Speaking of Windsor yeast (and its attenuation)... Not sure whether I should start a new thread, so as not to sidetrack this too much, but...
Every batch I brew I split into multiple FVs so that I can compare different yeasts on the exact same wort: always at least 2-3, but sometimes as many as 7.
One thing I keep discovering, is my best beers (read: the ones I enjoy the most) almost always use Windsor. I love it.
Granted, I often step-mash to create a highly fermentable wort, with one at 145-148, a second one usually around 152-155, another as close to 160 as possible. (I do it in an igloo, so it often takes several steps of added water to get through my temperature ranges.)
The other thing I've had a lot of success with, is combining Windsor with another [reliably attenuating] yeast, such as the commonly cited W+Notty mix (which has NOT worked all that well for me; honestly Notty always gives me mediocre results with anything). Choosing the second yeast as a slower one, like Bry-97 or US05 or Koln or even BE-134 (which is remarkably clean at 55 degrees, btw) lets Windsor get its awesome esters produced before the other yeast takes away too much of the fermentable sugars. Windsor takes off so fast! Granted, I don't know what the proportions are by the 3rd or 4th gen, but I'm still getting those awesome esters AND still getting 80% to 85% consistently, which combined with the higher ABVs I tend to brew, get me right into my own personal sweet spot.
And I also find that Windsor does a lot better on the repitched generations (even just by itself). I can almost always get 75% to 80% on a 2nd gen slurry yeastcake of Windsor.
I realize I'm talking about mostly dry yeasts here; I did a couple dozen batches with liquid yeasts, and didn't feel like I was really getting significantly better results (for my tastes) than I was getting with dry, so I went back to dry yeasts only.
It's true that flavors are subjective, but I do really love what Windsor gives me, and I do all I can to keep it working for me. Co-pitched with Verdant just seems like a match made in heaven. YMMV.
dry yeasts have an important use for me - making a big beer without a starter beer with 2 yeast packets. or i guess if i just wanted a cheap and easy brew i'd go with a single pack of bry97 or s04. windsor definitely had a good yeast taste when i tried it, body not so much imho. residual sugar does not simply equal good body. i actually have amazing and creamy body with a wlp833 beer that has an FG of 1.005 right now.
really interesting to note about the repitches reaching higher attenuation, ive heard that about other yeasts too.
i did a bry97 and windsor split and it still only reached 66%, so thats my experience with the windsor/other yeast split.
Topic: Pics of recent brews? (Read 586383 times)
