Escarpment Labs - Thiol Libre

[Elric]

Pre-ordered a pack from my flhbs when it was first announced and got around to brewing with it on weds. Have to say this yeast is a beast! According to my pill it has chewed through 6.78% abv in 48 hours with 6.2% of that being in the last 24 hours. The smells coming from the airlock are so huge with tropical fruit aromatics it's mind blowing. I did a mash hop with saaz and perle and a whirlpool of cascade and simcoe as I wanted to solely focus on hops that are supposed to be high in bound thiols. I can't wait to try it to see just how much tropical fruit goodness the yeast gave to the this beer given that none of the hops are your super fruity free-thiol laden juice bombs (Simcoe being the closest).

 

[ThenFalcon]

I'm going to be brewing with this next week. I'm planning to mash hop with Cascade, but I'm not sure what I will use for whirlpool hops yet.

 

[hopjuice_71]

Depends on how you personally want to define GM. This one was made by traditional yeast breeding, no specific tinkering with genes by molecular biology. It is a cross of kveik and a wild yeast. Not really sure what type of yeast that would make it.

 

[McMullan]

Depends on how you personally want to define GM. This one was made by traditional yeast breeding, no specific tinkering with genes by molecular biology. It is a cross of kveik and a wild yeast. Not really sure what type of yeast that would make it.

I believe we've had this discussion already.

 

[hopjuice_71]

I believe we've had this discussion already.

Haha, well, sort of, I guess. This strain IS different than the US one, which was specifically created by genetic tinkering. This one in this thread was made differently. If anybody wants to call it GM, I'm not going to argue with that, because it was made with intentional breeding, and so IS genetically manipulated in my book. There are others, however, that would not see yeast crossing as resulting in a GM product so I think it is fair to make the distinction. In fact, I believe it is this distinction that allows it to be sold in Canada, whereas the other strain apparently cannot. Thats all. I'm not making any comment on whether any of this is good or bad.

 

[hopjuice_71]

Pre-ordered a pack from my flhbs when it was first announced and got around to brewing with it on weds. Have to say this yeast is a beast! According to my pill it has chewed through 6.78% abv in 48 hours with 6.2% of that being in the last 24 hours. The smells coming from the airlock are so huge with tropical fruit aromatics it's mind blowing. I did a mash hop with saaz and perle and a whirlpool of cascade and simcoe as I wanted to solely focus on hops that are supposed to be high in bound thiols. I can't wait to try it to see just how much tropical fruit goodness the yeast gave to the this beer given that none of the hops are your super fruity free-thiol laden juice bombs (Simcoe being the closest).

Any updates a week later? I ordered some myself and have a starter going as we speak. Planning on doing a split 30L batch. Half will get all Thiol Libre, the other half will be a co-pitch of Thiol Libre with Verdant (aiming for some extra yeast esters). Mash hopping with Saaz, whirlpool with lots of Cascade, but also including Cryo Pop and Cryo Citra. 2 dry hops with Cryo Pop and Cryo Citra. Pulling out all the stops for an aromatic hop bomb.

 

[Elric]

Any updates a week later? I ordered some myself and have a starter going as we speak. Planning on doing a split 30L batch. Half will get all Thiol Libre, the other half will be a co-pitch of Thiol Libre with Verdant (aiming for some extra yeast esters). Mash hopping with Saaz, whirlpool with lots of Cascade, but also including Cryo Pop and Cryo Citra. 2 dry hops with Cryo Pop and Cryo Citra. Pulling out all the stops for an aromatic hop bomb.

It ended up pretty decent. I think for a future brew I would go ahead and use it to compliment finishing hops instead of being star on it's own, but I really wanted to see what it did on it's own first.
Fermentation basically wrapped up in three days and attenuated to 81% giving me a 7.5% abv beer. Finished beer did not have as much aromatics as I was hoping for, I would say it is mild-medium amount of aromatics, with a fruity white wine/tropical fruit blend of aromatics, and taste wise again a fruity white wine and mango flavours. Get a hint of regular cacade elements but overall the tastes and aromas are quite different from what you would expect from a cascade/simcoe beer, and the mash hopping has resulted in a very smooth bitterness.

 

[AzOr]

It ended up pretty decent. I think for a future brew I would go ahead and use it to compliment finishing hops instead of being star on it's own, but I really wanted to see what it did on it's own first.
Fermentation basically wrapped up in three days and attenuated to 81% giving me a 7.5% abv beer. Finished beer did not have as much aromatics as I was hoping for, I would say it is mild-medium amount of aromatics, with a fruity white wine/tropical fruit blend of aromatics, and taste wise again a fruity white wine and mango flavours. Get a hint of regular cacade elements but overall the tastes and aromas are quite different from what you would expect from a cascade/simcoe beer, and the mash hopping has resulted in a very smooth bitterness.
View attachment 767591

Care to share your hop schedule? Mash hopping is new to me.

 

[Elric]

Care to share your hop schedule? Mash hopping is new to me.

1oz each of saaz and perle mixed in with the grains for 60 minute mash (so also removed with mash). 1oz Each cascade and simcoe for a 20 minute hopstand at 180. Easy as pie!

 

[hopjuice_71]

Well, I tried this strain, and I have to say I am a bit 'meh' for the first run. No offense to Escarpment labs, who are awesome. Long story short, I did everything that I could to maximize the performance of yeast. I got a beer that has an aroma that knocks your socks off! However, the flavour doesn't really translate. It is not bad by any means, quite drinkable, but not awesome. I associate the flavour with what I get from the many Kveik fermented beers I have had - a bit of a twang/tartness. The day after I brewed this beer I brewed another that is VERY similar, same hops though not identical, and fermented with Escarpment Vermont. This beer is really, really nice, and I find myself preferentially going for that. Just thought I would provide this data point. Maybe I just have to learn to use the strain....

 

[Elric]

Well, I tried this strain, and I have to say I am a bit 'meh' for the first run. No offense to Escarpment labs, who are awesome. Long story short, I did everything that I could to maximize the performance of yeast. I got a beer that has an aroma that knocks your socks off! However, the flavour doesn't really translate. It is not bad by any means, quite drinkable, but not awesome. I associate the flavour with what I get from the many Kveik fermented beers I have had - a bit of a twang/tartness. The day after I brewed this beer I brewed another that is VERY similar, same hops though not identical, and fermented with Escarpment Vermont. This beer is really, really nice, and I find myself preferentially going for that. Just thought I would provide this data point. Maybe I just have to learn to use the strain....

It is a hybrid yeast with kveik as one of the strains so the kveik twang makes sense and is something i picked up on as well. I was experimenting and was decently pleased with my results as an experiment, but am in the same boat that I don't know as to whether I would use again, and if I did, I would def change my approach to the beer as I outlined in my follow up post. Am currently drinking a pale ale brewed with an upcoming escarpment kveik ring release and much prefer the flavors I am getting from it.

 

[hopjuice_71]

Quick update. I have been getting a flavour from this beer that I have had a hard time identifying, but I finally decided it was a phenolic character. Sure enough, I checked and this strain apparently can produce them. However, I did not use North American or Pilsner malts (all English MO, flaked oats and wheat malt - typical hazy grain bill). I did not ferment hot - only a consistent 68 F. Not a profound flavour, yet one I have never produced in a beer before .. .. just adds to the 'meh' ness.

 

[Elric]

Quick update. I have been getting a flavour from this beer that I have had a hard time identifying, but I finally decided it was a phenolic character. Sure enough, I checked and this strain apparently can produce them. However, I did not use North American or Pilsner malts (all English MO, flaked oats and wheat malt - typical hazy grain bill). I did not ferment hot - only a consistent 68 F. Not a profound flavour, yet one I have never produced in a beer before .. .. just adds to the 'meh' ness.

Yeah! I found mine has a bit of a light “saison” element to it (though for me it is one of the elements I like in the finished beer, granted it was not expecte). I accidentally had it a bit warm for first day or so of fermentation (couple degrees F over recommended max) and blamed it on that, but from your results maybe I would have got regardless of temp?