-off but krausen falls in about a week.

[skyler]

BTW, I just had a very slow fermentation from a pack of US-05. For one thing, I did underpitch somewhat - this was a 1.064 beer (6% dextrose) and I used a single pack. Fermentation was very slow at 58º F (ambient was 52º F), then I brought it up to 72º F (ambient was 66º F) after three days of slow chugging. It took 3 more days at 72º F to finish. In my experience, this beer would have typically been a powerhouse at 58º and would have finished in a day at 72º after 3 days at that temp. I noticed the "use by" date was January 2017. So maybe the stuff just isn't great when it nears its expiration date.

[flars]

58°f is a very low fermentation temperature for US-05.  US-05 and WY 1056 also seem to produce a noticeable peach flavor in some beer styles below 65°F.

[denny]

58°f is a very low fermentation temperature for US-05.  US-05 and WY 1056 also seem to produce a noticeable peach flavor in some beer styles below 65°F.

Can't say that I've noticed that with 1056.

[coolman26]

I haven't noticed that either.  I do not like 05, only a last resort for me.


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[Hand of Dom]

Whenever I've used US-05, I always find big yeast mats lingering right up until packaging.  That and it's lack of character mean I tend to view it as a yeast of last resort.

[HoosierBrew]

Whenever I've used US-05, I always find big yeast mats lingering right up until packaging.  That and it's lack of character mean I tend to view it as a yeast of last resort.

Same here. It's definitely more powdery/slower to clear than 1056. Last resort for me, too .

[skyler]

58°f is a very low fermentation temperature for US-05.  US-05 and WY 1056 also seem to produce a noticeable peach flavor in some beer styles below 65°F.

This has not been the case, in my experience. In the 20+ times I have used first generation US-05, I almost always ferment (or at least begin fermentation) in the high 50's and have never had a problem or gotten any peachy aroma from this process. I know this is not typical, but I like the character this yeast gives at that temperature more than what I get at 64º F and it usually ferments quite quickly at that temp, too.

In fact, I have only gotten peach from US-05 when fermenting over 72º F. Once I fermented at ambient during a heat wave - ambient was 78º F and the beer tasted like hoppy peach pie - ever since then it has been my experience that beers with that unpleasant cooked-peach ester have been fermented at ambient in 72º+ rooms by new brewers who haven't learned that "fermentation temperature" isn't the same as the temperature you see on your thermostat. I have tasted it from US-05, WLP001, and WY1056 and usually from Californians who brewed in the summer.

[flars]

I get the best results for the styles I brew when the fermenting beer is 66° to 68°F.