IPA yeast choices...

[MadBrewer]

I'm looking for something different for a break from they usual West Coast / American Ale type yeasts. I have an Old School English-y IPA planned for some of my homegrown hops. I was just trying to nail down a yeast choice. I haven't used these in so long I forgot what I think about them. I'm a dry yeast user, I know that limits my choices but I don't like fussing with starters and re-pitches. I never know when I 'm going to brew, so dont' have time for all that. Lately I have really enjoyed the Bry-97 for some hoppy beers. Haven't tried the Mangrove Jack West Coast Ale yeast so we can talk about that too. But I'm thinking mostly about these:

S-04...I know it's a clean, mostly nuetral kinda bready yeast. Clears well, sounds like it would be a good choice, it's my first choice right now.

Nottingham...Again, very clean and nuetral. But I remember it being super attentuative, I don't want a really dry IPA.

Windsor...I thought about this one at first but after the description and reviews I'm not sure it would be for an IPA. Maybe an ESB or Bitter.

Any of the new Mangrove yeasts, the West Coast Ale? They also have a Brittish Ale and an English yeast called Burton Union. Anyone use these yet?

[The_Professor]

...Any of the new Mangrove yeasts, the West Coast Ale? They also have a Brittish Ale and an English yeast called Burton Union. Anyone use these yet?

I have the British Ale M07, Burton Union M79, and the Newcastle Dark Ale M03 fpr upcoming brews. Haven't used any of them yet.

[Beer-lord]

The only Mangrove I've used was the West Coast. For me, I'm 90% liquid....I make huge starters and use some for the current batch and the rest go into mason jars for use later. There's just so much more choice with liquid.
I guess you could try mixing 2 different dry yeasts together and see how that works. Ages ago I mixed 04 and 05 and while it did not attenuate as well as I liked, it was pretty damn good.

[BigPapaG]

For something a little different, try one of the new Abbaye yeasts from either Lallemand or Fermentis...

Git ya some Belgian IPA I say!

[mashani]

That yeast (abbaye) makes delicious complex fruity esters and subtle spicyness. They mix nicely with a piney/citrusy/earthy/dank/spicy/herbal hops. A Belgian/English IPA is in my plans, with Styrians and EKG. I'm not sure that I would mix it with really fruity hops, that might become weird/over the top.

Another choice I will throw out there if you want to remain conservative is Muntons GOLD yeast. Yes, I know Muntons dry yeast gets a bad rap, but that's because folks haven't tried their GOLD strain. It makes very good English beers if you want to notice a bready English vibe. Just make sure it's the GOLD variety. I've made some delicious beer with it.

[ScrewyBrewer]

I've brewed a lot of English styles using S-04 including an English style IPA. There was a raging online debate a while back as to which is better for an IPA S-04 or S-05. Though I didn't notice any of the 'sourness' that some brewers had posted on line in my English style IPAs.

[MadBrewer]

I am not much of a fan at all of anything Belgian, at least not yet I guess.

I have always wondered about the Munton's Gold, glad to hear some perspective on that. My experience with S-04 is quite good. I don't get the sourness or huge bready/yeast character some brewers speak of. It's always seemed clean, well attentuated, it drops clear and leaves a somewhat malty (not sweet) character. Hops seem to shine through as well. At times I have felt it's been too attentuative for what I had in mind and in I haven't liked it in a couple dark beers but that is my fault. I think with temp control and mash temperature you can get different profiles out of it. I tend to mash high with S-04 and ferment cool 64-66*. I might just end up using the S-04 for this, but I love to hear others experiences with any of the yeast mentioned.

Thanks

[mashani]

S-04 should not make sour beer. If it was sour, those people just got an infection and blamed it on the yeast IMHO. I've never gotten sour from S-04.

With a low temp mash, you can get some tartness, but that's not the same as sour. And that's brewers fault due to not leaving any malt sweetness behind. It's an English yeast. It was selected for its ability to balance out a malty beer / balance out the lower attenuation / make the beer not seem too sweet. That slight tartness helps do that and is unnoticeable in a beer with crystal or enough malt left behind. It just helps the hops pop, and tone down the malt a bit. If you use an English yeast in a west coast IPA, well that's brewers fault, not yeasts fault. Lots of English yeasts have a much stronger tart note if brewed in that manner then S-04.

S-04 can throw fruity/banana esters if you ferment too warm. How warm that is, is perhaps up for debate. It seems to be dependent on if you are a strong taster of such esters and/or perhaps pitch rate. I don't notice banana even when used at 66-68, even 70... others say at those temps they got banana they didn't like (I would drink it anyways, I don't mind it, but I can say I have not gotten any regardless). I do pitch at near commercial pitch rates, as in I'd use a whole 11.5g pack of it in 2.5 gallon batch. So that might factor into it.

It's very clean for an English yeast. Not as clean an Notty, but still quite mellow. Those ester-phobes should try some Ringwood or West Yorkshire. That will light a fire under their butts.

Since you mash high, and brew cool, your not going to have any of those perceived issues. Basically "your doing it right".