Chimay yeast

[80/-]

Hi all.

One of the local supermarkets has an offer on Chimay at the moment so I'm thinking of laying in supplies to see me through Xmas and Hogmanay.

I'd love to be able to use the yeast from the bottles to brew up a Chimay clone over the holidays and so I have two questions:

Does anyone have any chimay clones recipes that they have tried and tested

Does anyone know if the yeast used in Chimay to bottle condition is the same as that used in the primary fermentation

Thanks !

80/-

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

Does anyone know if the yeast used in Chimay to bottle condition is the same as that used in the primary fermentation

Everything I have read (which, frankly, isn't that much) indicates that it is the primary strain. Have never tried to steal it or brew a clone, though.

 

[Beermaker]

Well, I might be able to help here...I cultivated a Chimay red and a Blue from the bottle. Took some time, but I saved the yeast and added it to a cup LME I boiled and cooled. I put them in a flask and put a ballon on top. Then stuck them in the closet and checked them daily. I made 5 gallons of the Blue, and 10 gallons of the red. The red was better, I am letting the last 5 gallons age more. I made them both back in April '05. Here is the Red recipe I used.....

Cornels Chimay Red.....
10 gallon all grain batch:

20 Pounds Maris Otter 2 row Pale Malt

8 oz Aromatic Malt

16 oz Cara-Munich Malt

2 oz Chocolate Malt

Mash @ 150 degrees for 90 minutes

Bring to a boil

3 lbs Candi Sugar

11 HBU Tettnanger hops

Boil for 45 min

1/2 oz Styrian Goldings

1/2 oz Hallertau

2 tsp Irish Moss

boil for 15 min

Let cool/ crash cool for 15 min. Strain hops, top to 10 gal in the fermenter, pitch yeast (reconstitute yeast from a Chimay bottle or Wyeast 1214). Primary fermentation is 5-7 days, rack to secondary and let sit for 5-7 days. Bottle with Pre-measured Priming Sugar, or keg:

Age to taste (4-6 months)

OG 1.068-1.071

FG 1.012-1.015

7.1% ABV


Try that out, let me know how it works. Pretty easy.

 

[El Pistolero]

laying in supplies to see me through Xmas and Hogmanay.

What's Hogmanay?

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

i've read they use a different yeast to carbonate w/ in the bottles. read it in Brew Your Own. but, sounds like corey (Beermaker) did it, and had some sucess?

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

What's Hogmanay?

I think that's what the locals celebrated with Ned Beatty in Deliverance!

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

dude, your a freak'n riot!

 

[El Pistolero]

I think that's what the locals celebrated with Ned Beatty in Deliverance!

ROTFLMFAO @ BeeGee

And by the way...I never touched that pig.

 

[Baron von BeeGee]

This was one of the places I was reading when I was on my yeast stealing tangent (before SWMBO accidentally quashed it):
http://www.nada.kth.se/~alun/Beer/Bottle-Yeasts/
It indicates that Chimay has the primary strain.

 

[Deuchar]

Hogmanay (HOG-MAN-'A') refers to Scottish new year celebrations (late December 31 and early January 1). Historically this is a bigger "piss-up" than Christmas.

I have read that the name may have French origins but it just seems to be the Scots that refer to it as Hogmanay.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

cool! my Claymore Wee Heavy will be ready to participate from this side of the pond!!!!

 

[Deuchar]

It used to be traditional for your first visitor (or 'first-foot') of the new year to be tall, dark, handsome and to come armed with a lump of coal for your fireplace.

In my household we preferred it if he just came bearing more drink! :cross:

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

well, i'm 6'3", 210 lbs, and i got's da beer!

 

[Deuchar]

http://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/Scotland-History/Hogmanay.htm

 

[Beermaker]

Where might you live Deuchar?

 

[Deuchar]

Born and raised in Scotland. Now working 'undercover' south of the border in England!

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

cool info. now i know where that damn song comes from!

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

Born and raised in Scotland. Now working 'undercover' south of the border in England!

do you use peat malt in your Scotch Ales then?

 

[Deuchar]

Very few indigenous Scottish beers have a true peaty/smokey character in my opinion. Hence, even if I could get my hands on peat malt I wouldn't use it for a 'true' scottish beer. I might give it a whirl for a laugh though!

Malt produced for the whisky industry will typically have more peaty flavour. Maybe this causes some confusion. I typically just use pale and crystal malt in my Scottish ales.

I don't know if it get's exported, but there is Scottish beer called Innes & Gunn which is aged for ~2 months in old whisky casks before bottling. It has quite a weird taste - a very strong whisky taste without the alcoholic strength.

 

[DeRoux's Broux]

sweeet! take a look at my Claymore Wee Heavy in the recipe section, and tell me what you think. no peat malet there!!!!

 

[Beermaker]

I lived for a few years in Banchory, outside Aberdeen in Grampians. I was an offshore oil platform worker for a company named Odeco. I learned to love the McEwans Lager on tap at a few of the pubs. I think my favorite was Blackfriars? May have been the Moorings too. Cant remember, but I drank a lot of pints there. I even taught a bunch of the locals how to make and drink Flaming Dr. Peppers. UGH! Anyway, I cant seem to find a recipe for the McEwans Lager. Can you find it if your undercover in the area? I would be greatly appreciative. I took the distillary tour a few times, and traveled all over the country N,S,E to W, and I love it. I would really like to retire there in several years, and just make beer and see the scenery. So Green........ To bad I cant have guns there. It would be heaven!

 

[Deuchar]

I used to live near Elgin (about 60 miles NW of Aberdeen) but all of my family are from Aberdeen. All dyed in the wool Aberdeen football supporters!

I can't say I've seen a recipe for McEwans Lager. But then I'm not exactly a fan of mainstream Scottish Lagers - they seem to be all pretty similar.

I can't wait to get back North (For the people, scenery but not the weather!). But the job and SWMBO aren't too keen yet!

 

[Beermaker]

LOL, true, the weather was a bit rough, and your still a bit further north then I was in Aberdeen. For some reason I came home with a renewed liking of bag pipes, Harrys Game, and Clanned. But will never go for the Haggis again...........