Purpose
For this yeast trial we compared five Belgian ale yeasts split within a batch of wort in an effort to better understand their flavour profiles and fermentation characteristics. The yeast strains used were Safbrew Abbaye, M31 Belgian Tripel, M41 Belgian Ale, WLP530 Belgian Abbey and WLP670 Belgian Golden Ale.
Methods
The mash was completed using a stepped mash at 50C, 67C, 70C and 75C mashout. The boil was 120 minutes long with hops (Hallertauer Mittelfruh 3.6%aa) added at 50 and 5 minutes. The grain bill was 85% Simpsons lager malt, 10% Simpsons Munich malt and 5% Simpsons Aromatic malt. Once chilled to 18C the wort was aerated for 20 minutes using an airstone. An OG of 1.082 was achieved in a 24 L batch which was split 5 ways. Dried yeasts were rehydrate in 35C water for 15 minutes whilst wet yeasts were pitched directly. The only exception was the WLP670 which was past its best before date, and for that reason was stepped up in a 1 liter starter.
The fermentation cupboard was set at 18C for the first 24 hours and was then raised to 20C. After 17 hours all had krausened apart from WLP670 which took another 24 hours. The slow activity was likely due to the cell counts being too low from the WLP670 which was past its best before date.
Tasting notes
Safbrew Abbaye (FG 1.014)
Aroma: Alcohol, peppery, fruitiness, blackcurrant, dark fruit, classic Belgian esters.
Flavour: Vinous, grapey, sweetish malt. Strong, muddy, dark fruit flavours and sweetness.
M31 Belgian Tripel (FG 1.004)
Aroma: Subdued, aniseed, plum, spice and red fruit, strawberries
Flavour: Dry balanced fruitiness
M41 Belgian Ale (FG 1.004)
Aroma: Bananas, apple and pear, soft, plum, strawberry.
Flavour: Soft balanced, pear drop, light clove spice, a touch of tartness.
WLP530 Abbey Ale Yeast (FG 1.016)
Aroma: Fairly restrained, mineraly, gentle spice.
Flavour: Little esters or malt character, surprisingly clean (see below).
WLP670 American Farmhouse Ale (FG 1.010)
Aroma: Strong bubblegum, (artificial) gummy bananas, sherbert, tropical fruity brett
Flavour: Sweets, refreshers, bubblegum, tropical fruit, pineapple, guava etc.
Summary
All of the yeasts used displayed classic Belgian flavour characteristics. A particular favourite of this batch was the M31 Triple which showcased balanced fruity and spice esters. The WLP670 American Farmhouse Ale also had good feedback, likely due to the unusual fruity character imparted by the brettanomyces yeast included in the blend itself. Safbrew Abbaye and M41 Belgian Ale also produced very enjoyable beers. The WLP530 Abbey Ale yeast did not perform as expected (and as experienced by staff previously) in terms of flavour characteristics, which may be due to problems of over-pitching, as a full vial went into a 4.5L batch.
All above yeasts are regularly stocked by Brewstore and are available to order from our website.
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