12 replies to this topic

[Big Nake]

My vision was clear... a Summer English Ale. But the batch I made 2 weeks ago with 1028 (Aviator's English Ale) ended up smelling absolutely foul and I could not reuse that yeast. I have made that beer 4 or 5 times before and it's always stellar. Something must've happened. I have never had this problem where the yeast I needed ended up bad so my choices for yeast were limited. I had some US-05 which I know is widely accepted and loved by homebrewers but I have to admit that I am not a huge fan. I had some WLP002 cold in the vial but that seemed problematic. I looked further and found some S-23 dry lager yeast from December 2009. An English Lager!


Stoopid English Lager!

5.75 lbs American 2-row
2.50 lbs UK Pale Malt
1 lb Vienna
8 oz Wheat Malt
1 oz Kent 4.9% plus ¼ oz Styrian Golding 3.5% for 60 mins
¾ oz Styrian Goldings 3.5% for 5 mins
Fermentis S-23 Dry Lager yeast

OG: 1.054, FG: 1.014, IBU: 27, SRM: 4, ABV: 5.2%

I suppose it has no explanation style-wise. It's the grain bill & hop schedule of a Summer English Ale with a dry lager yeast. I plan to ferment it at about 55°

[Stout_fan]

One speaker at Cincinnati NHBC was from london and explained the beer judging in England.All English beer is ale.All Imports are Lager, regardless of how they are fermented.So an English Lager is an Oxymoron by their definition.

[Big Nake]

One speaker at Cincinnati NHBC was from london and explained the beer judging in England.
All English beer is ale.
All Imports are Lager, regardless of how they are fermented.

So an English Lager is an Oxymoron by their definition.

Ah, see? But how often does a brewer come up with something that cannot be defined? Oh, but wait... everything else is lager? So an American Pale Ale or American Amber Ale or an Irish Stout are all considered lagers? Sheesh. I know I could've just used the US-05 and called it a Blonde Ale or whatever, but I really didn't want to go that way and when I saw that S-23 in my fridge and lightbulb popped on over my head, I just had to go that way. It's fermenting now at about 50° and smells like beery heaven so far. Cheers.

[Big Nake]

I forget where I saw it, but someone just posted a thread about the Fermentis dry yeasts being pretty darn good. I generally do not like dry yeasts and I only pick them up rarely for purposes just like this. I know a lot of people love Nottingham, Windsor, US-05, WB-06, W34/70, etc. but I generally stick to liquid. I'll keep you guys posted but for now, the aroma is lovely. English hops with a clean, pilsner-like aroma. Weird! Cheers.

[nbbeerguy]

I have brewed a Lager using s-23 I believe i used Ken's Mexican Vienna recipe it was yummy

[Big Nake]

I have a house full of out-of-town guests including 6 kids in their early 20s (nieces, nephews & friend's of theirs...) and my kegs are dropping quickly. I just put this beer on my tap #2 today and sort of held my breath when I took the first sip. Tastes like a nice pilsner. I know that Kent & Styrian Goldings are usually used in English beers, but with the SGs being Slovenian and these hops being mild and fresh, the beer ended up nicely balanced, very clear and pilsner-like. This S-23 turned this into a very, very nice beer. Cheers.

[MtnBrewer]

One speaker at Cincinnati NHBC was from london and explained the beer judging in England. All English beer is ale. All Imports are Lager, regardless of how they are fermented. So an English Lager is an Oxymoron by their definition.

LOL...that makes about as much sense as the definition in Texas that any beer greater than 5% ABV is an ale, everything else is a lager.

[Big Nake]

Here's a shot of this beer. It's as clear as can be and the pic does NOT do it justice. Long live the English Lager with Maris Otter, Kent & Styrian Golding hops along with S-23 dry lager yeast. Cheers.

[MyaCullen]

s-23 sure does flocc well doesn't it :)I made a lager some years back with almost that same recipe, it was delicious

[jimdkc]

This recipe sounds (and looks!) very good to me!Jim

[lowendfrequency]

Here's a shot of this beer. It's as clear as can be and the pic does NOT do it justice. Long live the English Lager with Maris Otter, Kent & Styrian Golding hops along with S-23 dry lager yeast. Cheers.

Damn Ken, you post some nice pics of some tasty looking beers! I wish I could enjoy this one through the internet right now.