Which yeast should I use in a witbier, T-58 or WY-1010?

[z-bob]

My next beer will be an experimental brew; a witbier using half pilsner malt and half cheap white bread. (5 lbs of each in 4 gallons, just in case my efficiency is terrible. So it might be pretty high gravity) A little coriander but not much, and either tangerine peel or grapefruit zest, but not much of that either. I haven't decided which hops, but probably either Sterling or Willamette.

I have a bunch of packets of T-58 yeast that I bought on sale recently (and it's a yeast that I like), and I also have some yeast cultured from bottles of Schell's Hefe that I think is WY-1010 "American Wheat" but I'm not sure. I've used it once and it was relatively clean tasting but kinda tart and didn't floc well. It did attenuate well.

Which of these two would you use? Or should I just flip a coin? I really can't decide. I'm not brewing a large enough batch to split it. (I could brew it twice, I guess) I'm leaning towards the T-58, mostly because I think it won't attenuate as much so will have better mouthfeel.

 

[IslandLizard]

I'd stick to the T-58.

Maybe save 1/4-1/2 gallon wort out and pitch some of that Schell culture in it to see what it yields. Wheat beers (a "Wit" is a Belgian wheat beer) can be a bit sour and taste very good that way. I also like hoppy wheats.

Make sure there's no shortening in that bread...
You could use wheat flour instead.

Wheat beer can be hazy too, traditional Witbiers are typically rolled before pouring.

 

[SEndorf]

Personally, for "experimental" beers I like to keep the variables to a minimum - If it turns out well, it's easier to duplicate.
So if it were me, I'd use T-58 rather than a cultured yeast; particularly if not sure of the strain.

 

[z-bob]

Thanks guys, this confirms what I was kind of planning. Use the T-58 this time. If the beer is worth brewing again, try the cultured yeast next time.

This bread might have a little shortening in it. I know that's not a good thing but I don't think it's all that bad. It also has salt. I can use wheat flour, but using bread is the whole point of this experiment It's already cooked, I just have to account for the moisture content (over 30% by weight.) When I've tried adding wheat flour directly to the mash I got terrible conversion efficiency. (I need to try that again but mash higher) If I cook the flour first with a little malt, it works well.

 

[IslandLizard]

When I've tried adding wheat flour directly to the mash I got terrible conversion efficiency. (I need to try that again but mash higher) If I cook the flour first with a little malt, it works well.

That would point to wheat flour not being pre-gelatinized, which may well be the case if cereal mashing or (simple boiling) improves extraction. Interesting, as that might also indicate that milling keeps the beta-glucan matrix pretty much intact! I wouldn't think that as flour is so, so fine.

 

[IslandLizard]

I'd definitely ferment some of that wort on the side (in a gallon jug) with your cultured (WY1010?) yeast. I often do that just to experiment with very little effort.

 

[z-bob]

That would point to wheat flour not being pre-gelatinized, which may well be the case if cereal mashing or (simple boiling) improves extraction. Interesting, as that might also indicate that milling keeps the beta-glucan matrix pretty much intact! I wouldn't think that as flour is so, so fine.

It wasn't precooked. I had read that wheat starch gels at mashing temperatures so I tried it; 20% of the grist. Supposedly the Brits sometimes do that. My OG was high enough that some of it did, but not much. Maybe if I mashed at 154-ish instead of 149-ish it would have worked. A cereal mash with flour is very easy as long as you add a little diastatic malt. Boil it without the malt and you get wallpaper paste that sticks to the pan and burns.

Bread costs more than flour, but it's cheaper than flaked wheat even after I account for the moisture. A 20 ounce loaf is 85 cents if I have to pay full price.