Fermentis SafAle™ S-04 · Dry Ale Yeast · 11.5 g

Balanced fruit, a floral lift and a yeast that clears out fast. S-04 is the English ale strain for cask-style bitters and hoppy pales that should pour bright.

Attenuation 74–82 % · 18–26 °C · Fast sedimentation · Fruity & floral · 50–80 g/hl · 11.5 g sachet

What it does in your beer

S-04 was selected for its fast fermentation profile. It gives balanced fruity and floral notes, with low total esters and medium higher alcohols on the Fermentis data, and ferments to 74–82 % apparent attenuation.

Its flocculation power is the headline: the yeast drops quickly, so beers tend to finish with higher clarity. Fermentis points it at English and American ales, including highly hopped beers, and says it's specially adapted to cask-conditioned beers and to fermenters with a conical bottom.

At a glance

How much for a 20 L batch

Fermentis doses S-04 at 50–80 g/hl. In 20 L (0.2 hl) that's 10–16 g, i.e. 1–2 sachets (approx.: dosage × 0.2 hl, rounded up to whole 11.5 g sachets).

A single 11.5 g sachet already sits inside that range for 20 L; the top of the range takes a second one.

How to use

• Direct pitch: at fermentation temperature, sprinkle the yeast over the whole wort surface so it doesn't clump — ideally while the fermenter is still filling.
• Prefer to rehydrate? Sprinkle into at least 10× its weight of sterile water or boiled, hopped wort at 25–29 °C (115 ml or more per sachet), leave 15–30 minutes, stir gently, then pitch.
• Ferment at 18–26 °C.
• Sachet soft or damaged? Fermentis says don't use it.

Pairs well with

Brewing an English bitter? Try it with Crisp Maris Otter as the base, a handful of Crisp Crystal T150 and East Kent Golding hops.

Storage & shelf life

• Unopened: dry and cool. We keep it below 10 °C; Fermentis allows below 24 °C for up to 6 months and below 15 °C beyond that.
• Shelf life: 36 months from production in the sealed sachet — the date is printed on it.
• Opened: close it tightly, keep it at 4 °C and finish it within 7 days.

Food information

• Food business operator: Fermentis division of S.I. Lesaffre, 137 Rue Gabriel Péri, BP 3029, 59703 Marcq-en-Barœul Cedex, France
• Name: Active dry brewing yeast
• Ingredients: yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), emulsifier: sorbitan monostearate (E491)
• Allergens: no ingredient appears on the EU 1169/2011 allergen list
• Net quantity: 11.5 g
• Storage: dry, below 10 °C recommended

Údaje o potravině (CZ)

• Název: Aktivní sušené pivovarské kvasnice
• Složení: kvasnice (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), emulgátor: sorbitan-monostearát (E491)
• Alergeny: žádná složka nepatří mezi alergeny podle nařízení (EU) č. 1169/2011
• Čisté množství: 11,5 g
• Skladování: v suchu, doporučeno pod 10 °C
• Provozovatel potravinářského podniku: Fermentis division of S.I. Lesaffre, 137 Rue Gabriel Péri, BP 3029, 59703 Marcq-en-Barœul Cedex, France

Good to know

• Fast sedimentation: once fermentation is done, the yeast settles out quickly, so leave the sediment behind when you rack or bottle.
• Same strain whether you see it spelt SafAle or SafeAle — the Fermentis name is SafAle™ S-04.
• Yeast and other ingredients are dispatched from our partner warehouse in the Czech Republic — expect a separate parcel if you also order equipment.

FAQ

Does S-04 give clear beer?
It helps. Fermentis says its flocculation power means beers tend to finish with higher clarity.

Do I need to rehydrate S-04?
No. Direct pitching at fermentation temperature is fine. Rehydrating in 25–29 °C water or wort for 15–30 minutes is optional.

How many sachets of S-04 for 20 L?
1–2. The 50–80 g/hl dose is 10–16 g for 20 L, and one 11.5 g sachet is already inside that range.

S-04 or US-05?
S-04 brings balanced fruity and floral notes and settles fast. US-05 is more neutral and stays in suspension longer. Both ferment at 18–26 °C.