The Chimay Yeast

[system]

Hops to go with WLP500 in a Single

@denny

OTOH, I hate 1214 fermented higher than 63.  Too much banana and bubblegum that Chimay doesn’t have.

Yeah, 64 max for me. I get a banana bomb much above that. I thought I read in BLAM that they hold 64F for a day or two, then allow to rise. Could be wrong. Regardless I’m sure our 1214/500 isn’t the exact strain they’re playing with, after they’ve repitched for so long and mutations have likely changed its character a bit.

Sorry to teleport you guys but I did not want to derail the thread this came from.

I’ve been very much interested in this particular topic for a few reasons:

1.) I absolutely adore Chimay’s beers. There are others more complex, but nobody matches them for consistency and overall I just love the flavor

2.) I’ve been trying to get into some of the deeper factors that influence attenuation, ester production and overall flavor profile of Monastic yeast in general, and Chimay in particular.

To your point Denny, I think that using the available strains (WL500 and WY1214) means doing it different than the monks. Trying to avoid the flavors you and Jon described means fermenting at around 66 °F for me, lower for you.

Chimay themselves starts at 68 °F (per BLAM, among others) and finishes in the high 70s to Low 80s °F. With that said, they are using the “mother” strain.

“Yeast” has a very interesting point buried inside of it about the Chimay yeast that I feel speaks to a point you made Jon:

So they are not repitching, as most may think, meaning a new pure culture is built up for every batch. Now it has been said that when Father Theodore originally isolated and cultivated the yeast, he did so with temperature tolerance in mind.

This may explain their fermentation schedule and why they can adhere to it when doing so for us means a different, undesirable profile.

I’m interested to see where we go with this discussion.

Yeah, more coherent info for sure. I forgot the part ablout them using their pure strain each time (been a while since I read BLAM). I chalked it up to mutation. Regardless, the issue of fermenting under pressure may well ‘unlevel’ the playing field for us, too. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever used 500, but I’ve used a ton of 1214. It’s a great yeast but damn, it’s one temp sensitive mother. Slight changes to temp schedule make a noticeable difference. I must’ve confused my luck with 63-64F with what I’d read in BLAM. Need to go back and read it through again (obviously).