Steam ale: will this work?

[Oliver]

I'm just looking for a bit of guidance on this.

I've currently got an APA down that was fermented with US-05 and that should be ready for bottling on the weekend. I'd like to brew another beer by reusing the yeast cake. It would be a fairly straightforward kit beer, because homebrew stocks are low.

I would like to brew a lighter-style yet hoppy ale and was thinking that given the low temps in Melbourne at the moment I might give a Mountain Goat Steam Ale-type beer a go. For those who don't know, this beer is brewed with an ale yeast but at lower-than-normal temperatures (unlike a traditional "steam" beer that's brewed with a lager yeast at ale temperatures).

According to the specs that I've seen US-05 will work best above 15C. The current beer dropped from about 20C to 13C over the course of a week, and is now at 1012, down from 1051, so it would seem to be fermented and ready to bottle.

So, the questions are these:
1. Have any of you used US-05 about 13C. The initial temperature would be about 20C, I expect.
2. If pitched at 20C, fermentation would be pretty quick I imagine given the yeast cake, so might actually be finished before it gets below 15C. Agreed?
3. If it will ferment down to 13C should I not insulate the fermenter, which will mean it cools far more quickly.
4. Am I stupid to try this?

And finally, any suggestions on a recipe as I haven't been successful in finding one anywhere. I was thinking about a wheat kit with a kilo of light malt (MG Steam contains wheat) and hopping with Galaxy and Citra (both used in the MG Steam, according to what I've read).

Cheers,

Oliver

[bullfrog]

In my experience, US05 likes to nod off at 15 and below. I don't ferment US05 below 16 degrees, just because it's too much of a pain to keep the yeast awake.

[rotten]

Agree with Bullfrog, under 15c you will need to wake it up continuously. It would work though, have done it myself. Just the overnight drop is enough to put it to sleep at that temp.

Good luck

[Oliver]

Thanks chaps. I'm still thinking about whether to do this and how to approach it in terms of a recipe. I'll let you know what I decide.

Cheers,

Oliver

[emnpaul]

This has nothing to do with your US05 yeast cake I know, but Amber Nectar Home Brewing has White Labs San Francisco lager yeast, and others, on special for $11 a tube, if you want to go that way.

Link:http://centralcoasthomebrew.com/zencart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=25_27_29&products_id=145

Cheers
Paul

[Oliver]

Well, this seemed to have worked nicely. I brewed a partial mash last Monday, with OG of about 1046 @ 22C, tipped onto the yeast cake of a Grain and Grape fresh wort kit fermented with US-05.

Intense fermentation, the likes of which I've never seen before, began pretty much immediately. Dry-hopped with 20g Citra and 20g Galaxy on Thursday.

SG on Sunday was 1012 @ about 15C. I strongly suspect that the fermentation was complete before the brew reached anywhere near 15C, which would have taken a few days given I had the fermenter wrapped in towels.

It tasted spectacular out of the fermenter. Even 'Er Indoors, who doesn't usually like my beers, said it tasted great.

Cheers,

Oliver