recommend a yeast strain.

[uncommonsense]

i want to brew a realy low abv Belgian abby ale. i know dosnt make much sense. i want all the belgian character but not all the alcohol. im thinking 3.5 to 4% abv. i dont brew belgain beer ever so im not sure what would be good to use in a low abv realm.

 

[HoppyDaze]

1762 Belgian Abby II

or

1214 Belgian Abby I

Wyeast

 

[KAMMEE]

I would use WLP500 from White Labs or 1214 Belgian Abby from Wyeast for this. If you're trying to get the character, proper temps will be needed to ensure the character is correct. I would also suggest that if you're making a low gravity beer to put a little wheat in there to accentuate the yeast character - there is something about wheat that will bring it out. So I suggest at least a 1/2 pound to help with head retention and beer character.

 

[Piratwolf]

I've made great 4-5% Belgians with both wlp500 & wlp530. I find the 530 a bit hard, so I put 2g of chopped fresh rosemary in the keg--amazing! The 500 gives a plum/fruit flavor.

 

[beergolf]

I like 1214 or 3787. Fermented at the right temps they both have good flavor.

 

[signpost]

I wonder if this would be similar to the beer the monks would brew for themselves. I seem to remember something from Brew Like A Monk about the monks brewing a low ABV beer for themselves, and the other higher ABV beers were for visitors and the general public.

And I can't imagine the low gravity would change the flavor the yeast create. Like somebody already said, the ferment temp is most important.

I haven't used any of the specifically Abbey yeasts, but a yeast that I really like is Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes. Lots of spicyness along with some of the fruity flavors, and not too much banana like some other belgian strains. Also, it flocs really well. When I pour my BDSA, I can just pour it right out as if it were a filtered beer, because the yeast is so compact at the bottom of the bottle.

 

[Calder]

A big problem with brewing a 'low' gravity Belgian beer is that you will miss out on a lot of the yeast flavor. If you halve the OG, you will get a quarter of the flavor. Do some research, but you might want to think about making 3 gallons of 7% beer and diluting after fermentation to 4 gallons (~4%). Should have more yeast flavor than a straight 4% brew.

 

[uncommonsense]

A big problem with brewing a 'low' gravity Belgian beer is that you will miss out on a lot of the yeast flavor.

See I was thinking this would happen. Which is why I didn't know if there was a strain that can off set this.

 

[Piratwolf]

See I was thinking this would happen. Which is why I didn't know if there was a strain that can off set this.

My beers have a great deal of Belgian yeast flavor in spite of being low ABV. Now I tend to ferment my bigger Belgians a little cool for the first 48 hours, so maybe my comparison isn't the same. But both the strains I mentioned are clearly the dominant flavors in the respective small beers and both have complex flavor profiles.

 

[Pappers_]

How about brewing with a Witbier yeast? Typically lower gravity.