Help choosing a Belgian yeast?

[OldAtHeart]

Could anyone help a newby by recommending a good Belgian yeast with a few specific characteristics? I'm planning something along the lines of a Belgian Golden. What I want is a yeast that will give off lots of spicy flavors (clove, nutmeg, etc), but very little if any tropical fruit flavors. All suggestions are appreciated!

 

[beergolf]

Check out the Wyeast website. They give some pretty good description of their yeasts.

 

[android]

as beergolf pointed out, the websites of wyeast and white labs are the best place to get specific characteristics of yeast strains. you might even consider a belgian wit strain if you want it really clovey, or a hefeweizen strain fermented low.

 

[OldAtHeart]

Thanks, guys. I've been looking at the sites for Wyeast and White Labs, but it's a lot to sort through. There are a few strains I'm looking at, such as WLP 410 and 351, but I'd love to hear first hand experience/recommendations if anyone has it.

Another question: What might I expect in brewing a non-wheat beer with a yeast usually used on wheat beers?

 

[BigRob]

What might I expect in brewing a non-wheat beer with a yeast usually used on wheat beers?

Depending on the strain and your recipe, you'll have the same yeast contributed flavour without the wheat malt flavour. I've brewed a few using WLP300 and no wheat whatsoever, tasted like a hefeweizen, works fine.

 

[petep1980]

Could anyone help a newby by recommending a good Belgian yeast with a few specific characteristics? I'm planning something along the lines of a Belgian Golden. What I want is a yeast that will give off lots of spicy flavors (clove, nutmeg, etc), but very little if any tropical fruit flavors. All suggestions are appreciated!

I am actually going for a similar profile, but with a little wit.

I first tried blending witbier and French Saison yeast, but I didn't make a big enough starter for the Saison yeast (secondary yeast) and got very little characteristics.

I just did one with WLP550 and I am mildly disappointed. It tastes okay, a little on the sweet side though, and nothing for spices. I actually got a lot of banana smell.

Current I have fermented another attempt at the witbier/Saison combo. This time I pitches a big starter of Saison on night #2 of primary fermentation after it was obvious the witbier was firing on all cylinders.

I'm going to let this one sit for a while, but I'll be sure to post results.

 

[GuldTuborg]

For the characteristics you're looking for, I'd look into the Westmalle (530/3787) and Achouffe (550/3522) strains. Check the forum postings for other peoples' experiences with them.

 

[petep1980]

Okay, I take back everything I said about 550. Use it. Maybe I opened the first bottles a bit early, but it's now excellent.

 

[Calder]

There are a lot of good Belgian yeasts, but some have had reported issues, of stalling, or being slow to finish. When you find one you think has the right characteristics, do a little research on it. I have only used a couple, but I find WLP550 excellent, spicy, with little fruit. I generally ferment at 75F, and achieve attenuation in the region of 90% (includes some simple sugars in the recipe). Although it attenuates well, it does not taste dry. If you prefer a sweeter finish, there are other options.

 

[WolvinMaine]

My experience is that White labs 550 and 530 are more of the spicy side. I think 550 is a bit cleaner, but that is relative, it is still Belgian. I also think it is more hop friendly then the 530. Maltier brews, I would go 530.

 

[theonetrueruss]

I like 550. But I also like to mix 550 with 500.

 

[beergolf]

You also might want to look at this. It lists which brews use which yeast. That way you can taste some of the brews to get a good feel for how the yeast tastes.

http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm

 

[Spartan1979]

Stan Hieronymus's book, Brew Like a Monk, has a table with a good description of what the various Belgian do at two different temperature ranges.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

Go with 550 or get the 575 blend.

 

[OldAtHeart]

Thank you all, you've been very helpful! I picked up a vial of the 550 today and will be going with that. Here's my recipe, for anyone who is interested. Critiques are welcome.

Butternut Belgian Golden Ale

11 lb. Bohemian Pilsner
1 lb. White Wheat
1 lb. Belgian Candy Sugar
Roasted Butternut Squash (quantity TBD)
1 lb. Rice Hulls

0.5 oz. Magnum - 60 min.
1 oz. EKG - 30 min.
1 oz. Hallertauer - 30 min.
1 oz. Hallertauer - 10 min.
1 oz. Saaz - 5 min.

Mash Target - 148 F
Estimated IBUs (per Beersmith) - 26


This is my take on a pumpkin beer for the year. I hate "pie in a bottle" style pumpkin beers, so I'm going for a subtle squash flavor with no added spices. I'm hoping that the spiciness of a belgian will compliment the squash without overwhelming it. I'm not absolutely sure about my hop schedule. I really hope I don't have too much going on. It also seems like an awful lot of hops to achieve 26 IBUs, in spite of the low AA's.

Brew day is tomorrow and I feel like I've still got a lot of reading to do, especially about how much squash to add and how much gravity I can expect it to add. Beersmith doesn't appear to have the capability to add pumpkin or the like as an ingredient, so I won't know what OG to expect. The recipe without the squash estimates on the far low end of a Belgian Golden Strong Ale (1.070). I figure that if I'm over that by a bit, it'll be fine.

Again, all input is appreciated. You guys rock!

 

[WolvinMaine]

I have never mashed with squash, will the rice hulls be necessary? Just want to know for my own future reference.

 

[OldAtHeart]

I have never mashed with squash, will the rice hulls be necessary? Just want to know for my own future reference.

Those who mash with squash (as opposed to adding it to just the boil) often say that it makes for a very sticky mash. Rice hulls tend to be a pretty common recommendation. For $0.95/lb, I figured it was a reasonable precaution.

 

[WolvinMaine]

Thanks for the response. Good luck with your brew, 550 is a nice yeast.

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I did BIAB with pumpkin and I couldn't get the bag to drain so yeah, I would definitely use rice hulls in the mash.

 

[kyleobie]

For the characteristics you're looking for, I'd look into the Westmalle (530/3787) and Achouffe (550/3522) strains. Check the forum postings for other peoples' experiences with them.

+1. I did a tripel with Wyeast 3522 (Belgian Ardennes). I kept it around 68 for the majority of the fermentation, then tried to ramp it up to the mid-70s at the end. Great spicy and peppery flavor profile.

 

[azoteman213]

Thank you all, you've been very helpful! I picked up a vial of the 550 today and will be going with that. Here's my recipe, for anyone who is interested. Critiques are welcome.

Butternut Belgian Golden Ale

11 lb. Bohemian Pilsner
1 lb. White Wheat
1 lb. Belgian Candy Sugar
Roasted Butternut Squash (quantity TBD)
1 lb. Rice Hulls

0.5 oz. Magnum - 60 min.
1 oz. EKG - 30 min.
1 oz. Hallertauer - 30 min.
1 oz. Hallertauer - 10 min.
1 oz. Saaz - 5 min.

Mash Target - 148 F
Estimated IBUs (per Beersmith) - 26


This is my take on a pumpkin beer for the year. I hate "pie in a bottle" style pumpkin beers, so I'm going for a subtle squash flavor with no added spices. I'm hoping that the spiciness of a belgian will compliment the squash without overwhelming it. I'm not absolutely sure about my hop schedule. I really hope I don't have too much going on. It also seems like an awful lot of hops to achieve 26 IBUs, in spite of the low AA's.

Brew day is tomorrow and I feel like I've still got a lot of reading to do, especially about how much squash to add and how much gravity I can expect it to add. Beersmith doesn't appear to have the capability to add pumpkin or the like as an ingredient, so I won't know what OG to expect. The recipe without the squash estimates on the far low end of a Belgian Golden Strong Ale (1.070). I figure that if I'm over that by a bit, it'll be fine.

Again, all input is appreciated. You guys rock!

Hello OldAtHeart,

You probably already brewed this but have you considered doing an ferulic acid rest? It will impart your beer with more of the clove character precursor when doing weizens. I dont know if it applies to WLP 550 but it is worth a try seeing that you want a more clover like character. I dont know of the best temperatures or duration as I do extract brewing but there is plenty of info on this forum about ferulic acid rest. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[Komodo]

+1. I did a tripel with Wyeast 3522 (Belgian Ardennes). I kept it around 68 for the majority of the fermentation, then tried to ramp it up to the mid-70s at the end. Great spicy and peppery flavor profile.

I don't know if it's the same strain, but White Labs 545 Platinum is from Ardennes and has been awesome for me so far. Does it a little cooler than the 550.