Optimum temperature Safale US-05

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by marathonman, Dec 6, 2012.

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  1. marathonman

    marathonman Initiate (0) May 1, 2009 Texas

    I want to brew this weekend, but currently don't have a ferm fridge available. I was researching some possible yeasts that would work at closet temp and US-05 seems to be the one. Optimum temp 59-75. Can anybody tell me if you have had good results at the high end of this spectrum? My closet is between 68-69F, so with some variation upward in the fermenter I would be pushing the max. Am I good to go, or wait till I get my fridge back?
     
  2. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    As you noted, the upper range of US-05 is 75°F,

    I have used US-05 many times to make IPAs and I have conducted fermentation temperatures of 70-71°F on more than one occasion. My personal experience with this yeast is that it is clean/neutral at this temperature. I would think that even at 75°F this yeast would perform well. Hopefully somebody will post who has personal experience fermenting with US-05 at the upper end of the recommended range.

    Cheers!
     
  3. JimmyTango

    JimmyTango Initiate (0) Aug 1, 2011 California

    I'll second Jack's comment above. I've had nice, clean results at 70-71.
     
  4. barfdiggs

    barfdiggs Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2011 California
    Deactivated

    70-72 has been fine for me as well. One note, if you're brewing a big beer (e.g. 1.090+), leave it on the yeast cake for a while. I had some diacetyl issues with a couple big beers I've brewed with US-05 (Weird, I know; Did a D-rest for both of the beers as well), and have since switched to Cali Super Yeast (WLP090) (Also because of US-05's refusal to flocculate without cold crashing, biofine and/or PVPP).
     
  5. OddNotion

    OddNotion Pooh-Bah (1,853) Nov 1, 2009 New Jersey
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I love the results with WLP090 so far and no detectable diacetyl. I did find it to be a little finicky with ambient temperatures around 62 (65-68 seemed to be the best temp) but it flocculated out extremely well and dried the beer out very well. As of right now it looks like itll be my go to American strain.
     
  6. WickedSluggy

    WickedSluggy Savant (1,105) Nov 21, 2008 Texas

    My opinion is a bit different. In general, I do not like this yeast as much as others do. It is supposed to be the same strain as WLP001 (which I do like), but it's not. I typically don't like the beers that it produces. I find them a bit harsh and overattenuated with ACh flavors that don't finish out. When I have liked the beers it has produced, it has always been when the fermentation temperature was kept fairly low even near 60. So my advice is to shoot for under 65 for the first 4 or 5 days. Keep a wet towel on it. That can lower the temperature a few degrees. You may not be able to keep it that low with an ambient temperature of 69 because the metabolic activity of the yeast tends to add a couple degrees. However, do your best. After the fifth day or so you can let it increase to your 68-69 degree ambient temperature.
     
  7. ericj551

    ericj551 Pooh-Bah (1,638) Apr 29, 2004 Canada (AB)
    Pooh-Bah

    Temperature control doesn't have to be complex! I throw my primary (12 gallon plastic bucket or 6.5 gallon carboy) into my brewpot and fill with cold water. I have a probe thermometer dangling in the beer during fermentation, so when it creeps up I just add ice packs to the water.
     
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  8. barfdiggs

    barfdiggs Initiate (0) Mar 22, 2011 California
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    I haven't got it as low as 62 (65-69), but my experiences have been on par with yours... dry, clean, crisp and clear without finings; I really like it.
     
  9. marathonman

    marathonman Initiate (0) May 1, 2009 Texas

    I like this idea. my brew pot is huge and it would fit the bucket easily. how much does a probe thermometer cost on average?
     
  10. ericj551

    ericj551 Pooh-Bah (1,638) Apr 29, 2004 Canada (AB)
    Pooh-Bah

    I've used $10-$20 kitchen ones for a while, but unfortunately the probe is not water tight where it meets the chord, so eventually it gets wet and goes a little wonky. Someone in my homebrew club did a group order and for $25 we got submersible probe thermometers. It works great and I'm really happy with it. The kitchen ones are fine you just have to be a little more careful.
     
  11. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,397) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    I've used US-05 in my high-60's basement for years with hope as my only temperature control. Wort temp usually tops out around 72-73. With one heartbreaking exception, they all finished every bit as clean as I had hoped. The one exception was a ten gallon batch of a rather big beer (1.090+) that inexplicably shot up to 82F (that's 12 degrees above ambient temp). That was the only time anything like that happened with this yeast and I'm not sure what I did differently. I'm evaluating temp control solutions now. Regarding its notoriously high attenuation, I found that to be a plus when I was doing extracts. I'm careful not to mash too low with all grain. I like the level of control that gives me - in most cases, I can make the beer as dry as I want without doing silly things like adding sugar.

    FWIW, I use US-05 for probably 80% of my beers (fortunately, it's well suited to the styles I like to brew)
     
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  12. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    US-05/WY1056/WLP001 is indeed a very versatile strain. Below are all the beer styles that Wyeast suggests for 1056:

    American Amber Ale
    American Barleywine
    American Brown Ale
    American IPA
    American Pale Ale
    American Stout
    Braggot
    Brown Porter
    Christmas/Winter Specialty Spiced Beer
    Cream Ale
    Dry Stout
    Fruit Beer
    Imperial IPA
    Irish Red Ale
    Other Smoked Beer
    Russian Imperial Stout
    Spice, Herb, or Vegetable Beer
    Strong Scotch Ale
    Wood-Aged Beer
     
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  13. MMAJYK

    MMAJYK Initiate (0) Jun 26, 2007 Georgia

    US-05 is a very forgiving strain; maybe the MOST forgiving of any I've used. I had a DIPA get a little out of hand one time (pitched on the cake for the first time) and it got up into the mid 70's on the stick on thermometer, no telling the actual temp, and it still took home some awards in some pretty large comps. It was just as clean as ever. I just left it on the yeast for an extra week or two and all was well.

    These days, I like to pitch around 60, let it ferment around 64 or so for a week, then let it roll.
     
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  14. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,181) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I strongly suspected that US-05 was clean/neutral across its full temperature range and here is the proof: “I had a DIPA get a little out of hand one time (pitched on the cake for the first time) and it got up into the mid 70's on the stick on thermometer, no telling the actual temp, and it still took home some awards in some pretty large comps. It was just as clean as ever.”

    Thanks to MMAJYK for that!

    Cheers!
     
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  15. GreenKrusty101

    GreenKrusty101 Initiate (0) Dec 4, 2008 Nevada

    High 50's to mid 70's...a little peachy/fruity above 72, but the motherlode of neutral/high attenuation yeasts
     
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  16. AlCaponeJunior

    AlCaponeJunior Grand Pooh-Bah (3,326) May 21, 2010 Texas
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I've had multiple clean results with various yeasts at 67-69F, including US-05 multiple times.
     
  17. marathonman

    marathonman Initiate (0) May 1, 2009 Texas

    Ok, thanks for all of the responses. I decided to go ahead and give it a try.Here' s the recipe:
    10lbs two row
    .75lbs carapils
    .25lbs Crystal 120
    1oz Chinook 60mins
    .50oz Chinook 10 mins
    .50oz Chinook 0mins
    1oz Chinook dryhop 7 days
    2 packages US-05
     
  18. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,397) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    At the risk of opening another can of worms, one packet of US-05 is plenty for that malt bill.
     
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  19. marathonman

    marathonman Initiate (0) May 1, 2009 Texas

    This is really the first time I paid attention to pitching rates. With mr malty calculations I need about 270 billion cells. I also read that there are about 200 billion in a packet of dry yeast. so would it be ok to under pitch a bit? One of the problems I' 've had in the past is low attenuation so I am trying to avoid that issue. Don't worry about opening a can of worms, I'm trying to learn as much as I can. Even if it means showing my ignorance.
     
  20. mikehartigan

    mikehartigan Maven (1,397) Apr 9, 2007 Illinois

    At the risk of opening yet another can of worms, I think MrMalty makes the assumption that most commercially available yeast that is sold to homebrewers is suspect in the sense that it doesn't contain the number of viable cells that we were led to believe. That, perhaps, it was stored in sub-optimal conditions, reducing the viable cell count. Rather than p*ss people off by saying that they didn't get what they thought they paid for or that they don't know how to care for it, it simply inflates the number of cells in its recommendations. Overpitching at these rates is far less problematic than underpitching. So, by following the recommendation, everyone pitches a healthy dose of yeast, and there are no sad tales of underpitching, even from those with weak vials. And everybody's happy, yeast-wise. Nothing wrong with this approach, it's just wasteful and unnecessarily expensive, IMO. (Note that this may be simply the paranoia talking)

    Bottom line is that, assuming it was healthy to begin with and that it was stored properly (big assumptions?), one packet of US-05 is more than enough for what you're brewing. Nothing wrong with pitching two, just unnecessary, IMO.
     
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