MSamu
Well-Known Member
Question I am getting ready to brew an Imperial Dark IPA. And because I don't have a way to regulate temp. I need a heat tolerant yeast. My house at times gets to be 78-80 degrees. Can I use a Belgian yeast to make an IPA?.
Yeast types
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If your house is near 80, your beer will be near 90 at points, and it will get a krausen a foot deep (or more). So you're going to want to use a carboy that's plenty big, or preferably a bucket with plenty of headspace.
You need a saison yeast. Since you're just starting, I suggest Danstar Belle Saison. It will tend to make for a dry beer.
You should still regulate temperature as well you can, especially for the first five days. Get a rubbermaid and fill it with water, and place your fermenter in the water. This will conduct the internal heat away and keep temperature closer to ambient. Next place frozen bottles of water in the tote whenever you think about it, or whenever the last ones melt--this will keep you down in the 70s.
At higher temperatures saison yeast (and other belgian yeast) will produce a lot of fruit esters, which may not go so well in a black IPA, which already has a lot going on. It's a matter of taste, but it seems like you'd have to tread a fine line to make that work, and minimizing esters by keeping things cool is your best bet. Danstar Belle Saison is pretty mildly fruity as saison yeasts go, with relatively little "funk" at normal temperatures, so I think it's a good choice for you.
You need a saison yeast. Since you're just starting, I suggest Danstar Belle Saison. It will tend to make for a dry beer.
You should still regulate temperature as well you can, especially for the first five days. Get a rubbermaid and fill it with water, and place your fermenter in the water. This will conduct the internal heat away and keep temperature closer to ambient. Next place frozen bottles of water in the tote whenever you think about it, or whenever the last ones melt--this will keep you down in the 70s.
At higher temperatures saison yeast (and other belgian yeast) will produce a lot of fruit esters, which may not go so well in a black IPA, which already has a lot going on. It's a matter of taste, but it seems like you'd have to tread a fine line to make that work, and minimizing esters by keeping things cool is your best bet. Danstar Belle Saison is pretty mildly fruity as saison yeasts go, with relatively little "funk" at normal temperatures, so I think it's a good choice for you.
hannibalmdq
Well-Known Member
I recently worked through a 6 pack Riptide IPA by Heavy Seas. Belgian Yeast, American Hops, some peppery/citrus spices thrown in.
It's sounds similar to what you want to do. They call it an IPA (probably the marketing department's decision). Was it? I didn't think so. That said it was a decent beer.
It's sounds similar to what you want to do. They call it an IPA (probably the marketing department's decision). Was it? I didn't think so. That said it was a decent beer.
hannibalmdq
Well-Known Member
Deleted
Fearwig had some very good advice in using an ice bath to regulate temp. I personally use our spare bathtub and frozen water bottles which will hold nearly any ale temp with minimal work (since there is so much water). I currently have a batch in there bubbling away at 66F and I haven't needed to touch it in 2 days. If you can do something like this then you can just use 1056 or 001 or whatever other clean yeast you want.
Unless you really want that belgian funk, I'd start looking for a little dorm fridge. It would open up a world of different beers you can do. With a dorm fridge and a temp controller you can make anything.
I love belgians, but I want a clean IPA, crisp german pils, and a malty english beer too.
I love belgians, but I want a clean IPA, crisp german pils, and a malty english beer too.
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MSamu
Well-Known Member
Thanks everyone for your input.
jekeane
Well-Known Member
I just brewed up a Belgian IIPA on a recommendation I feel like it is a citrussy fruity bitter mess. I would consider hunting CL for a cheap fridge freezer before throwing a belgian yeast into a Dark IIPA.
dudius
Well-Known Member
Also remember that the attempt to make an imperial dark IPA means more fermentable sugars. High sugar environments stress yeast and can create fusel alcohols, giving the beer bite and a hot feeling on the tongue. Keeping temps down can help keep this from happening. Warmth can be great but you don't want your beer smelling like cheap vodka.
Riptide is their "white IPA" and seems pretty IPAish to me, lots of grapefruit (like other Heavy Seas IPAs, a little too much grapefruit for me, but good). I had it from the Heavy Seas van tap, so maybe it's not as bright with the late hops in the bottle or something.
I was going to say I didn't think it used a belgian yeast, but googling it looks like it's a belgian wit yeast, which makes sense. That isn't super "belgian" in terms of esters--it's not a high-temp yeast anyway. Usually those max out at 75, which is the internal temp, so you really don't want to go over say 68 ambient if it's not in a water bath of some sort.
If you can control temperatures successfully, use any yeast you want, just use more ice bottles (or get a fridge setup, eventually). If you can only kindasorta control temperatures in 80F heat I still think you're risking problems if you don't use a flexible yeast. I have heard a lot of people have luck with Belle Saison IPAs--haven't tried it myself though I use it to make real saisons regularly--but they attenuate well and just about all saison yeasts are flexible on temp. There may be a clean American yeast that will handle those temps without getting weird but I don't know one ("clean" yeasts don't make nice things when they get hot).
If you use this yeast for an IPA don't mash too low, though, like I said it is a super attenuator.
