I’ve scoured the interwebs on this yeast and keep coming up with so many different opinions on it. Wyeast’s description says balanced subtle fruit and delicate spice. Wyeast lists it as High Flocc and medium attenuation (at least for a Belgian). It’s supposeldy the Achouffe yeast which is wlp550 from White Labs and their description is the polar opposite.
In Brew Like a Monk it lists all the flavor profiles of some popular Wyeast Belgian strains. It’s lists 3522 as “clean and malty” in the temp range 65-75???
Read some posts from Denny that said it’s relatively clean, or at least clean for a Belgian, below 63 but gets too banana above that???
I’m so confused by this yeast. Does anyone have any more insight on it? Used it a ton and know it’s true profiles at different temp ranges. Also can it be manipulated with O2 and/or pitch rate?
I’ve used 3522 many times. At ~ 64F I think it gives a nice balance of fruity and spicy character. I haven’t used it much warmer than that as I don’t like overbearing esters and phenols. I think it’s an excellent, well balanced Belgian strain, suitable in most Belgian styles. Never used the WL version. I wouldn’t be surprised if there are noticeable differences between the two.
I also have not used the White Labs version, but have used 3522 many many times. I’ve used it at temps probably up to 68 and enjoy it very much. I don’t recall much banana flavor from it, at all. Definitely some fruit and spice.
This is my go-to yeast for lighter (color) Belgians. I don’t enjoy it as much in darker beers and think there are better options for those. But that is not to say it does not make a good dubbel or BDSA, just not wholly to my preference.
Definitely balanced more to the phenols than the esters, so I don’t think it works too well for small/session styles, but it is relatively neutral and plays well with big alcohol or malt flavors. Overpitching can drive a little more ester production though. The most flocculant Belgian strain I’ve used by far. I didn’t see any strong flavor impact from aerated vs. non-aerated wort, and didn’t play around with extreme temperatures. Pitched at 22°C a couple times to try to drive more esters, but it seemed to have the opposite effect.
I’m now using a blend of equal parts 1214 and 3522 for my session Belgian styles and am really happy with the combination.
Can anyone imagine it ever being “Clean and Malty” like the description says in Brew like a Monk?
I can’t imagine it being like that based on everything I’ve read about it.
I’m trying to find a yeast that imparts just a slight bit of Belgian character, manly the fruity aspect was
hoping to be able to tweak 3522 with either pitch rate, temp, or maybe aeration to be able to accomplish this.
I tried over pitching and fermenting at 64 and definitely got quite a bit of phenols.
I have never gotten what I would describe as “clean and malty”. It’s more tart and phenolic. I run it in the 63-65F range and it’s never fruity for me. Maybe with a higher temp, but I don’t want fruity so I’ve never tried. I think what you want is WY3787 based on your description. BTW, 3522 makes a killer Belgo/American IPA.
I’ve used 3522 twice in a Belgian Blond. The first time I let it ferment at 64, and the beer came out on the cleaner side with subtle phenols. The second time temp control failed and the beer fermented at 70. The result was strong banana esters. Both times the krausen stayed forever (~3 weeks) before dropping, but ultimately the beer was crystal clear even without cold crashing.
Ferment at 65F for clove. 70F is clove and banana plus some other fruit. 75F+ is clove, banana, some other fruit and bubblegum. All the temperatures produce a yeasty Belgian aroma that isn’t fruit or spice. This yeast is not “clean and malty”. 1762 (Rochefort) is the closest a Belgian strain gets to clean and malty, but it still smells Belgian without fruit or spice.
3522 ferments fast. Drops clear without finings. Doesn’t produce nasty fusels at higher temps. It can ferment an 8% beer down to 1.007 without using sugar.
At lower temps, 3787 produces mild spice that isn’t clove for me. Maybe something like cinnamon. It can also produce banana and major vodka fusels at higher temps. 1762 doesn’t produce any fruit or spice for me in the 65-70F range. Pitch rate and O2 are likely variables we do not share in common.
I almost always detect at least some banana from 1762 fermented at 63-65. Just a difference in perceptions, I guess. And you have a good point about pitch rate an O2.
I rarely ferment it that cold. I start it at 68 and finish at 72+. This produces a Belgian (or British) yeasty aroma that isn’t fruity or spicy. It produces esters, but they are below what I can sense.
Checked many years of notes on 3787. As I mentioned before, it produces a mild, pleasant spice note for me that isn’t clove. It also produces a mild plum ester when fermented at 68F and finished at 72F. Colder fermentation produces less of both. Hotter fermentation produces a bad banana vodka beer that I drain poured after a few months of waiting for it to smooth out.
These observations are subject to variable pitch rates, nutrient supplements and O2 injections. Your mileage may vary. This statement is not a binding agreement in the state of California. Kutaka is not responsible for crap beer made using this anecdote.
Digging further into my notes on 3787, it appears a very clean result IS possible with a big pitch and a stable low 60s fermentation. Presumably that is what you do.
Why bother using 3787 to make a Belgian beer if the result is no significant phenols or esters? Every time I’ve drunk a Westmalle, clean yeast was not a descriptor that came to mind.