Festa ESB - single stage

[Icedpyre]

Hey all. This is the same ESB batch I posted about a week and a half ago. So I've had it hanging out in my primary fermenter(aka, the ole bucket of goodness) for 14 days now. Airlock has been in the whole time, minus the 5 minutes it took me to clean it out when it jammed with hops and tried to explode. I took a gravity reading last night of 1.012. My initial gravity was 1.052. Is it weird to let it hang out for another 3 days or so? I didn't get any instructions with this kit, and it's only my third brew ever, so I'm pretty in the dark about...everything. Honestly I don't even know what I'm gunning for for FG, but I figured I want around a 1.001? Do you generally just bottle whenever the reading's stop moving? Also, how do I know how much dextrose to use as a priming sugar for my bottles? Am I even doing my math right, that at the current reading, my beer is a lackluster 4%?

[KB1138]

1.012 is probably exactly what you want for your FG. It's likely ready to bottle now, but it won't hurt if you wait 3 more days and double check that the gravity is stable. There are a few different ways to calculate your priming sugar. Google "priming sugar calculator" and go with the one that works best for you. And by my math you're sitting around %5.4 abv right now

[Icedpyre]

I don't understand what I'm reading wrong then. I thought you literally just subtracted the final gravity from the original gravity?

1.052 - 1.012 only leaves me with .04

[elreplica]

Yes, what KB1138 says is correct. I've done their ESB before and 1.012 is within finishing range for it. Your alcohol is approximately 5.3% ABV, so again within range. Checking the gravity over three days is good practice too but I'd wager it's done. I'm fermenting one of those worts in the near future but swapping out the Notty yeast for a London ESB to see if that improves it. That being said, the original - as with most Festas - was pretty decent as at times people forget these are high quality all-grain products. For FG subtract OG and multiply by 131.25... eg - 1052-1012=.040x131.25=5.25

[mumblecrunch]

I'm fermenting one of those worts in the near future but swapping out the Notty yeast for a London ESB to see if that improves it.

For the record, everything I've read about that London ESB yeast (assuming you mean this one and not WLP002 liquid) suggests it's a pretty poor attenuator (it's listed as 65-75% but anecdotal evidence on other forums suggests it rarely tops 70%). You could very realistically end up with a FG in the 1.017 range, which might be a touch sweet, depending on your personal taste. I have a couple packs that I'm planning to use in some kind of English Ale in the next couple of months and I'm likely to use either some corn in the mash or some sugar in the kettle to dry it out. I believe you can add sugar to a Festabrew kit before pitching yeast, but I've never done a Festa kit let alone hacked one, so you'd want to read up on that.

[KB1138]

I did a Porter recently with the dried ESB and it finished quite high, 1.020 down from the high 50's. I was under the impression though that it was the same strain as 002/1968, just dried.

[elreplica]

Hmmmm...good observations gentlemen....I certainly don't want it sweet as its a bitter. Last time I did it was with Notty I believe and so I'll stick with that as it is sure to dry it to spec. I just kinda figured the ESB London might've suited the style better but then if so, Festa likely would've included that instead of Notty. Thanks for the tip from both of you as I definitely won't use it if that's the case.

[mumblecrunch]

I did a Porter recently with the dried ESB and it finished quite high, 1.020 down from the high 50's. I was under the impression though that it was the same strain as 002/1968, just dried.

Did it taste good?

There's lots of anecdotal reports and some links to other resources on this HBT thread, including a link to a thread about it on the UK HBT forum that points towards similar results.

Things I noticed:

• According to a claim of an email from a Lallemand rep, it doesn't consume maltriose, so FG will almost certainly be higher than with other yeasts that do consume that sugar
• Lots of people say it ferments fast and furious, but that it has a tendency to stall around 1.020 (1.018 was common in the UK thread); some have added other strains (US-05/S-04/Nottingham) afterwards to get it to finish lower
• 66% seems to be a very common number for apparent attenuation, although some report (much) lower
• It is probably not "dried 002/1968" even though a Fullers rep allegedly endorsed it in ads in the UK
• Someone noticed that the online (aka early) edition of Palmer's "How to Brew" lists a London Ale strain from Lallemand although that one claims medium-high attenuation and flocculation; later in the thread there is a claim that Lallemand confirmed this is the same strain.
• At least one recommendation to Burtonize the brewing liquor to punch up any roastiness and encourage a dry finish
• At least one commercial brewer reported in saying it's got some nice character that S-04 doesn't, but it's nowhere near as flocculant and definitely not as attenuative
• Cell count in the packs appears to be lower than other dried yeasts, so using two is generally recommended
• Those who have accepted or accounted for its fermentation characteristics seem to quite enjoy the resulting beer(s)

[KB1138]

It was an enjoyable beer, but I don't think I would use that yeast again for that recipe. Could do well in a Mild to help it from finishing too thin and watery

[elreplica]

Excellent feedback gents and a big reason why I enjoy coming here!

[Hub Brewer]

[*]At least one commercial brewer reported in saying it's got some nice character that S-04 doesn't, but it's nowhere near as flocculant and definitely not as attenuative

Maybe we're getting off the thread topic a bit but I just ran this exact experiment myself. I split 10 gallons of my own all-grain ESB recipe with half Danstar and half S04. OG was 1.059, Lallemand took off much faster and more vigorous than the S04, and hit its FG sooner. However, it finished at 1.017 while the S04 finished at 1.012. Flocculation was remarkably different as well. S04 is much clearer, if you're into that sort of thing. Flavour and preference opinions vary from those who've tried it but the bitterness is much more noticeable in the half with S04, perhaps partly due to it being slightly drier.
Not a fantastic pic sorry. S04 on the left, Lallemand on the right.

[bluenose]

I'm fermenting one of those worts in the near future but swapping out the Notty yeast for a London ESB to see if that improves it.

I've done this and it did improve it.
Think about dry hopping it as well.
I also used 1/2 the recommended water when I made mine.



EDIT: On second thought, I may have used Nottingham as well

[elreplica]

Hey bluenose...Festa doesn't require water...unlike Brewhouse...it's 23 liters of wort. All it requires is yeast and in the ESB case adding extra hops for dry hopping.

[GAM]

That's what I thought. Been a while sense I did BH or Festa. Yeast may make a small difference but an A-B tasting would be needed to tell the difference.

Put it out there and I bet an exchange could be started. I would be in as a Festa and pack of yeast is a small price to pay to play the game.

S

[Icedpyre]

As an aside; I just cracked my first bottle of the Festa ESB last night. Taste was fine, but I noticed it was quite cloudy. It was also a fair shade lighter than "professional" ESBs that I've seen before. Not sure if that's the kit, or something I did. Either way, it tasted fine so I'm happy.

[bluenose]

Hey bluenose...Festa doesn't require water...unlike Brewhouse...it's 23 liters of wort. All it requires is yeast and in the ESB case adding extra hops for dry hopping.

yes that makes sense, my bad

seems like you have everything under control here. Carry on

[elreplica]

Lol. No probs...thanks for your input...

[elreplica]

Holy Flocculations Batman! This Danstar ESB is dropping rapidly after three days in. First time I've ever just sprinkle pitched - no rehydration, starters or aeration. And never used my stainless fermenters or fast ferments - just threw it in a plastic translucent pail. It's dropped past the 15 liter mark with two distinct "shooter" layers...Kaluha on top and Baileys below. Should be interesting to see how this turns out from the previous batch I did last year using the Notty.