Lallemand London ESB yeast

[Drewfus1]

Has anyone else here tried Lallemand's London ESB yeast yet? The results on multiple other posting boards seem to be really mixed. Here is my experience:

Because I read that this yeast won't ferment maltotriose I made sure to mash a bit lower than usual at 148. Brew day went without a hitch and I got an OG of 1.055. Pitched the ESB yeast at 70, waited for fermentation to start and then maintained a temp of 66 until it started to slow. Then brought the temp slowly up to 71 for the remainder of its time in primary. This yeast started fast and finished fast. By day 5 the krausen had fallen and the surface had cleared. As usual, I left it alone for 14 days before even checking gravity. At two weeks it was at 1.022 so I grumbled and left it longer. At 17 days I noticed a very thin, healthy looking krausen had reformed. At 21 days it was at 1.018 which was still higher than I wanted. Finally on day 25 the second krausen had dissipated and I got a reading of 1.014. In the bottle it went. Its now carbed up nicely and tastes really great. Subtle fruity notes and a nice chocolate, malty backbone. But despite the fact that it makes nice beer, I'm not sure I'll use it again because of the extended timeframe to get it properly attenuated. Thoughts?

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

that yeast is so flocculant that more oxygen is needed to keep the yeast excited otherwise it drops like a rock and traps healthy cells underneath so the late charge of fermentation was from trapped yeast getting free from a shake or movement, the best thing to do with that type is to shake or swirl it every 3 or 4 days

 

[thehaze]

London ESB and Windsor are low attenuators, so you will have to mash low and use sugar. I got between 70 and 73% attenuation on Windsor in 3 different bacthes, when most only got up to 65-67%, so it works.

I also like Windsor for the aroma and flavour it provides in bitters, reds and brown ales.. It it kind of powdery, but settles nicely at the bottom of the bottle. Cold crashing and a bit of gelatin result in clear beer.

I've never tried the ESB yeast, but by reading on the Internet and having had experience with Windsor, this yeast ferments in 2-4 days. The beers I made with Windsor were bottled 11-14 days after I pitched the yeast and they were very good. No bottle bombs, gushers or anything. So I think, if you want to use it again, you will have to mash low, use 5-10% sugar on the grainbill. I let my Windsor beers ferment at around 65-66F for 2 days, and then ramped the temperature to 71-72F. They reached final gravity within 7 days.

 

[BOB357]

I've used London ESB several times. I had the second krausen form once that I remember. Generally I ferment at 65 to 67 and allow to rise and sit at 68 to 70 for a few days at the end of my normal 21 days in primary. I've always gotten decent attenuation out of it and like the flavor it brings to the IPAs and APAs I've brewed with it. I keep my keezer at 38 F and fine with gelatin after chilling down, Still it seems that it takes forever to drop clear and never becomes brilliant.

I can brew the same recipe with Nottingham and have the beer drop clear in the fermenter and not need to use gelatin. With the exception of Wyeast 1318 I've never consistently had this problem with English Ale strains.

 

[Drewfus1]

Thanks guys!! My LHBS didn't have 1968 or 1768 when I went in so I figured I'd give this yeast a shot. The owner of the shop said he hadn't used it yet and wants me to report back with my findings. If I use it again I'll be sure to gently swirl the fermentor every few days to encourage the yeast. My girlfriend is a really big fan of this ESB so I may end up brewing it again sooner rather than later...