St. Bernardus Abt 12 bottle dregs, usable?

[GoodTruble]

I drank a liter on St. Bernardus Abt 12 this evening. I noticed at the end of the bottle, there was a decent amount of dregs/sediment/probable yeast. So I saved it in a small just. I assume it's probably just bottling yeast (at best), but anyone know for sure?

 

[lumpher]

Yes, it's a different yeast than the fermenting yeast. St Bernard's uses a proprietary yeast for fermentation, and a more standard yeast for bottling, according to the book Brew Like a Monk.

 

[GoodTruble]

Thanks. That was my guess.

 

[chthon]

I brewed with the dregs of St.-Bernardus, definitely not a bottling yeast, as I got an attenuation of 80% to 87%.

Don't be fooled by the term "bottling yeast", it might just be fresh main yeast in a lower concentration.

 

[GoodTruble]

Ha. I didn't toss it, just in case someone else chimed in. I'll use a small jar of leftover wort from yesterday's brew session to see if I can revive it. If it smells/tastes good, I'll add it to the yeast bank for later consideration.

 

[chthon]

Ha. I didn't toss it, just in case someone else chimed in. I'll use a small jar of leftover wort from yesterday's brew session to see if I can revive it. If it smells/tastes good, I'll add it to the yeast bank for later consideration.

Be patient, and make sure your implements are clean. I had success propagating yeast from different brewers, but sometimes it takes a couple of days before you see any sign of fermentation.

And start with small amounts, then double the amount each time the fermentation is done.

 

[CascadesBrewer]

Ha. I didn't toss it, just in case someone else chimed in. I'll use a small jar of leftover wort from yesterday's brew session to see if I can revive it. If it smells/tastes good, I'll add it to the yeast bank for later consideration.

I am curious how it turns out. I also wonder how different the St. Bernardus yeast is from the Westmalle strains that are sold commercially (WLP530, WY3787, Imperial Triple Double, etc.). St. Bernardus Abt 12 is probably my favorite beer or all time!

My understanding is that St. Bernardus used to brew the beers for Westvleterlan (their Quad is often titled "best beer in the world"). At some point, Westvleterlan took back their own brewing operations and Westvleterlan switch over to using yeast from Westmalle, where St. Bernardus continued using the original Westvleterlan yeast (and recipe?).

If the St. Bernardus dregs don't pan out, one of the Westmalle strains should get you close. I have used WLP530 mostly over the past few years, but a few recent batches with Lallemand Abbaye turned out really nice. It might be more similar to the Chimay strain, which I find pushes more cherry flavors than Westmalle.

 

[GoodTruble]

Quick update - I was not able to revive the yeast. I brought it up to room temperature ans put it in a half jar of leftover wort from my last brew day. Nothing after 4 days. At this point. If something did start growing, I wouldn't trust it. =c)

 

[chthon]

Quick update - I was not able to revive the yeast. I brought it up to room temperature ans put it in a half jar of leftover wort from my last brew day. Nothing after 4 days. At this point. If something did start growing, I wouldn't trust it. =c)

I works better if you have fresh bottles of lighter styles. I was able to propagate Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle and St.-Bernardus, from Chimay White, Rochefort 8, Westmalle Dubbel and St.-Bernardus Prior 8.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

I works better if you have fresh bottles of lighter styles. I was able to propagate Chimay, Rochefort, Westmalle and St.-Bernardus, from Chimay White, Rochefort 8, Westmalle Dubbel and St.-Bernardus Prior 8.

Obviously it's better in theory to harvest yeast from lower-alcohol environments as they will be less stressed, but I've harvested successfully from Rochefort 10, whereas my harvest from Rochefort 6 gave yeast but also contaminants.

And to be fair, in Belgium you have something of an advantage when it comes to freshness!