Yeast flavor profiles

[Sobby]

Hey everyone. I'm curious, has anyone compiled a list of different yeasts and their flavor profiles?

Im considering making a bunch of 1\2 gallon batches of mead using the exact same ingredients with the exception of the yeast used. That way I know what flavors are offered by different yeasts.

Its hard to truly explain a flavor to someone. You can only use "fragrant flower taste" so often before it looses its meaning. Like trying to explain a color to a blind person.

I want to do this so that i have a basis on flavor when trying different meads, while also being able to identify what yeasts that I want to use in my own batchs

 

[Yemany]

Hi Sobby, I use the following yeasts a lot:

Ec118
71b
S0-4

 

[Yemany]

71 is a no for cycers it will reduce acidity during fermitation. It's a good yeast for red fruits and big mothfeel

 

[Yemany]

I would advice you to buy the compleet mead maker it has a good list of yeasts and flavor profiles

 

[Sobby]

I would advice you to buy the compleet mead maker it has a good list of yeasts and flavor profiles

Ill look into it. I see those yeasts pop up a lot on these forums. As well as d-47 which I see associated with a dryer finish

 

[Yemany]

I always make a base mead that is bone dry and sweeten it with honey or unfermetibel sugars. Doesn't matter what yeast I use. If there are sugars left after fermitation there is a good change that there there is to much honey used. If u use Ec118 this will not be a problem it has a potential avb of 18% and is often used if the fermitation is stuck. S0-4 is very good for making low avb meads and cycers

 

[Sobby]

Im not too concerned with the ABV produced as i can always backsweeten later. What im concerned with is that different yeast produce different flavors independently from their ABV tolerances. It is those flavors that I would like to identify

 

[bernardsmith]

The labs all produce spec sheets that describe the profiles of each yeast - and every single yeast will finish any wine or mead bone dry assuming that you have not created a must that is beyond the tolerance for alcohol of the particular variety of the strain of yeast. And by the way contrary to what Yemany suggests , 71B is noted as having a special affinity for malic acid - the dominant acid in apples - so yer pays yer money and yer takes yer chance

 

[Sobby]

The labs all produce spec sheets that describe the profiles of each yeast - and every single yeast will finish any wine or mead bone dry assuming that you have not created a must that is beyond the tolerance for alcohol of the particular variety of the strain of yeast. And by the way contrary to what Yemany suggests , 71B is noted as having a special affinity for malic acid - the dominant acid in apples - so yer pays yer money and yer takes yer chance

Ok, ive briefly looked at the specs for some lavlin yeasts. Ill take a second look at them

 

[loveofrose]

Mead Style Yeast Pairings

Many of the yeast profiles provided by manufacturers are not tested in mead. Hence, we have to do our own research.

This list is not all the yeast I've used. It's all the yeast I recommend. Many more great yeast for mead exist, but these are the ones I have personal experience with and can vouch for.

Wyeast 1388: A mostly neutral yeast. It's like a Swiss Army knife. It does everything well. Recommended for braggot, traditionals, melomels, metheglin, T'ej, and many others.

W15: Add body and mouthfeel. Enhances Rose aromas. Get for sweet meads and rhodomels.

RC212: A great yeast for color retention in Berry melomels. Hibiscus rhodomels also have improved color retention with this yeast.

71B: Great for most melomels, but really shines in cysers due to its soft characteristic. Adds a softness that works well in traditionals and metheglins. Used by many commercial meaderies such as multi-gold medal winning Moonlight Meadery.

DV10: An eppernay yeast that provides flowery esters to the mead. It is suitable for floral honeys, but not recommended for delicate honeys. Typically use in traditionals to enhance floral notes. Rhodomels that do not contain roses could also benefit. Wonderful in champagne style dry meads.

KIV: I can't advise here. I don't like the ester profile. Nothing wrong with this yeast; It's a personal preference. Many makers love and use it. They often call it a Swiss Army knife of mead making. Ask gotmead for more info.

D21: The closest we will ever get to Brother Adams yeast strain. It adds an extra tartness that many meads can benefit from. It produces very bright meads. Great for traditional mead. NOTE: I suspect CBC-1 is just D21. In blind taste testing, no one could tell these apart.

Lallemand Abbaye Ale: At low temperatures, this yeast is very clean and suitable for traditional meads, short meads, and metheglins. At high temperatures, this yeast produces a Chimay style ester that can complement hop containing metheglin styles.

Vierka: A difficult to find yeast that generates a grape-like ester. Great for all styles, but shines in short meads (where aroma is lacking) and pyments. Primary yeast used by Mazer Cup multi-gold medal winning Meridian Hive meadery.

D47: A very clean yeast if kept at low temperatures. DO NOT GO ABOVE SUGGESTED TEMPERATURES!!! Wonderful for braggot, traditionals and metheglins.

EC1118: This is an extremely neutral yeast that imparts absolutely nothing to the mead. Many have claimed it destroys honey aroma, but I think this is in error. Mead makers are accustomed to yeast adding something to the ester profile. When it does not, they think it has destroyed the honey. In fact, that is the pure honey. This yeast is a special case to be used with a wonderfully fragrant honey/metheglin/melomel that you want absolutely no yeast esters to interfere.

US05: Great for braggots. Provides an strong ale character great for hop containing short meads.

 

[Sobby]

Mead Style Yeast Pairings

Many of the yeast profiles provided by manufacturers are not tested in mead. Hence, we have to do our own research.

This list is not all the yeast I've used. It's all the yeast I recommend. Many more great yeast for mead exist, but these are the ones I have personal experience with and can vouch for.

Wyeast 1388: A mostly neutral yeast. It's like a Swiss Army knife. It does everything well. Recommended for braggot, traditionals, melomels, metheglin, T'ej, and many others.

W15: Add body and mouthfeel. Enhances Rose aromas. Get for sweet meads and rhodomels.

RC212: A great yeast for color retention in Berry melomels. Hibiscus rhodomels also have improved color retention with this yeast.

71B: Great for most melomels, but really shines in cysers due to its soft characteristic. Adds a softness that works well in traditionals and metheglins. Used by many commercial meaderies such as multi-gold medal winning Moonlight Meadery.

DV10: An eppernay yeast that provides flowery esters to the mead. It is suitable for floral honeys, but not recommended for delicate honeys. Typically use in traditionals to enhance floral notes. Rhodomels that do not contain roses could also benefit. Wonderful in champagne style dry meads.

KIV: I can't advise here. I don't like the ester profile. Nothing wrong with this yeast; It's a personal preference. Many makers love and use it. They often call it a Swiss Army knife of mead making. Ask gotmead for more info.

D21: The closest we will ever get to Brother Adams yeast strain. It adds an extra tartness that many meads can benefit from. It produces very bright meads. Great for traditional mead. NOTE: I suspect CBC-1 is just D21. In blind taste testing, no one could tell these apart.

Lallemand Abbaye Ale: At low temperatures, this yeast is very clean and suitable for traditional meads, short meads, and metheglins. At high temperatures, this yeast produces a Chimay style ester that can complement hop containing metheglin styles.

Vierka: A difficult to find yeast that generates a grape-like ester. Great for all styles, but shines in short meads (where aroma is lacking) and pyments. Primary yeast used by Mazer Cup multi-gold medal winning Meridian Hive meadery.

D47: A very clean yeast if kept at low temperatures. DO NOT GO ABOVE SUGGESTED TEMPERATURES!!! Wonderful for braggot, traditionals and metheglins.

EC1118: This is an extremely neutral yeast that imparts absolutely nothing to the mead. Many have claimed it destroys honey aroma, but I think this is in error. Mead makers are accustomed to yeast adding something to the ester profile. When it does not, they think it has destroyed the honey. In fact, that is the pure honey. This yeast is a special case to be used with a wonderfully fragrant honey/metheglin/melomel that you want absolutely no yeast esters to interfere.

US05: Great for braggots. Provides an strong ale character great for hop containing short meads.

Holy cow! That is precisely what I was looking for. Thank you. I'll have to keep that in mind when making my next batch...which I think is gonna be a BOMM

 

[Northern_Brewer]

D21: The closest we will ever get to Brother Adams yeast strain. It adds an extra tartness that many meads can benefit from. It produces very bright meads. Great for traditional mead. NOTE: I suspect CBC-1 is just D21. In blind taste testing, no one could tell these apart.

Great stuff. Just FWIW, on p61 of the latest Brewer's Journal, a Lallemand UK guy refers to "CBC-1 Champagne yeast" - so it could be something like EC1118 but I wonder if it could be DV10 or something more exotic?