Safbrew T-58: Holy crap!

[eulipion2]

I just brewed today (Belgian-inspired Baltic porter with ginger), finished up around 11 AM, was actively bubbling by 1-2, and overflowed the airlock at 5:30. Monster stuff! My apartment smells like molasses and hops!

I've never brewed with it before, so I have no clue how it'll taste, but I was impressed with how quickly it took off.

 

[terrapinbrewer]

i had the same experience, that yeast is turbo charged!

 

[eulipion2]

At this rate, it's gonna be fermented out by tomorrow! I've seen strong ferments before, but dang.

 

[MVKTR2]

I would love to know what temps you're fermenting at and perhaps the basics of your recipe.

I've got a wheat bier going with T-58 right now that's also supercharged. Pitched at 66 degrees, 30 hours later it's at 78 degrees. That's by design as I'm trying to clone a local brew and the brewer told me they use T-58 @ 80-85 degrees. Thus I'm curious what temps and flavor profile you get from T-58.

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[eulipion2]

Well, it started off pretty warm, went crazy overnight, but it's cooled to about 70-72 and is bubbling VERY slowly. I'm wondering if I should try to jack it up a bit, but I don't really have a good way to do that.

 

[jrfuda]

I used T-58 on a 2-below clone I started almost 3 weeks ago. Went in at around 75, I got it down to 68 pretty fast, before there was much/any yeast activity, and I settled it down at 61 within 12 hours (I'm trying to go for an earthy flavor versus estery, hence the low temp). I agree it was a fast fermentation. Even at 61 my blow off tube was a necessity. Seemed to be done after 3 days. I take my temp readings with the probe in an insulation "pocket" on the outside of my better bottle so the reading should be darn close to the actual liquid temp and not the ambient temp.

I transferred to secondary last Sunday, and this was the first time I've had what I'd call "hard" floaties/trub in my fermenter. I know one of the characteristics of T-58 is that it settles out firm, which is why it's commonly used to bottle condition. I look forward to this characterstic come drinkng time, hopefully it'll be an easier trubless pour.

I know it's a low/medium attenuation yeast, but I was suprised how low. My beer stabalized at 1.026 (predicted = 1.019), with an OG of 1.062. A slightly higher FG than I anticipated, but the taste was good, so that's all that matters. I even gave it a little rouse after my first gravity reading to ensure the yeast had a chance to do its thing, but the gravity remained unchanged for 4 days, so I'm pretty sure it's done.

Dry hopping this weekend, and crash cooling shortly for a few days after for a scheduled bottling on 21 Feb.

 

[eulipion2]

jrfuda, I used a Wyeast saison yeast a while back that stalled out under 70 degrees. Could this yeast be the same way? Did you check your gravity when you transferred?

Thanks

 

[jrfuda]

jrfuda, I used a Wyeast saison yeast a while back that stalled out under 70 degrees. Could this yeast be the same way? Did you check your gravity when you transferred?

Thanks

It fermented for a good 2 days after the temp went down to 61. I checked the gravity 4 times, including during transfer to secondary. I think I mashed a little warmer than I was supposed to too. It was the inaugaraul use of my RIMS, and the temperature delta was a bit off, I was aiming for 154, but was closer to 156 most of the time in the MLT (I calibrated the system with water, but it was not the same with mash & wort).

I slowly raised them temp from 61 to 68 from days 4-7, roused the fermenter on day 4, and it's been at 68 since. I'll probably take another reading with my hydometer before I dry hop.

I took the "into the fermenter" OG reading with my hydro and subsequent reading with my refractometer... since this is only the second brew I'm using the refract on (and I forgot to calibrate it to my hydro on this brew) it could be off, using the calibration from my previous brew with a similair OG (Oh, OG was 1.062 not 1.052 - that was a typo in my last post, I'll correct it). I'll defineately take a reading with my hydro when I'm ready to dry hop to be sure my FG is accurate.

What did you do with your stalled saison (Hoping mine's not stalled and just done instead, bsed on other T-58 reports)?

 

[jrfuda]

Just took a gravity reading with my hydro. Got 1.021 versus the 1.026 reading I was getting with my refractometer (shame on me for not calibrating properly). Now i'm much closer to my target FG. I'm going to knock the temp up to 70, weather permitting, and see if I can squeeze out a couple more points.

Man, that was a good tasting hydro sample. It even had a good bit of CO2 disolved in it already. I could have drank a pint, even at 68 and lightly carbed as it was. Can't wait to try it dry hopped, fully carbed and chilled!

 

[MVKTR2]

Mine too has cooled to 70-72 and is bubbling along. Any tasting notes about what the yeast added to your brew jrfuda? Is 2-below brewed with T-58 or New Belgian's house strain?

As far as I can tell I've let mine ferment as hot as anyone on here, 78 even hitting 80 briefly. Anyway I'll update when I take a sample next week.

Schlante,
Phillip

Schlante,
Phillip

 

[jrfuda]

...Any tasting notes about what the yeast added to your brew jrfuda? Is 2-below brewed with T-58 or New Belgian's house strain?...

Just posted some info in the other T-58 thread regarding taste and other characteristics:

The taste, in its still green state, when I tasted hydro sample was rather neutral. I was going for the "earthy" new belgium flavor that's in so many of their beers (versus the spicy/estery flavor in authentic belgians), which is why I went close to the bottom of fermentis' 59-75F temp range for the early part of the primary. I think, given the temp range, I could have just used US05 and got the same results and more attenuation. I have everything to make a starter (flask, stirplate) & could of used a liquid belgian strain, just didn't feel like doing it; I've actually been trying to avoid liquid strains all together and want to see what i can do with dry yeast and careful temp control. I actually think that the T-58 at 61F had a more nuetral taste than the beers I've fermented with US05, when my temp management wasn't so good. And man, can that T-58 clear up a beer. I can clearly see my better bottle's racking adapter through my 16 SRM beer, even better than I could through some lighter beers I've brewed. I hope their's enough yeast left for natural carb come bottleing time, though, since I'm using tap-a-draft bottle, I can always force carb if all the yeast has settled out (which I doubt).

As far as why I used it... In all the various fat tire and new belgium threads it seems the consensus is that WLP500 is as close to the new belgium strain as you can get unless you get one of the special edition yeasts when they're out. I think someone even pasted in an email from new belgium saying so. Well, as I stated before I wanted to use a dry yeast, so T-58 was as close as I could get. From White Lab's website, it says of WLP500 "Lower temperatures (under 65) will result in less fruity and more earthy beers." well, that is what I was going for "earthy," and I wanted to use a belgian strain, so that's what I tried. Now, I know that T-58 is not dry WLP500, and probably not close... but I think it's as close as I could get with a dry yeast. However, as I said before, I think T-58 - at a low temp - is close to US05 in flavor, but lower attenuating, based on my tasting so far.

I tried to make a fat tire clone before that I used US05 on and poorly managed my fermentation temps.. I think it got up into the mid-70's becuase I was monitoring ambient temp instead of wort temp (I now monitor wort temp). The finished beer was drinkable, but too estery and tasted nothing like I expected, though I stil have about 12 bottles and it's defineately mellowed. So far, I think the results with the T-58 at 61F are closer to the "new belgium taste," but still not there.

I'm starting to lean towards the temp management it more important than yeast strain camp, if there is such a camp. Based on my limited experience thus far, you can make a neutral yeast estery and an estery yeast neutral just by changing the temp.

 

[Teacher]

Now, I know that T-58 is not dry WLP500, and probably not close... but I think it's as close as I could get with a dry yeast. .

According to several sources, both WLP500 and T-58 come from Chimay. That doesn't mean they're identical, but it does mean that they should be close. I've never used WLP500 or Wye 1214 so I can't make my own comparisons, but others have said they're close.

 

[Dustin AC]

I just brewed today (Belgian-inspired Baltic porter with ginger), finished up around 11 AM, was actively bubbling by 1-2, and overflowed the airlock at 5:30. Monster stuff! My apartment smells like molasses and hops!

I've never brewed with it before, so I have no clue how it'll taste, but I was impressed with how quickly it took off.

I had a similar crazy experience...
Made a double batch of a Belgian Tripel that I split into two five gallon batches using the Fastfermenter(s). Both batches had an identical OG of 1.088 and used T-58 (rehydrated). Pitched one at 80 degrees and the other at 70, and used blow off hoses for each. They were both showing activity within a couple of hours (7pm). The 80 degree batch showed some pretty violent expulsion for two days, slowed down and is still showing steady airlock activity going on week two.

This is where things get interesting...
The 70 degree batch blew some bubbles out of the blow off, but nothing nearly as impressive as the 80 degree batch.
The very next day (checked at 10am), I saw no activity in the lower temp batch. I replaced the hose with an airlock and still saw no action, no pressure, no nothing.
Thinking things may have stalled out, I ordered another round of T-58 incase I'd have to repitch. I kept the fermenter sealed for the three days it took the yeast to arrive and had it on hand while I got a gravity reading.
Good God Almighty! The SG is 1.020!! Target Hit!!!

Cleaned and replaced the trube bulb and now I've got subtle, steady activity going into secondary.
No need to repitch, this sh*t did its job overnight!!
I'm amazed! It smells and tastes pretty incredible... Banana/Bubblegum taste and aroma, much like a Golden Monkey or Merry Monk, which was the goal!
I heard this yeast does a pretty nice job of cleaning itself up, so I'm going to wait out the recommended time to let it clarify before bottling... two months =(

 

[troxerX]

Just took a gravity reading with my hydro. Got 1.021 versus the 1.026 reading I was getting with my refractometer (shame on me for not calibrating properly). Now i'm much closer to my target FG. I'm going to knock the temp up to 70, weather permitting, and see if I can squeeze out a couple more points.

Man, that was a good tasting hydro sample. It even had a good bit of CO2 disolved in it already. I could have drank a pint, even at 68 and lightly carbed as it was. Can't wait to try it dry hopped, fully carbed and chilled!

jrfuda, LOL, I think your problem is that the refractometer is not supposed to be used with a sample that contains alcohol (only for wort samples), after fermentation only a hydro will be accurate....

 

[Hopperazi]

I had a similar crazy experience...
Made a double batch of a Belgian Tripel that I split into two five gallon batches using the Fastfermenter(s). Both batches had an identical OG of 1.088 and used T-58 (rehydrated). Pitched one at 80 degrees and the other at 70, and used blow off hoses for each. They were both showing activity within a couple of hours (7pm). The 80 degree batch showed some pretty violent expulsion for two days, slowed down and is still showing steady airlock activity going on week two.

This is where things get interesting...
The 70 degree batch blew some bubbles out of the blow off, but nothing nearly as impressive as the 80 degree batch.
The very next day (checked at 10am), I saw no activity in the lower temp batch. I replaced the hose with an airlock and still saw no action, no pressure, no nothing.
Thinking things may have stalled out, I ordered another round of T-58 incase I'd have to repitch. I kept the fermenter sealed for the three days it took the yeast to arrive and had it on hand while I got a gravity reading.
Good God Almighty! The SG is 1.020!! Target Hit!!!

Cleaned and replaced the trube bulb and now I've got subtle, steady activity going into secondary.
No need to repitch, this sh*t did its job overnight!!
I'm amazed! It smells and tastes pretty incredible... Banana/Bubblegum taste and aroma, much like a Golden Monkey or Merry Monk, which was the goal!
I heard this yeast does a pretty nice job of cleaning itself up, so I'm going to wait out the recommended time to let it clarify before bottling... two months =(

Hey Dustin, for the 80 batch, when did you drop the temp and what temp did you drop to? Did you get any pepper/clove/spice or just alot of fruit?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Dustin was here for one day, one post. You'll likely not get a response.

 

[Sipina]

Hey Dustin, for the 80 batch, when did you drop the temp and what temp did you drop to? Did you get any pepper/clove/spice or just alot of fruit?

Try this thread --> T58 needs more love