29 replies to this topic

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

What's a good yeast to start out with? (WY1214?? - wyeast is the easiest to get for me)I was thinking of trying to make a Belgian version of an APA or something along these lines. I'm not too concerned with matching some style or beer exactly but I'd like to avoid adding spices or anything like that in secondary. I have most of the common base grains and specialty grains. My hops selection might be a little limited for this; I've got EKG, cascade, williamette, hallertau, magnum, glacier (only 2oz).Thoughts?

[siouxbrewer]

Big fan of the WL510 Bastogne (Orval) if you can find it. But I'd also suggest 3787 (westmalle) for a hop forward beer. It's high on the attenuation side and can ferment out nice and dry and spicy.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

What is the general feeling towards WY3522 (Belgian Ardennes)? I notice this is listed as an option for Belgian Pale Ale so maybe it would be good for what I want??

[strangebrewer]

Start with Wyeast 3278 of course :facepalm:1214 makes a nice blond ale and a great place to start. I made one recently that was almost all pilsner malt. OG was 1.055 and it fermented to 1.010. I know it says slow start on the Wyeast page but I did not find that to be the case even with just a 2L starter going into a 10 gallon batch. Good summer time brew, the first keg didn't last long!I haven't tried the WL Bastogne yet but I've used the Wyeast 3787 in the past and like it a lot. Makes a great trippel. I have it fermenting out a OG1.091 quad right now.Wyeast 1388 was my goto fermenting machine for a while as well. No matter what I threw it on it would ferment it out to 1.008 with amazing consistency.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I think I might go with the 3522 because it seems like I have all of the ingredients needed to make a BPA. I feel like this might be a good place to start since it sounds pretty similar to other stuff I have made with non-belgian yeasts.

[strangebrewer]

I think I might go with the 3522 because it seems like I have all of the ingredients needed to make a BPA. I feel like this might be a good place to start since it sounds pretty similar to other stuff I have made with non-belgian yeasts.

Haven't used that one myself but I'd be surprised if you were disappointed. It has a higher ABV tolerance than the 1214 so it might dry your beer out a little more. A 5 gallon batch of a pale ale would also make for a great starter if you want to harvest the yeast and throw on something bigger later.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

Haven't used that one myself but I'd be surprised if you were disappointed. It has a higher ABV tolerance than the 1214 so it might dry your beer out a little more. A 5 gallon batch of a pale ale would also make for a great starter if you want to harvest the yeast and throw on something bigger later.

Is bottling sort of a requirement for belgian styles or is kegging okay?

[strangebrewer]

Is bottling sort of a requirement for belgian styles or is kegging okay?

I keg all of my pales. Heck I keg the trippels sometimes too. I just have to make sure I put a little skull and cross bones above that tap to warn off the unknowing guest that this one will get you :facepalm:I am trying to be better about bottling the big ones though since it takes a while to get through a keg of 10-12% beer. I usually end up pulling it for something else before it kicks and throwing it back in later when I have a space.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I keg all of my pales. Heck I keg the trippels sometimes too. I just have to make sure I put a little skull and cross bones above that tap to warn off the unknowing guest that this one will get you :facepalm:I am trying to be better about bottling the big ones though since it takes a while to get through a keg of 10-12% beer. I usually end up pulling it for something else before it kicks and throwing it back in later when I have a space.

Fair enough.

[ncbeerbrewer]

I think I might go with the 3522 because it seems like I have all of the ingredients needed to make a BPA. I feel like this might be a good place to start since it sounds pretty similar to other stuff I have made with non-belgian yeasts.

I don't think you can go wrong with 3522. I used this yeast to brew a Belgian IPA that I created. It is a wonderful beer. I posted it in the recipe swap as well. I took it to my homebrew club and it was the best beer of the night. I followed the IPA 1.066 up with a Tripel at 1.080. I think you could go PA, IPA, Tripel if you wanted all with the same yeast pack/cake. I think 3522 adds nice Belgian flavor but it not too harsh or phenolic either. This would be my suggestion. It worked great for me. I also kegged the IPA and will keg the Tripel as well in fall.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I don't think you can go wrong with 3522. I used this yeast to brew a Belgian IPA that I created. It is a wonderful beer. I posted it in the recipe swap as well. I took it to my homebrew club and it was the best beer of the night. I followed the IPA 1.066 up with a Tripel at 1.080. I think you could go PA, IPA, Tripel if you wanted all with the same yeast pack/cake. I think 3522 adds nice Belgian flavor but it not too harsh or phenolic either. This would be my suggestion. It worked great for me. I also kegged the IPA and will keg the Tripel as well in fall.

I wish I could do three in a row but I already have all of my long term storage containers in use so generally I don't do a bunch of beers in a row (just do one every time I know something is about to kick). The other problem with this is if I don't like the yeast I have 15 gallons of beer made with it!

[MtnBrewer]

I don't think you can go too far wrong with any of them. For something like Leffe, I think my choice would be 1388/WLP570. This is a very spicy yeast with nice but subdued esters (relative to some other Belgian yeasts). Like most Belgians it's a vigorous fermenter. Makes a great Duvel clone too (it's Duvel's strain).For Trappist styles my favorites are 3787 and 1762 (Westmalle and Rochefort, respectively). These have more esters but aren't quite as phenolic as 1388. 1214 is also a Trappist yeast but it's way out on the estery end of the spectrum and I prefer the more balanced flavor profile.The De Dolle yeast (forget the number) is also quite good. If I remember right it has some very tasty pineapple esters in it.

[Pseudolus]

I think the Wyeast French Saison strain is out again, right? I :heart: that yeast. And I think it would nicely complement a hop-forward beer.

[Thirsty]

What is the general feeling towards WY3522 (Belgian Ardennes)? I notice this is listed as an option for Belgian Pale Ale so maybe it would be good for what I want??

I make my blonds with this and am always happy, I ferment it cool- about 64 for a week, then let it rise naturally in a 70 deg room, (usually takes a few days to get there) and let it finish out there.

Is bottling sort of a requirement for belgian styles or is kegging okay?

Keg away! Like strangebrewer said, the bigger beers are fun on tap at first, then you can pull the keg, replace it with something else, then put it back on down the road, they always seem to last longer this way.Oh, I forgot one thing, sugar! If this is your first or close to it, I would suggest fitting 15% or so of sugar (corn or cane) into your recipe. I add it to the prmary after about 4-5 days, just when I see activity start to slow. This will give the yeast a chance to consume the complex fermentables first, then dive into these simpler meals. The result is a lower FG, which is desirable for almost all styles.

Edited by Thirsty, 09 July 2009 - 08:15 AM.

[passlaku]

Try Wyeast's 1762 Belgian Abbey II Yeast in a 1045ish ale Belg Pale Ale. Has a real soft melon and honey flavor to it that really doesn't come off as all the Belgian. Great yeast for Belgian beginners like me.

[siouxbrewer]

Ardennes is the wyeast equivalent of WL510 I've heard, but it seems to be even harder to find than the Bastogne The reason I like the Bastogne is because of it's saison-like characteristics. It makes great hoppy pales and can be pushed on the higher side of temp. I'm really jazzed about my cake of wy3789 trappist blend (I'm guessing westmalle and rochefort with brett b.) which is gonna blow up a big ass tripel this weekend, gonna be a bit of a saaz bomb

[ncbeerbrewer]

Ardennes is the wyeast equivalent of WL510 I've heard, but it seems to be even harder to find than the Bastogne The reason I like the Bastogne is because of it's saison-like characteristics. It makes great hoppy pales and can be pushed on the higher side of temp. I'm really jazzed about my cake of wy3789 trappist blend (I'm guessing westmalle and rochefort with brett b.) which is gonna blow up a big ass tripel this weekend, gonna be a bit of a saaz bomb

Sorry but the Ardennes yeast is equivalent to WLP550 Belgian Ale. I have brewed with that as well as 3522. Its the La Chouffe strain as well. We brewed a Saison as a club brew at a local microbrewery and they gave up all a slug of their house belgian yeast and it was WLP550. I repitched it into a Belgian Blonde 1.066. It fermented it down to 1.002. A beast I say.

[siouxbrewer]

Sorry but the Ardennes yeast is equivalent to WLP550 Belgian Ale. I have brewed with that as well as 3522. Its the La Chouffe strain as well. We brewed a Saison as a club brew at a local microbrewery and they gave up all a slug of their house belgian yeast and it was WLP550. I repitched it into a Belgian Blonde 1.066. It fermented it down to 1.002. A beast I say.

Aha! Your are right sir, where did I see a yeast chart recently that had the two side by side I knew it seemed odd, checked BLAM and there it is. Got down to 1.002?! Sounds like a beast indeed.

[MtnBrewer]

Aha! Your are right sir, where did I see a yeast chart recently that had the two side by side I knew it seemed odd, checked BLAM and there it is. Got down to 1.002?! Sounds like a beast indeed.

Yeast Cross-Reference Chart

[siouxbrewer]

Thanks Mtn. Good friends with Mr. Malty, must of brain farted that one. I feel shame