Non-IPA Style Suggestions for Vermont Ale Yeast

[troglodytes]

So I've done a nice double IPA with my Vermont Ale Yeast from The Yeast bay, but I had some attenuation issues. My goal this time around is to make a ~1.050 OG 5 gallon batch and use that as my "starter" for my next IIPA. My issue is that I love too many beer styles and have too limited available brew days to make 3 IPAs in a row.

So who here has used the Vermont Ale Yeast/Conan on anything other than IPA? Again, I'd like to keep this beer around 5-6% ABV to not stress the yeast too much.

My original thought was this Red Rye "Pale Ale" with 40 IBUs of Columbus.

 

[m00ps]

I've used it in white and black IPAs.....

I would think it may make for an interesting wheat beer. Its delicate apricot character would work well there and it would be interesting to see what Conan would do with the compounds from a ferulic acid rest. Really I think you could use it in any pale american style beer.

It may be interesting in something similar to a swatzbier though. It gives a silky smoothness to the body which could go well and the slight fruitiness wouldnt be out of place here like it would for a stout or porter

 

[troglodytes]

I really like the swarzbier idea. That one never crossed my mind. I'll have to lager it for a bit to get that yeast to floc out, but I think I may go that route. And then (keeping with the dark grain bill) I may attempt something similar to the black IPA recipe you just posted. I did a Wookey Jack clone about a year ago and can't wait to do another. Your recipe looks fantastic.

 

[olotti]

Try a wheat beer maybe even like a lower Ibu wheat pale ale, the peach of the yeast may really do well with a fruity wheat pale ale.

Note just saw moops suggested the same thing.

 

[chickypad]

I made a nice low gravity brown ale with it. I don't know about the schwarzbier, wouldn't be my choice for a pseudo lager. A wheat sounds good.

 

[troglodytes]

Wheat does sound good, and the wife might like that a bit more than a lager, especially this time of year. I think I'm sold. I'm thinking something simple like:

6 lb wheat
4 lb 2 row
.5 ounce orange peel @ 5 minutes
20 IBUs of Columbus mostly all FWH
Considering adding orange zest tincture or possibly orange lavender tincture to secondary

Ferment on the cooler side (64F) Conan yeast

The citrus, peach combo seems like to could go well with this cloudy wheat. Any critiques?

 

[m00ps]

That looks pretty good to me. I might up the orange peel to 1 oz or add some flameout hops that are citrusy. I routinely use 1 oz of dried peel in my wits without too noticeable an orange flavor. If you really want a good orange flavor though, consider buying a fresh orange or tangerine from the grocery and ripping all of its peel off into chunks and throwing that in. I used 2 tangerines for an orange creamsicle ale that a family member requested. That turned out pretty great

 

[northwestcoast]

Hey!

Was curious if you ended up brewing that wheat beer, and how it turned out in the end. I just pitched the Vermont Ale yeast into a single-hop (galaxy) white pale ale that came in at 30 IBUs.

I guess that means it's too late to be talked out of using this yeast for a non-IPA brew, but I was wondering how yours turned out.

Cheers!

 

[uncleleon]

I had an American wheat score 41 with it. I think the peachy tone plays well with clean red wheat. The generations while stepping this strain up from storage had wild flavor and attenuation swings for me. (Yeast Bay strain). Cheers