brownni5
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Dec 17, 2017
- Messages
- 782
- Reaction score
- 334
Over the past couple years, I've been building up my yeast bank. When I find one I think I'll like in the "expired" bin, I grab it. Sometimes, these are oddball yeasts that don't get a lot of attention. Two of which are WLP 545 Belgian Strong Ale and Wyeast 3739-PC Flanders Golden Ale.
WLP 545: Unfortunately, I don't have anything good to say about this yeast, but I think it's my fault. I've brewed 3 beers with it, and none came out well. I did a split batch BGS/Tripel with this yeast and Wyeast 3789, and neither one turned out - both tasted like I forgot the bittering charge. Not sure what I did there. From there, I tried a Dubbel. Started fermentation in the high 60s and let it roll. That was a mistake: high fusels. Next a smallish Belgian Dark Strong. It too was fusel-y even though I kept the temp down, pitching in the low 60s and never letting it get above 70. Maybe they weren't fusels, but some higher alcohols and phenolics that I didn't care for. I might try this yeast again, but I'm not excited to. I don't think it's bad yeast, I just don't know how to brew with it. I'm not interested in picking apart what went wrong with these at this point.
Wyeast 3739: Still early here, but I think I really like this yeast. First up was a Single type thing. Pitched at 63 and it took off - krausen and airlock bubbles much sooner than I've ever seen with one of my beers and was up to about 71 the following day. I had to reign this one in, which is unusual for me when fermenting in my basement in the winter. I try not to put too much stock into what's happening with my airlock, but this was rapid-fire bubbling - several bubbles per second. Very strange. I just put this on tap and had my first pour this evening: good phenolics, nice eaters and a slightly tart finish. No hot alcohols, but this is just a 5-6% ABV beer. Attenuation with this yeast was incredible: 92% AA, and it fermented pretty quickly. It does NOT want to flocculate out though. It doesn't bother me, but I know it does some.
I used that cake to ferment a Belgian Dark Strong with an OG of 1.094. Same thing - took off like a rocket with rapid off gassing. Much more heat generated during fermentation than I'm used to, again in winter in my basement, but I kept this one from shooting past 70.
I have high hopes for this beer but it will be next weekend before I package it (or even take a gravity sample).
Just a few data points, but when I looked into these two strains, I didn't find a lot of useful information, so I thought I'd add more.
WLP 545: Unfortunately, I don't have anything good to say about this yeast, but I think it's my fault. I've brewed 3 beers with it, and none came out well. I did a split batch BGS/Tripel with this yeast and Wyeast 3789, and neither one turned out - both tasted like I forgot the bittering charge. Not sure what I did there. From there, I tried a Dubbel. Started fermentation in the high 60s and let it roll. That was a mistake: high fusels. Next a smallish Belgian Dark Strong. It too was fusel-y even though I kept the temp down, pitching in the low 60s and never letting it get above 70. Maybe they weren't fusels, but some higher alcohols and phenolics that I didn't care for. I might try this yeast again, but I'm not excited to. I don't think it's bad yeast, I just don't know how to brew with it. I'm not interested in picking apart what went wrong with these at this point.
Wyeast 3739: Still early here, but I think I really like this yeast. First up was a Single type thing. Pitched at 63 and it took off - krausen and airlock bubbles much sooner than I've ever seen with one of my beers and was up to about 71 the following day. I had to reign this one in, which is unusual for me when fermenting in my basement in the winter. I try not to put too much stock into what's happening with my airlock, but this was rapid-fire bubbling - several bubbles per second. Very strange. I just put this on tap and had my first pour this evening: good phenolics, nice eaters and a slightly tart finish. No hot alcohols, but this is just a 5-6% ABV beer. Attenuation with this yeast was incredible: 92% AA, and it fermented pretty quickly. It does NOT want to flocculate out though. It doesn't bother me, but I know it does some.
I used that cake to ferment a Belgian Dark Strong with an OG of 1.094. Same thing - took off like a rocket with rapid off gassing. Much more heat generated during fermentation than I'm used to, again in winter in my basement, but I kept this one from shooting past 70.
I have high hopes for this beer but it will be next weekend before I package it (or even take a gravity sample).
Just a few data points, but when I looked into these two strains, I didn't find a lot of useful information, so I thought I'd add more.