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Heavy malt taste and feel
Just a note about fermenting, I leave all my beers in my primary for 2 weeks, all yeasts need time to clean up after themselves. They might not need two weeks, but that's the amount of time that i've settled on. Extract is a little different, you don't need as much time for it to clean up, or bring the flavors together, but regardless I still shoot for 2 weeks in primary. Now i've made great IPA's in a weeks time using extract, and S-04, but i've played around with it alot, and S-04 is very forgiving, I would say the very minimum would be 7-10 days. I dry hop in Primary after about 4 days using S-04, then drop into the keg.
About experienced brewers using exclusivly liquid yeasts, it just isn't so. I know alot of the senior guys here use alot of dry yeasts. I would not make an IPA without S-04, it's perfect . I know brewchez using US-05 alot, and Thirsty Likes the S-04 also, you just can't beat these yeasts for simplicity, and consistancy, and as brewers we all strive for consistancy of product.
Now I try to keep 4 beers on tap at all times, and I use extract alot, right now, I have 2 all grain batches on tap, and 2 extract batches on tap, nothing wrong with extract, you can make unbelievably tasty beers with it, the only problem, as you have found is the mouthfeel, body, and the head of the beer. That is predetermined in extract, nothing you can do about it. So pick beers that you make with extract that are close in profile to what your going to be getting.
Another tip that you might be doing, and will greatly help your beer is not to secondary, alot of people do this, but there is no need if your making ales. The more you expose your beer to transfers, the less time you have to drink it, in my opinion, it will get old quick. I've kept beers on tap for 4 months, and yes they do change in flavor, but they still taste great. 4 months is about the longest though. and it's all because I do not secondary except in the keg. Air is a killer. Alot of this is searchable, but wanted to give you the basics. And if your doing liquid yeasts, get a stirplate, it really helps.
Seasoned brewers do use liquid yeast for the diversity of flavors over dry yeasts. But if you are going to do american ales or want a clean yeast dried US-05 is a great choice. I have made many great english beers with s-04 as my english yeast. But I have been having more and more luck exploring the different english yeasts available as liquids.
As for lightening things up there is a simpler way to go.
Simply replace 5-10% of the extract in the kits you have been using with the same weight in table sugar. The table sugar is completely fermentable so the beer will be a bit lighter. You can play with the percentage of sugar to dial it in.
Of course to dial it in it requires brewing the same kit a couple times in a row. That's something most brewers don't do, but its a worthwhile effort.
For the record, I like US-05 (I like s-04 more though). But I think repitching slurry from a us-05 fermentation yields a much better result that compared to that first ferment from dried yeast package. My last several beers where I used American Ale yeast, I was using WLP001. I think that with a proper starter and good fermentation practices makes better beer. I am starting to feel like a fresh starter wins out over a dry yeast pitch. That's not to say using dried yeast is bad. To each his own. And your "own" only comes through experience.
Actually this will give me a good excuse to do three of the same "types" in a row. I could brew three American IPA's as follows
1. Follow recipe for the kit I have (To get a standard for adjustments)
2. Do a second batch by replacing the liquid yeast with dry
3. Follow up with a third by replacing the supplied malt extract with the pilsner malt
I have just enough equipment to have three batches in the Primary at once so I could brew these within 2-3 days so the age does not help/hurt from one to the other. For the sake of this experiment, should I use the liquid yeast supplied in the first batch or go with the dried yeast again when replacing the LME?
Ahhh, got him to post, I love it when a plan comes together. Good tip on the Sugar, never thought of that brewchez. Pay attention to this guy OSU, he taught me everything I know. I was spoiled actually, because I live in pretty close proximity to brewchez, Thirsty, and 1n1m3g, and I was able to do multiple brewdays with these guys. Brewdays cut the learning curve way down. Instead of years learning tips and techniques, it took months.
These guys taught me that yeast is the most important thing for making great beer. Always make a starter if your using liquid yeast.(1n1m3g has a great thread here about what actually goes on in a starter, very valuble information seach for it). Keep it in the temp range, and always pitch an adequate amount. Get it fermenting fast, and your beer will be great every time.
I went through a phase of trying almost every liquid yeast in the white labs library, but ended up settling on my favorite 4 or 5. I'm a learn as you guy kind of guy, and need real world experience to trust somthing, so trying alot of yeast was bennificial to me, you might not need to do that but I learned alot.
Bottom line, without this site, I doubt I would still be making beer, ever trick, or tip i've learned and implimented really improved my beer. When you get to the point that your beer is better than anything you can buy in bottle, or off tap, you know you've come a long way.
Thanks everyone for all the help over the years.
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