Sherry Flor

[brwagur]

This may be a silly question but I was doing some reading and got curious. Is there any application for sherry flor yeast, such as WLP700, in beer brewing? I know it produces a lot of acetaldehyde, but has anyone used it in anything interesting? Particularly in conjunction with other wild yeasts and bacteria?

Related question, and this may be the wrong place to ask: has anyone used it in a cider? I might have to try some experiments of my own if no one has.

 

[FarmerTed]

All I know is that it's a component of the Roselaire sour mix.

 

[Biobrewer]

I've only used it by itself to ferment a dark wort and it was delicious. Feel free to PM me and I'll pass along the recipe.

It's also a component our Yeast Bay Mélange blend and it really adds a nice character to the mix. I bet it's worth a shot in a cider. Try it in a gallon batch!

 

[brwagur]

It's also a component our Yeast Bay Mélange blend and it really adds a nice character to the mix. I bet it's worth a shot in a cider. Try it in a gallon batch!

You know, I think I knew that, but completely forgot!

I need to get some of that for my next sour, I was already eyeing your saison blends

Since you're the expert here, do you know if its fermentation products (acetaldehyde, specifically) are strongly dependent on fermentation conditions? I know from wikipedia that it only forms a flor at a certain ABV range, but if I'm going to use it to ferment a cider I really would like some of that "green almond" and "green apple" character to come through and a cursory search hasn't returned much info.

 

[Biobrewer]

You know, I think I knew that, but completely forgot!

I need to get some of that for my next sour, I was already eyeing your saison blends

Since you're the expert here, do you know if its fermentation products (acetaldehyde, specifically) are strongly dependent on fermentation conditions? I know from wikipedia that it only forms a flor at a certain ABV range, but if I'm going to use it to ferment a cider I really would like some of that "green almond" and "green apple" character to come through and a cursory search hasn't returned much info.

The yeast will produce an alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH1) when sugar levels are high which leads to the production of ethanol. When sugar levels are low, it will begin to produce different alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH2) which converts the ethanol back to acetaldehyde. The former reaction is reductive, while the latter is oxidative. So, I'd say moderate levels of oxygen and low sugar levels (once the bulk of fermentation is compete) are ideal conditions for the yeast to produce some of the flavors you're looking for. The Brett in the Melange Blend will also create some acetic acid in the presence of oxygen, so don't pumping O2 in your fermentor once the bulk of fermentation is complete!

 

[brwagur]

Ah! Excellent!