vanilla aromas and flavors in perries?

[Ty520]

I really enjoy perries with a strong vanilla aroma and flavor. I've been told this is attributed to the yeast strain used but i have been unable to corroborate or find a yeast strain that mentions such characteristics. Any recommendations on how to boost vanillin in perry naturally? (i.e., not just sticking a vanilla bean in it during secondary?

 

[ba-brewer]

I get some vanilla from WLP026 Premium Bitter Ale yeast. I would not call it strong but more subtle. It is a vault strain so you need to look for it to show up in one of the seasonal releases.

I believe vanillin is a phenolic flavor so maybe look at some of the phenolic strains.

@Northern_Brewer has a good handle on the unique characteristics of different yeast strains maybe he can help identify something.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Lallemand Verdant is probably the obvious choice in terms of yeast available commercially, but I don't know how it would cope with pear juice. Maybe a wine yeast but I don't know so much about them.

Vanillin biochemistry is tied up with the phenols found in wood, which is why you can get vanilla from ageing eg chardonnay in wood, particularly oak.

 

[Ty520]

Lallemand Verdant is probably the obvious choice in terms of yeast available commercially, but I don't know how it would cope with pear juice. Maybe a wine yeast but I don't know so much about them.

Vanillin biochemistry is tied up with the phenols found in wood, which is why you can get vanilla from ageing eg chardonnay in wood, particularly oak.

thanks, that seems to be the only solution i've been able to find as well. however, aging perry on oak is rare to non-existent, as far as i know?

I am starting to hypothesize that it might be the pear variety that is the primary driving force?

 

[ba-brewer]

The wikipedia article for perry mentioned good perry pears have high concentration of tannins and phenolic compounds, maybe you need the right fruit as well as a particular yeast to get more vanilla.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

aging perry on oak is rare to non-existent, as far as i know?

Given how rare perry is, I'd say it's not uncommon to position it as a premium product, which lends itself to doing things like ageing. In the UK at least.

The wikipedia article for perry mentioned good perry pears have high concentration of tannins and phenolic compounds, maybe you need the right fruit as well as a particular yeast to get more vanilla.

It's possible. But I must admit, I can't say I've ever tasted a perry and thought "how vanilla-y" so I'm flying blind here.

 

[Raptor99]

French oak adds some vanillan. The roast level of the oak probably makes a difference as well.

I regularly oak my hard cider and apple/pear cider blends. I also oak my pear wines.

Why not just add part of a vanilla bean?