Safbrew abbaye

[Gothic_Horror]

Any recent updates on this guy? I used it this weekend on an Oud Bruin grain bill that I intend on throwing on top of a bug cake. I used it on a small beer I had of the leftover runnings.

 

[jfrank85]

Any recent updates on this guy? I used it this weekend on an Oud Bruin grain bill that I intend on throwing on top of a bug cake. I used it on a small beer I had of the leftover runnings.

Nothing yet, giving it another week before I secondary and DH it. Fermentation was furious and quick. Smells amazing, bananas and fruit. That's all I've got atm.

 

[indianaroller]

Brewed a beer using this yeast yesterday, here is the grain bill.

8# German Pilsner
2# White Wheat Malt
1# 8oz Munich Malt
4oz Dark Munich
1oz Horizon @ 60 minute
1oz Hull Mellon @10 minute
1oz Hull Mellon @ 5 minute
2oz Hull Mellon 5 Day DH

148F Mash temp.

Might rack off a gallon or so and secondary ferment it with Brett. trios.

What was your original gravity? What temp did you pitch at? What temp is it fermenting at (beer temp or ambient)? How much yeast did you pitch?

 

[jfrank85]

1.057 OG, pitched at 66F, fermented at 68F, one pack pitched.

 

[Wheelspin]

Quick update on my strong Octoberfest Ale fermented with this yeast, now bottled and tasted.

Initially in the fermenter there seemed to be quite a lot of weird aroma's and flavours. Tried first bottle last night and am very please with results. I'm not a good describer of flavours but it tasted perfectly "Belgium". In other words, the flavorous you's expect from a strong Belgium triple.

I will definitely use it again for this style and will be trying it in other styles. I really like the way it takes with very robust fermentation.

 

[Osedax]

Your lucky. I am still waiting for mine to carb before I make a judgment call. 3 1/2 weeks and still very little carbonation. I even primed to 2.9 volumes. No idea why it is taking so long. Not sure if it is the yeast's fault or not. 3/5 of a cup should have been plenty in 4 gallons.

I will keep holding out. Crossing my fingers.

 

[Wheelspin]

I primed mine at 2.3 vols and after 14 days carbonation was more or less perfect.

Maybe I just got lucky but my overall impression of this yeast is that it's a real worker. Took off like a rocket and blew the lids off both my fermenters. First time this has happened.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I am planning to split a batch of a Belgian single ale between Abbaye and T58 in the next week or two to see how they compare with minimal added factors to complicate the flavor. Hopefully I'll have a update in 8 weeks.

 

[brew_darrymore]

This is great, Andrew, I look forward to your feedback as to how the two yeasts compare!

I've subscribed to that thread.

 

[RADMAD]

Just mashed in on my Holiday Belgian specialty brew. I have picked up a couple packs of Abbaye and will be giving it a try. Last year s version used T-58 and it will be interesting to see how it compares.

 

[RADMAD]

This yeast looks to be a quick starter. Took a look at the fermentor this morning just 12 hours after pitching and it has already topped out the carboy and and is spilling out the blowoff.
Some numbers for this brew
OG 1.070
Vol 5.5 gal into a 6.5 gal carboy
Pitch - 2 packs Abbaya
Ferm temp set at 63F

 

[TimothyPatrick]

I just bought two packets of safbrew abbaye for an all grain tripel that I am brewing this weekend. I am excited to try a new yeast in this beer.

 

[Osedax]

My beer is finally carbing up. No idea why it took so long. Maybe watch for it in this yeast. I dunno.

It isn't completely done but, is close enough. It has all the Belgian characteristics you look for. White pepper, over ripe banana, slight clove, and a bit of earthiness. The earthiness could be from my homegrown hops. It is a solid yeast but, the flavors aren't as rounded as I would hope for in a traditional Belgian. A little harsh and still that strange taste I can't pin down.

Definitely a good backup yeast to have on hand for brew day. It might be better or worse but, I need another batch with it to compare.

 

[shoreman]

What would you compare it to in the liquid yeast category?

Is it a bit reserved like chimay?

 

[Osedax]

What would you compare it to in the liquid yeast category?

Is it a bit reserved like chimay?

Sorry, I can't really compare it to much as I don't normally use liquid strains. Wish I could but, I can't. Chimay is WLP500, correct? It's not really like WLP500 at all. 500 has a great flavor "softness" that I really enjoy. Where 500 is soft Abbaye is harsh. Really I don't completely understand why they call this yeast Abbaye. It doesn't really seem like any Abbey yeast I have ever used.

It is much more reserved than I thought. It isn't in your face at all. Also, it isn't the ester bomb I thought it might be. Still, a solid offering for dry yeast.

 

[Osedax]

Mobile app double post.

 

[TimothyPatrick]

I brewed a tripel this weekend and used two packets of this abbaye yeast (rehydrated). The OG was 1.086 and the yeast took off very quickly. I am keeping it at 64°f for now.
The only odd thing is the sulphur odor that is coming out of the airlock. I have read here on other threads that the sulphur odor will subside in a day or two.

 

[calebgk]

I brewed a split batch at 1.054, 5g 3711 and 5g Abbaye. I'm building a new chamber and didn't control the temps, but left them in my kitchen, which doesn't get outside of 67-70. I've been drinking the 3711, and love it. Great saison, dry as bones at 1.000. I just kegged the Abbaye tonight after 4 weeks and holding at 1.012, and here are some notes.

Clear as day coming out of the fermenter if I was careful, but VERY loose cake. So easy to kick it up.
Tasted the sample - and didn't really taste much. Some fruit, almost diluted apple juice, but no pucker. Got no alcohol heat. Honestly, it was quite anemic. It wasn't bad, but certainly not impressive. But I'll let it chill and carb up, and I'll report back.

 

[jspain3]

I brewed a Christmas Belgian Dark Strong Ale almost 3 weeks ago with 2 packets of T-58. Fermentation took off almost immediately as I pitched somewhere around 68 degrees. I definitely had the sulfur smell coming through the air lock starting day 3 or so but it has curtailed and now just the sweetness of the beer comes through.

I brewed this with the intention of taking it to holiday parties which start in 5 weeks (Dec. 13th). If the hydrometer readings are consistent, is there any reason to leave it in the fermenter before bottling (this is only my 2nd batch, so I'm still pretty much a noob)? I'd like to start bottle conditioning early enough so the beer is mature enough for the holidays. I'll probably save a few bottles to test months down the road to compare as I know Belgians (and most homebrews) continue to improve over time.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I am planning to split a batch of a Belgian single ale between Abbaye and T58 in the next week or two to see how they compare with minimal added factors to complicate the flavor. Hopefully I'll have a update in 8 weeks.

UPDATE

I moved my t58 vs Abbaye yeast split batch experiment to kegs (at 20 days). There is a definite difference. The Abbaye may be significantly more clean / less green / less yeasty at this point, although the T 58 will clean up as it ages, if previous batches are any indication. The Abbaye seems to let the 1lb/5gal of 180L syrup flavor be much more pronounced also. Despide lower gravity measurement, the Abbaye tastes sweater. Not sure how the malt flavors are differing as I am a very poor judge of malt flavor (I don't really get anything out of even a good brown ale, for example).
More time will tell more, I'll post another update at the 5-6 week mark.

Recipe was:
Belgian Ale AG (10Gal)

Batch Size: 10.00 gal Style: Belgian Specialty Ale (16E)
Boil Size: 12.05 gal Style Guide: BJCP 2008
Color: 18.3 SRM Equipment: Andrew's (15Gal/70L) - AG
Bitterness: 28.2 IBUs Boil Time: 60 min
Est OG: 1.064 (15.6° P) Mash Profile: Single Infusion, Medium Body
Est FG: 1.014 SG (3.5° P) Fermentation: Ale, Single Stage
Est ABV: 6.7%

Ingredients Amount Name Type #
20 lbs Pale Malt (2 Row) US (2.0 SRM) Grain 1
2 lbs Wheat - Red Malt (Briess) (2.3 SRM) Grain 2
2 lbs Candi Sugar (Syrup), Dark (180.0 SRM) Grain 3
2.0 oz Northern Brewer [7.8%] - Boil 30 min Hops 4
2.0 oz Saaz [3.5%] - Steep 15 min Hops 5
2.0 oz Styrian Goldings [5.5%] - Steep 15 min Hops 6
1 pkgs Abbey Dry Ale Yeast (Fermentis / Safale #Abbaye) Yeast 7
1 pkgs SafBrew T-58 Belgian Ale (DCL/Fermentis #T-58) Yeast 8
NO starters used. Oxygen used.
Notes

Split a10gal batch between t58 and the new fermentis Abbaye yeast.
OG at pitching:10/19/14 1.062 @60F
Allowing to rise to 67F ambient
T58 FG: 11/8/14 1.017
Abbaye FG: 11/8/14 1.015

 

[andrewmaixner]

I brewed a Christmas Belgian Dark Strong Ale almost 3 weeks ago with 2 packets of T-58. Fermentation took off almost immediately as I pitched somewhere around 68 degrees. I definitely had the sulfur smell coming through the air lock starting day 3 or so but it has curtailed and now just the sweetness of the beer comes through.

I brewed this with the intention of taking it to holiday parties which start in 5 weeks (Dec. 13th). If the hydrometer readings are consistent, is there any reason to leave it in the fermenter before bottling (this is only my 2nd batch, so I'm still pretty much a noob)? I'd like to start bottle conditioning early enough so the beer is mature enough for the holidays. I'll probably save a few bottles to test months down the road to compare as I know Belgians (and most homebrews) continue to improve over time.

Though this is slightly off topic for this thread, yes, go ahead and bottle it if the gravity has stopped changing and you need it ready in a few weeks. You might want to store it at a higher-than-cellar temperature (maybe 70-72F) to accelerate the conditioning since you plan to drink most of it next month.

 

[ABVIBUSRM]

My brother boaught me a pack of this a few days ago im gonna make a dubbel or a orval type brew i will let you know in 9 months

 

[jiggs_casey]

I was pretty surprised by this yeast! I brewed this on September 1st. for a November 1st tasting. I was in the mood for something with a really strong rye flavor. I questioned the addition of the caramel malt because generally, I don't like caramel malt but, I felt it would balance well with the rye. I wasn't disappointed!

10 gallon.
20 lbs Pilsner (2 Row) Bel (2.0 SRM) Grain 1 78.4 %
3 lbs 8.0 oz Rye Malt (4.7 SRM) Grain 2 13.7 %
2 lbs Caramel/Crystal Malt - 60L (60.0 SRM) Grain 3 7.8 %
4.00 oz Hallertau [4.50 %] - Boil 60.0 min Hop 4 29.2 IBUs

As stated in an earlier post, lag time was really short! Fermented at 65', left in primary until bottling (Oct 18th). I was really concerned that there wouldn't be enough time for it to carbonate. By the 30th though, it was fully carbed. Gorgeous, creamy head, smooth and strong rye flavor, offset by the cara notes. Pretty damned delicious! I really like this yeast. It will be fun to experiment with in the future!

Mash In: Add 35.08 qt of water at 167.1 F 156.0 F 45 min
Sparge: Batch sparge with 3 steps (Drain mash tun , 3.83gal, 3.83gal) of 168.0 F water

 

[RADMAD]

Bottled our Christmas beer this morning - a Belgian specialty ale spiced with bitter orange and Coriander. The sample tasted great. This beer used t-58 last year but was changed over to the new Abbaye yeast this year. Will be able to do a taste testing of the two in a few weeks.

 

[jspain3]

Bottled our Christmas beer this morning - a Belgian specialty ale spiced with bitter orange and Coriander. The sample tasted great. This beer used t-58 last year but was changed over to the new Abbaye yeast this year. Will be able to do a taste testing of the two in a few weeks.

Can't wait to hear how it compares. I think this will definitely be in my seasonal rotation for years to come.

 

[highgravitybacon]

I'm pretty interested in this yeast too. ¿Has anyone used it?

I tried it. I didn't like it at all. Sluggish performance, odd green apple flavor in the final beer. Weird esters, little in the way of phenolics. Not a very good yeast at all. I don't understand Fermentis yeast. Some are just awful. Of the remainder, only US-05, S-04, K-97 and 34/70 are worth getting. I don't understand how they make any money off those other yeasts.

But the Abbaye yeast, it's not even remotely worth trying when there's so many decent liquid yeast options. I'm pretty much done with these dry yeasts for anything even remotely Belgian.

 

[MXDXD]

I'm brewing one today (Some kind of Belgian Stout), then next weekend (some kind of Belgian IPA). Will report in due time.

 

[MXDXD]

It took off 75 minutes after inocculation, pitched at +- 68.

So far, so good.

 

[MXDXD]

I put on a blowoff tube (if only because I was extremely close to the top of the carboy), but while Abbaye would start quick, really quick, it wasn't much of a "riser" though, at least this time around. 3 days after brewday, I felt safe and confident to use an airlock.

However, the recipient of the blowoff (containing StarSan solution) was quite a bit sulfury.

 

[cgpeltier]

Brewed a Belgian specialty ale with juniper berries and nutmeg with this yeast. Been in primary for two weeks (in ~68F water bath, fairly steady temps) and still have an insane sulfur smell. Tasted with FG reading today (OG=1.069, FG=1.01 today) and seems more mellow and less spicy and fruity than 3787, for instance. I think it's possible that the lack of ester character could be because fermentation temps were pretty stable the whole time. I'm surprised to still have sulfur smell after two weeks, but will update with another week or so of aging.

 

[MXDXD]

Ended up bottling yesterday.

Went from 1.064 to 1.015. Good for 75,4 %, which is not far from bad considering I had +-15% of Cara malts/Chocolate Malt, and close to 10% of Brown Malt (about which I don't know THAT much about fermentability).

Started fermentation at +-63F and was able to raise it to 68F after 5 days at +-63.

Pre-bottling sample was... Actually very clean. No sulfur at all at this point and wasn't any different than, say, US-5 straight out of the cake.

I have a 2nd one fermenting at the moment (Pelgian IBA) with basically no non-fermentables, with the same temperature schedule.

 

[brewhaha_rva]

Just pitched this in a Belgo-American pale ale. Buddy of mine opening a brewery and wanted to know if this would be a viable back-up yeast for some of his Belgian styles. I'm going in with an open mind. I will say that I enjoy T-58, it's not the most refined yeast on earth, a little bit of a loose cannon, but I like it. I like the Westmalle strain the best for Belgians but in the spirit of experimentation, I figured I'd give this a whirl. Here's the recipe I went with.

10.0 lb 2-Row
0.75 lb Crystal 40L

0.75 oz Mosaic (US) 70 min Boil Pellet 11.6%
0.25 oz Mosaic (US) 20 min Boil Pellet 11.6%
0.25 oz Mosaic (US) 15 min Boil Pellet 11.6%
0.25 oz Mosaic (US) 10 min Boil Pellet 11.6%
0.25 oz Mosaic (US) 5 min Boil Pellet 11.6%
0.25 oz Mosaic (US) 0 min Boil Pellet 11.6%

Irish Moss

Safbrew Abbaye pitched at 61 degrees

OG 1.060
IBU 45

Fermentation activity noticeable at hours, temp rose to 64 with blanket wrapped around the fermenter after 36 hours. Lots of airlock activity.

 

[MXDXD]

Just bottled my 2nd brew with that yeast, which was a Belgian IPA. 4% CaraPils, reminder of grain bill being good fermentables. Mashed at 152.

Went from 1.058 to 1.010 in 3 weeks. Started fermentation at 62F, raised to 68F after 4 or 5 days.

The beer came out great -- faint traces of Aceltaldehyde, that's it -- and it was otherwise quite heavy on raisins esters. I didn't notice it in my earlier Stout, but it was very, very obvious in this one. Actually, the yeast was as much "present" as the hops... And there was 1 oz of hops in a 1-gallon brew.

 

[Newmanwell]

I brewed a Belgian blonde with it about a month ago. The fermentation was straight up sulfer. Like more sulfer than I've ever experienced. After crashing I racked into my keg for carbonation and I still was getting sulfer albeit much less. I just tried it tonight after two weeks in the keg and I'm still getting sulfer. There are some fruity esters and phenols there but I can't say much about them because the sulfer is still pretty distracting. I'll give it a few more weeks and report back.

 

[brewhaha_rva]

I brewed a Belgian blonde with it about a month ago. The fermentation was straight up sulfer. Like more sulfer than I've ever experienced. After crashing I racked into my keg for carbonation and I still was getting sulfer albeit much less. I just tried it tonight after two weeks in the keg and I'm still getting sulfer. There are some fruity esters and phenols there but I can't say much about them because the sulfer is still pretty distracting. I'll give it a few more weeks and report back.

I got a lot of sulfer as well, I splash-racked it into the secondary and that dispelled most of it. I dry hopped with two more oz of Mosaic and now I get some phenols, esters and mosaic hops off the airlock. Will report back.

 

[MXDXD]

Reports on the Stout, 3 weeks after bottling :
Still very green

 

[brewhaha_rva]

Well just bottled the Mosaic Pale Ale. First time using either the yeast or the hop. It's a fun beer. The Belgian character is there but it's subtle, as I intended. Wanted it to be a background note to the malt and hops -- a fun twist on a fairly standard APA. Mission Accomplished, as Bush might say. No sulphur, think the splash rack took care of that. Pitched at 58, rose to 68 before crashing back. I'm happy and will use the same yeast again for the fall edition of Dave's Pale Ale.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Well just bottled the Mosaic Pale Ale. First time using either the yeast or the hop. It's a fun beer. The Belgian character is there but it's subtle, as I intended. Wanted it to be a background note to the malt and hops -- a fun twist on a fairly standard APA. Mission Accomplished, as Bush might say. No sulphur, think the splash rack took care of that. Pitched at 58, rose to 68 before crashing back. I'm happy and will use the same yeast again for the fall edition of Dave's Pale Ale.

neat. I also used 3711 and bell saison yeasts for a borderline pale ale / mild IPA this year. I felt that the bell saison had a better (more appropriate, less intrusive) character for the style, but both were good.

 

[MXDXD]

A few weeks later...

My Stout doesn't appear to be quite ready. No problem with carbonation, but the beer still feels somewhat green and has that acidic tang. Maybe that taste will never disappear, but I doubt it. Worst case scenario, it's a pretty good beer.

The Belgian IPA is probably the best beer I ever brewed, but not quite sure of the role of the yeast in this. It feels Belgian, but it's a very, very clean beer. Might have to do with ferm temps that were quite low.

 

[andrewmaixner]

A few weeks later...
It feels Belgian, but it's a very, very clean beer. Might have to do with ferm temps that were quite low.

That pretty much mirrors my experience on the dark ale. Less "Belgian character" than the split T58 batch, and very drinkable.