Jenlain Biere de Garde yeast question.

[beergolf]

I was looking a the Clone Brews book for the recipe for Jenlain biere de garde.

I used to drink this beer quite a bit many years ago when I lived in Chicago and am interested in trying to brew this recipe.

The part of the recipe that seems strange to me is the yeast choice. For the first choice they list WY1338 European Ale. The second choice is 3711. They sure seem like two totally different yeasts.

Any thoughts on this? Could it be a misprint and they really mean 1388?



Here is what Wyeast has on their website for that style

Commercial Examples: Jenlain (brown), St. Amand (brown), Ch'Ti Brun (brown), Ch'Ti Blond (blond), La Choulette (all 3 versions), La Choulette Bière des Sans Culottes (blonde), Saint Sylvestre 3 Monts (blonde), Biere Nouvelle (brown), Castelain (blonde), Jade (amber), Brasseurs Bière de Garde (amber)
Wyeast Strains:
2124 - Bohemian Lager™
3787 - Trappist High Gravity™
1388 - Belgian Strong Ale™
1762 - Belgian Abbey II™
2565 - Kölsch™
1007 - German Ale™
3711 - French Saison

 

[ReverseApacheMaster]

I agree that it likely meant 1388.

 

[Denny]

BdG generally uses a very clean ale or lager yeast. I think 1338 is what they meant. IIRC, it's also mentioned in the Farmhouse ales book.

 

[beergolf]

I guess the difference in attenuation between the 2 yeasts is what threw me.

1388 list it as 67-71%

I have used 3711 a lot and get well over 80% most if the time. I know this will finish very low, where the 1338 will finish much higher.

It sure seems those two yeasts would make drastically different brews.

 

[rakader]

BdG generally uses a very clean ale or lager yeast. I think 1338 is what they meant. IIRC, it's also mentioned in the Farmhouse ales book.

Sorry I do not agree with this. BdG is a top-fermented style only. A lager yeast is a misinterpretation. Normally well-balanced belgian yeasts like Belgian Golden Ale or French Saison yeast are used.

 

[dmtaylor]

Sorry I do not agree with this. BdG is a top-fermented style only. A lager yeast is a misinterpretation. Normally well-balanced belgian yeasts like Belgian Golden Ale or French Saison yeast are used.

Bring out your dead. I'm not dead yet!

You may be right that a top-fermenting strain should be used. However, I'd stay far far away from 3711 for this style. Jenlain leans towards the fuller and sweeter side than 3711 would allow. Anything else should be fine.

When I researched this (my notes are from 2012! still never brewed it yet though), I figured I would go with something very clean along the lines of 1007 or 2565. I can see 1338 being a potentially good fit. Not sure I'd go with 1388, I'm not a real fan of that one. Personal preference.

 

[rakader]

You may be right that a top-fermenting strain should be used. However, I'd stay far far away from 3711 for this style. Jenlain leans towards the fuller and sweeter side than 3711 would allow. Anything else should be fine.

That's right. the ultimative trick is using 2 strains - very popular is 3711 and WLP570. I use very often WLP550.

The style is very broad. Light and dark. It is probably thanks to Jenlain that the style has survived. And of course there are also bottom-fermented brews. But these are fads that run counter to the complexity of this beer style. Historically, this is off the mark - bière de garde means beer for storage, and it was always a beer for harvesting in the summer when cooling was not optimal.