I have a recipe I’m playing with posted already, but I’m getting mixed reviews about using Wyeast #3522 to accomplish my blonde ale.
I’ve read that it can be somewhat stable up to a whopping 85 degrees. Do you know of any other ones? I will be brewing in LA and I can’t get the ambient room temperature much lower than low 70s.
I assure you that you don’t want to pick a yeast by temp range. For one thing, that tells you nothing about the flavor the yeast will provide. This yeast is great, but I really don’t think you’re gonna get what you’re going for. To see the kind of flavor this yeast gives, go get a bottle of a’Chouffe…that’s where 3522 comes from. For another, yeast companies list a far higher range than that which will usually make good beer. How do I know? Go look at Wyeast 1450 ;). Ambient room temp doesn’t matter…wort temp is what matters. If you can’t get the wort temp to stay below 70, and better 65, then you need to rethink your plans. It’s best to pick a yeast for it’s flavor profile, then make a suitable temperature environment for it to work in.
I’m not sure about yeast, but you can very easily lower the temperature in your FV by sitting it inside a 3-season sleeping bag with a frozen two-litre ice bottle. Domestic freezers chill ice as low as -17F, which means a well frozen water bottle and really good insulation will reduce the temp in your FV from 85F to low 60s and hold it there for a few days. I regularly use this method to make lager, even in summer, and a have schwarzbier on the go at the moment at 52F. Having said that, I’m not in LA.
I would also add that while you can certainly brew beer at 85 Fahrenheit, the headache it gives you the day after drinking it will put you off ever brewing that warm again.
I’ve used Belle Saison at pretty high ambient temperatures before I had a chest freezer. The beers still came out nice and didn’t lead to any headaches. But of course that’s a saison yeast that finishes bones dry so maybe not what you’re looking for.
If you can’t rig something up and don’t want to go the saison route I personally wouldn’t sweat it too much - if your room temps in the low 70s I’d chill the wort down to like 65 before pitching and strap on one of those sticker thermometers. You can check it periodically and if temps get out of hand, the beer tastes off, or you get headaches you know to adjust next time.
Use a tub of water and frozen one liter ice bottles to keep fermentation temps below 70.
I’ve had beers spike above 70 that turned out fine, but starting out at 70+ is not a good plan.
A big thumbs up to 3522, though. I typically ferment it at mid-60s and let it warm up after a week or so on bigger beers.
Be warned that some Belgian yeasts do not ferment well below 65°F.
Case in point: Last Sunday I brewed 5 gallons of 1.050 blonde, and split it into two carboys (2.5 gallons each). My goal is to make starters for a 1.080 tripel (starters that I can drink!) I added a tube of WLP500 Monastery ale (Chimay) to one, WLP575 Belgian Blend (Westmalle + Chimay + Chouffe) to the other. No starters, wort temperature at 64°F, yeast vials had same expiration date.
As of today, Thursday, the blend is fermenting nicely, but nothing out of the WLP500. Research indicates that Chimay yeast has a reputation for being sluggish at cooler temperatures.
I haven’t used it in a long time, but when I’ve used 1214 (Chimay) in the past I’ve had to keep it well under 65 for it not to be a banana/bubblegum bomb.
Same here, Denny. I start it normally at 64F ,then let rise a day or two later. The only problem I’ve had with it is going too warm and getting the banana bomb.
My wife loves the bubblegum flavor. I don’t taste it for whatever reason.
I fermented a hoppy Belgian wit with 3522 at 72F ambient recently and that beer turned out FANTASTICALLY. I really really like that yeast.
That yeast pairs well with hop flavor perhaps better than any other Belgian strain.
Yeah, it’s my go to for Belg./Am. style IPA. Lots of phenols, little fruit.