I’ve been playing around with a base pale ale recipe and I think I finally have the malt bill pretty close. The next thing I want to nail down is the yeast since I haven’t found one I’m completely sold on yet. I’m thinking of splitting a batch between 4 or 5 different yeasts for comparison purposes. I have a few ideas, but wouldn’t mind suggestions.
I’m looking at about a 1.050-55 beer with about 45 IBU’s - mainly from late adds. The malt bill is light DME with about 20% Munich LME plus Maltodextrin (or 2-row/Munich/Flaked Barley if I do this as all-grain).
Here are the definite strains I am trying. I want as clean a yeast profile as I can get, so I’m hoping to get fermentation temps in the very low 60’s with a swamp cooler.
Chico (for a baseline)
Kolsch
WY2124 (Bohemian Lager)
I’m debating a couple of the following, my goal is a fairly dry, clean beer, but hopefully not too thin. Accentuating the hops is a plus, but I don’t mind if I just need to bump up the hops to make up for a yeast that lowers the hop character in the finished beer:
WLP080 (Cream ale blend)
WLP862 (Cry Havoc)
A saison yeast fermented as low as I can (maybe WY3711 at 65F)
WY1450
One of the cleaner Brett strains (Brett C?)
Based on my experience at those temperatures, the 2124 is going to give you some fruitiness. And any of the saison yeasts will still taste like a saison, even in the low 60s. I would suggest WLP007 pitched close to 60, but bump up the hops a little bit with this one. Another one I like is Nottingham. Keep the temp low and you’ll get a pretty clean ferment, and nice and dry. Finally I would recommend the American Ale II (I believe it’s WLP051/WY1272?). It’s not quite as clean as Chico, but the yeast character plays well with American hops, and it floccs better.
I do want to try out a lager strain in this comparison just to get a side-by-side. Do you think I’d get a cleaner result with 2112 than 2124 in the low 60’s?
I was toying with the saison strain because I was wondering whether the tradeoff of a bit less cleanness would be worth it for a bit more dryness. I just keep gravitating to the dryer hoppy ales. That’s why I’m toying with an all-Brett fermentation as well. I think I may end up saving the saison yeast for a later experiment once I find a yeast I like the best for the recipe. I may do another batch where I pitch a saison yeast after the primary slows down to see if I can dry it out even further.
I’ve already crossed off Nottingham and WLP051, although I could live with the Cal Ale 5 in a pinch. I like the 007 idea though.
I think between 2112 and 2124 at those temps, you’ll have better results with 2112. I experimented with 2124 in some steam beers around 60F, and it worked OK, but I prefer 2112 because it performs better in that range.
Can’t wait to hear the results of your trials, especially the Brett and late saison addition.
i’m doing a 100% brett b apricot pale ale right now. i’ll let you know how it turns out. i brewed it this past sunday and it’s still going right along.
One reason I’m on the fence about using Brett is that I want to taste all the beers side by side and I want to dry hop them all. If the Brett beer takes much longer to ferment than the other yeasts then it might be tough to time so I get a true apples-to-apples comparison. I’ll be curious to see when your brett PA hits its final gravity.
Thinking about something like this on my next brew. A pale ale malt bill and two different yeasts. I brew 10 gals and two separate fermenters. Considering a San Fran lager for one and a English ale or London ale for the other. All three are past expiration so a starter is required prior to use. Fermentation temps will be the same unless I figure how to keep one bucket in an air conditioned part of the house and the other in the regulated chamber. Looking forward to it whatever the result. I just hope to make a tasty brew.
In my (limited) experience, B. bruxellensis will ferment out about as quickly as Sacchromyces, and it works really well in a hoppy ale. B. lambicus, from what I hear, is notorious for being a slow fermenter.
I have done this with a few brews, and EVERY time the regulated beer is superior. Even in an english mild, where I didn’t think there would be enough fermentation activity to generate heat, the unregulated beer finished at a higher FG and added a touch of phenolic character.
Don’t get me wrong, White Labs is awesome. Haven’t used them much, but I’d guess the same of wyeast. For hop-forward ales though, you can’t beat this. Particularly if you are using USA-grown hops (citrus, pine, some floral profiles), this yeast is cheap, generationally-stable, and will essentially do its work, get out of the way and let your hops and malt shine.
HOWEVER, I will say that it does not seem to do much to ENHANCE hop/malt flavors (such as London Ale or whatever Sam Smiths IPA uses). If you are looking for a versatile (temp-wise), neutral yeast, appropriate for an APA, I give full endorsement to US-05.