US-05 / Chico - how low can you go?

[Woolsocks]

Wondering how cool of a fermentation temperature Chico yeast (I use fermentis US-05) can deal with and still rip through my wort in a week or less. Who has experimented with making real clean ales with this yeast?

[rudge75]

It can run down to 15 celcius with a 12 P wort and be done in a week. Catch it late on day 3 and ramp it up to 21 celcius to blow off any sulphur notes.

I've seen it ferment as low as 7 celcius on an apple brown ale I did once, but that wasn't on purpose.

[monkeybrewer]

I had my yeast go all the way down to 41F after 24 hours of 68F fermentation thanks to a stuck open glycol solenoid. It came all the way back up to temp after about 5 days. But for a regular ferment I've gone down to 60F with no problems.
Cheers

[Woolsocks]

Alright... gonna try it @ 15°C = 59°F and then a big ramp up to 20°C or more. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea, speak now or forever hold your peace...

[jerrymcmahan]

At the homebrew level, I've had it perform well down to 50F - a 1.060 wort attenuated to 1.014 in 8 days, even though it was a bit underpitched. It does need a short rest at 60+F to get rid of some sulfur and a funny citrusy note (like the orange flavor Push-Ups you might have eaten as a kid). Normally ferments at 58-62F for me and rips through everything in 5-6 days tops; no need to go warmer, IMO. I've heard rumors of Sierra Nevada using it at lager temps (48-52F) with good results.

[Mills]

Make sure to pitch cool and keep it there for the first 24-48 then let it run up to 70-72. The super majority of flavors and aromas are created early, and allowing it to ramp up will allow the beer to finish in a timely manner.