English Ale - 1st time using Danstar Windsor. Advice Please!

[floydmeddler]

It's time I had another crack at a traditional English Ale. It's been WAY too long. I'm hoping to achieve what I'm after by using Danstar Windsor; a full bodied English ale.

I've had some advice on another thread with regards to mash temp. Basically I want this to finish up around the 1.012 - 1.014 mark. I'm thinking about mashing at 70c to achieve this. I'd love to hear of your experiences with this yeast. Also... realistically, It will be fermenting around the 20c-22c mark I reckon... Will this create horrible esters?

Here's the very traditional recipe:

English Ale
8-C Extra Special/Strong Bitter (English Pale Ale)

Size: 25.0 L
Efficiency: 77.0%
Attenuation: 75.0%
Calories: 159.98 kcal per 12.0 fl oz

Original Gravity: 1.048 (1.048 - 1.060)
Terminal Gravity: 1.012 (1.010 - 1.016)
Color: 19.6 (11.82 - 35.46)
Alcohol: 4.73% (4.6% - 6.2%)
Bitterness: 31.5 (30.0 - 50.0)

Ingredients:
4.9 kg Maris Otter Pale Ale Malt
300 g British Crystal 55°L
100 g Torrified Wheat
40 g Fuggle (3.81%) - added during boil, boiled 90 m
14 g Target (10.0%) - added during boil, boiled 90 m
30 g Fuggle (3.81%) - added during boil, boiled 5 m
30 g Fuggle (3.81%) - steeped after boil
20 g East Kent Goldings (6.8%) - added dry to secondary fermenter
Yeast: Danstar Windsor

[floydmeddler]

Actually... I've been googling and at seems that even with a 66c mash, this yeast will only attenuate within the 60% - 70% mark. Maybe I'll mash at a safe 67c. Will sleep on it...

[floydmeddler]

I mashed at 64c instead... all the stuff I read led me to this decision. I read about people mashing at 67c and ending up with FGs of 1.020. This is way too sweet for me.

[Kinley]

A pest of a yeast that I now use rarely. Takes 6 weeks to clear and neither gelatine nor Kwik-Clear speed this up. On the plus side is has a really nice flavour with subtle fruits. I just can't be bothered waiting for it to clear!

[floydmeddler]

I use S05 a lot so am used to dusty yeasts. Don't mind a bit of haze to be honest. I'll prob ferment in primary for 4 weeks then rack onto gelatine. Fingers crossed it will clear.

[alfie09]

doing a brew next with danstar windsor. going to make a fullers porter out of brew your own real ale. sounds yummy to me. last time i used this yeast it was awesome i used it in old peculiar and it was one of my best beers yet, but the barrel leaked the whole lot all over my shed the bastard

[floydmeddler]

Nightmare Alfie! I hate losing beer... it happens to us all sadly.

Right, this has taken off massively. Krausen spewing out the airlock - the works! I reckon in all honesty, it's fermenting at around 24c in there. I understand this yeast will produce noticeable esters at this temp... I do hope I like them!

[adomant]

It will not go below 1012, especially with crystal in the bill. I did a mild with it which fermented to 1013 in 5 days, I chilled to 10c and racked to a cask - it was clear and drinking in a week. I really though the windsor would have added more flavour than it actually did, however.

[CestrIan]

I've used Windsor in the past for low strength session bitters and milds, because of the low attenuation. It's best IMO for low strength beers, 3.5% or lower, where it can be difficult to keep the body that other yeasts might dry out too much. It's horses for courses. I wouldn't use it for a decent strength pale ale or an IPA because, as you say Floyd, it will finish up too sweet.

[floydmeddler]

OK folks... All fermentation seems to have ceased; airlock is pretty much completely non active. I took a gravity reading and it's reading 1.015. Glad I mashed at 64c! I'd actually like it to drop a bit lower, maybe 1 or 2 points, but it's tasting really nice. I plan to leave it in primary for a month so I'll take readings throughout and update here.

Obviously without a brew fridge and the weather being so hot, it's fermented well above the suggested 18c mark. Although it's early days, I am getting a slight ester hint on the nose and taste. Not too much though; certainly not as much as a Belgian yeast for example.

Overall, I'm pretty happy. I prefer sweeter ales and this could be the yeast I've been after!

[floydmeddler]

10 days later and gravity is still 1015. Dry hopped with 30g of Goldings. Will leave for 3 days then rack to secondary with gelatine.

Tasting good. Banana flavours are there and to be honest, I wish they weren't. Great mouthfeel though. I look forward to trying this again in the winter when I'm sure of a colder ferment.

On another note, this beer is SO cloudy. Should be fun trying to clear this!

[floydmeddler]

Mmm... This has turned out lovely. Real classic full bodied English ale. Just what I was after. Has cleared beautifully too. Esters have all but disappeared. What is left of them is hardly noticeable and when I do notice it, I actually quite like it.

I love the Golding's dry hop kick too. So fresh.

Excellent. I now have my house English Ale. Cheers Danstar!

[seymour]

Sounds delicious, Floyd. I loved reading the play-by-play.

Does anyone know the origin of Windsor yeast? Is it from a particular historical brewery? As with their Nottingham strain, Danstar only states "from multistrain" whatever that's supposed to mean... Every isolated brewing yeast strain once came from the multistrain of microbial soup we call planet Earth

[jimp2003]

Great result there Floyd

I have recently rediscovered my love of fuggles and goldings and plan to do an all EKG IPA soon. I have a couple of packs of Windsor that I have been put off using after reading lots of accounts of stuck fermentations etc.

Did you bottle or keg this one? Has the yeast settled?

[floydmeddler]

Cheers lads. I've polypinned this one and will hook it up to my beer engine. Yes, it's pretty much crystal clear. I racked it into secondary and allowed it to settle for a week. Loads of yeast dropped out. THEN I added the gelatine to drag down the rest.