Back in Black IPA

relaxnrelapsen · Sep 6, 2012

jgourd: why did you change the yeast in the 2nd version of the recipe? I made an extract recipe for a Black IPA/CDA inspired by Deschutes Hop in the Dark. It was damn delicious but a little too malty. I always use WLP001 and I heard WLP007 has higher attenuation and may ferment out a bit more leaving me with a PREFERRED drier finish. Thinking of changing my recipe by switching out the yeast but afraid of fruity esters. not my favorite. WHat differences did you notice based on switching the yeast?

jgourd · Sep 7, 2012

relaxnrelapsen said:
jgourd: why did you change the yeast in the 2nd version of the recipe? I made an extract recipe for a Black IPA/CDA inspired by Deschutes Hop in the Dark. It was damn delicious but a little too malty. I always use WLP001 and I heard WLP007 has higher attenuation and may ferment out a bit more leaving me with a PREFERRED drier finish. Thinking of changing my recipe by switching out the yeast but afraid of fruity esters. not my favorite. WHat differences did you notice based on switching the yeast?

I like to try different yeasts to see the differences they impart. I tend to ferment this beer colder than one might think (somewhere in the 62-64F range) which tends to inhibit the esters. I suppose now that I've done this beer with WLP001, WLP007, Nottingham, Windsor, and US-05 that they are all good -- but I prefer WLP007. I go for dry yeast (mostly US-05) when I don't have the time to make a starter. Now I have tried to increase the chocolate malt in this beer (and reducing the debittered black) which makes it a bit interesting. It's initially hoppy, but over time (maybe 4 months) the hops fade and the malt and chocolate come shining through, thereby changing the beer into sort of a bitter stout (which I kind of like). I have never noticed any esters using WLP007 and fermenting at a low temperature (64F) with this beer. And yes, it does make for a drier beer. If you want a drier beer, you can also reduce the amount of crystal malt that you steep. Anyways, to help reduce esters, make sure that you pitch when the wort is already at 64F and not too much hotter. A lot of folks cool the beer to their water temps (maybe 75F) and then pitch before putting into a 64F fermentation chamber. If the yeast lag is short, you may get some fermentation in the 70s which may get you those esters you don't want. And if you notice that it doesn't get down to the final gravity you are looking for, you can gently rouse the yeast by stirring a bit to get it going again. I can sometimes get a few extra gravity points this way.

relaxnrelapsen · Sep 7, 2012

Thanks for the tip! I usually ferment at room temp which is around 70-75. My first batch with wlp001 i let sit for 5 weeks at this temp. If I used 007, and fermented in 65F range in the primary, how long would you recommend? Would I have to keep it in this temp range after primary is finished? In other words, if I let the brew sit at 70F during dry hopping and bottling, would I have issues?

jgourd · Sep 8, 2012

Keep it at 65F until most of fermentation is done (check with a hydrometer). For me, that's usually around 2 weeks. Esters are mainly produced early on during fermentation, so once you're down to 1.030 or so, you should be fine to increase the temp if you need to. Dry hopping on the cooler side is fine too (65F) or at room temps. I've been experimenting with cooler dry hopping (fermentation temps) and also for shorter duration (3 days). So far, I don't notice much difference from a 3-day dry hop and a 7-day dry hop except maybe that the shorter dry hopping time results in a better beer with less hop astringency. And if you go warmer during dry hopping and bottling, there should be no issues.

relaxnrelapsen · Sep 9, 2012

Awesome, thanks for the advice. I did a bit of research and your advice correlates. I brewed my recipe last night & I plan to keep it down to 65F for at least a week or until the airlock stops...so far no activity 8hrs after pitching a 1 liter starter. WE like the hop astringency in our recipe. THis time keeping everything the same but the yeast.