S-04 fast?

[Beer-lord]

I haven't used S-04 in about 2 years and did on Friday and boy, did it take off fast and 2 days later, most of the krausen dropped and it's almost silent. I haven't checked the gravity yet and won't for another week but my memory of this yeast from last use was that it took a while to start and wasn't as fast. Maybe it was a smaller beer but for those S-04 users, what do you usually see?

[Whamolagan]

I use s-04 all the time and it always takes off fast and seems to end quickly, as for krausen I wouldn't know, I ferment in SS. After 7 days, I raise the temps from 68 up to 72 for 4 days, then cold crash for 2 days. I don't start to check the numbers until the 10th day. I have noticed that before I started oxygenating the wort, the 04 was slower to take off, but I have seen it take off 18-24 hours after pitching. I use it exclusively in my cream ales, and am thinking about using it in my blonde. I like the fruit notes it brings.

[Beer-lord]

I did oxygenate though not that long.
Its sitting at 66 and I jack it up to 68 to dry Hop (none for this beer) then check gravity then crash.
Oddly the 001 brewed may Monday is still going.

[Whamolagan]

I ferment at 68, and use a 5 micron oxygen wand. How big of a batch is this?

[Beer-lord]

6 gallons (well, came out to 5.75ish). Took the blow off tube off and put on the airlock and there's still regular activity. It's not that I'm concerned there's something wrong, I know it's fine, just been using 95% liquid yeast and my memories of dry yeast, especially 04, make me think it was slow and long.
I like most of my yeast at 65-66 though I think 04 might be better higher for most beers since it will give off fruitier esters but for a brown, I think 65-66 is better. Just my personal opinion.
I have beer!

[Whamolagan]

Do you hydrate your dry yeast? Oh yeah nothing wrong with aggressive fast ferment, but one must remember that there is a lot going on during attenuation. And yeah BEER.

[Beer-lord]

Yes, I did rehydrate though usually I don't.
I'm still gonna let this sit the normal amount of time no matter when it's done. That just works better for my schedule.

[Dawg LB Steve]

This is what happens when you have your water treatment, mash Ph levels and oxygenated wort where they need to be. I know that I can probably pull my Brown using the S-04 after a week but I let all of my beers go 16-18 days just to let them clean up after that feeding frenzy. I let this yeast go mostly 66-68 the whole time. Since I started water treatment and adjusting Ph, it does not matter whether it is liquid, dry or rehydrated dry, most everything I brew now takes off in the 8-10 hour range. Sounds like it is on track to be a good brew

[Beer-lord]

I'm sure it's fine and have no worries.
Just odd that it's almost done and the beer I brewed 4 days earlier is still chugging along, though finally slowing down. Maybe my airlock needs an oil change!

[MadBrewer]

I use to brew an Ordinary Bitter with S-04 and I could brew it, ferment it out, clear and have it ready for bottling after 1 week. It has always been a fast working yeast. I really like how fast and well it clears. I have always used it around 66*. There is a distinct character from S-04, some love it, some hate it. It's a very "bready" yeast, not like bread crust with certain malts, but like raw bread dough along with some tart/fruity esters. Fermentation temp seems to effect that differently.

What kind of beer was it?

[Beer-lord]

A brown ale. This morning it looks like it's done.
But that 001 from 1 week ago is still doing some gurgling. I'll check gravity on both this weekend.

[bpgreen]

I use to brew an Ordinary Bitter with S-04 and I could brew it, ferment it out, clear and have it ready for bottling after 1 week. It has always been a fast working yeast. I really like how fast and well it clears. I have always used it around 66*. There is a distinct character from S-04, some love it, some hate it. It's a very "bready" yeast, not like bread crust with certain malts, but like raw bread dough along with some tart/fruity esters. Fermentation temp seems to effect that differently.

What kind of beer was it?

A brown ale. This morning it looks like it's done.
But that 001 from 1 week ago is still doing some gurgling. I'll check gravity on both this weekend.

I haven't used S-04 in a while, because for most of the beers I brew, I like a cleaner fermenting yeast, but I think the bread character is a great choice for a brown ale (and a reason I should reconsider using S-04 when I brew those). One thing I remember about S-04 is how flocculant it is. As I recall, the trub it produced was so compact that I had to practically power-wash to get it all out, even without cold crashing.