Which yeast for a belgian stout?

[70ls1nova]

I love Great Divide's Belgian stout and Weyerbacher's Tiny" Belgian stout... So, i made a belgian stout and I used the WLP 530 yeast. I think it turned out too dry and too carbonated (bubbly) for my taste. I used the dark candi syrup and it just doesn't seem to have that raisiny, dark fruit flavor I was looking for. Those who have brewed a Belgian stout and loved it, which yeast did you use? I want to make another but use a different yeast.

 

[70ls1nova]

What? Nobody makes belgian stouts anymore?

 

[SaguaroMan]

I have personally never brewed a Belgian stout but I think any Belgian strain that you could use to make a dark strong would do well. If yours was too dry or attenuated more than you liked you could try mashing at a higher temperature, say 154-156F.

You don't necessarily get as much stone/dark fruit per se solely from just adding dark sugar; yeast fermentation temperature also plays a big role in throwing off those fruity esters. I pitched Wyeast 3787 at 68F and let it ramp up to 74F over 2 days in my tripel. I got a lot of fruit from it but not as many spicy phenols that I would have liked so I'm thinking of letting it go to 78F or even 80F next time.

 

[SaguaroMan]

I don't know what your grain bill is but next time try adding a healthy dose of Special B in your recipe if you want more of that raisiny taste. Dark candi sugar mostly just imparts color and fermentables than taste.

 

[Eddiemk4VW]

I added Red Flame raisins at 5 mins, it really showed up in the finished product.
Special B is a great substitution for the fruit.


Smoke signals

 

[h-bar]

I made a Belgian milk stout with wyeast Belgian Ardennes. Turned out great!

 

[solbes]

First of all, Belgian stout or Belgian Dark Strong? I delineate the two in that stouts will definitiely have Roasted Barley (or possibly Carafa or Black Patent). Dark strongs get most of their color from Special B and Dark Candi Syrup. If you brewed a Dark Strong, then more people would probably chime in as Belgian Stout is not a typical style.

Special B for the burnt raisin flavor (8 oz in a Dark Strong is great). Also add 2 or 3 lbs of D180 or D90 for the stone fruit flavor that is associated with the style. And then give it time, like 6-12 months from brew date before it peaks.

3787 / WLP530 is a good yeast. I made my Dark Strong with the Duvel yeast (WY1388). It did throw some pear notes as expected, but then that faded a bit and it is really good. I ran the temp from 66 on day 1, 70 on day 2, then ramped from 73-77 for 7 more days until it was finished. 10% ABV and it sat in secondary at 50F for 2.5 months.

 

[BrotherBock]

I'd get rid of simple sugars for a stout (or at least limit the amount). That should help it be less dry next time. Belgian yeast can be pretty attenuative without the aid of simple sugar. To get that raisin-like character go for some special B along with a mid to high crystal.

Lactose could be a way to add some body/unfermentable sugar and combat the dryness.

 

[70ls1nova]

Definitely used Special B...one of my favorite grains. I could post the beersmith recipe, but it basically had pilsner, aromatic malt, special B, some munich, roasted barley, chocolate, and dehusked carafa. I'm going to do it again, but not use the wlp 530. Maybe 550 or I heard 575 is fairly new and some people had good results with it. I made the westy 12 clone that's pretty popular on HBT but haven't tried it since sampling from the bottling bucket three months ago. I should probably crack one open and see the differences between that one and the stout. (or the similarities.)

 

[drumuglyknuckles]

Definitely used Special B...one of my favorite grains. I could post the beersmith recipe, but it basically had pilsner, aromatic malt, special B, some munich, roasted barley, chocolate, and dehusked carafa. I'm going to do it again, but not use the wlp 530. Maybe 550 or I heard 575 is fairly new and some people had good results with it. I made the westy 12 clone that's pretty popular on HBT but haven't tried it since sampling from the bottling bucket three months ago. I should probably crack one open and see the differences between that one and the stout. (or the similarities.)

so i am formulating a beligian stout of my own this week. how did it got with yours?

 

[70ls1nova]

I haven't re-made it yet. So many beers to make, so little time. Made a Kate the Great clone, Made a pumpkin stout, made a Heady topper clone, made fizzy yellow beer for my friendss. Made an Oktoberfest. Maybe someday I'll get back to this one and try the 575 yeast. The belgian dark strong from westy 12 thread on HBT turned out great with the 530 yeast though.

 

[70ls1nova]

so i am formulating a beligian stout of my own this week. how did it got with yours?

So, several months down the road, this is really good. I also made a belgian IPA with this yeast that i didn't care for either. BUT, after a couple more months, the belgian notes are surely there and they have both matured into really good beers. How did yours come out? Which yeast did you use?

 

[drumuglyknuckles]

So, several months down the road, this is really good. I also made a belgian IPA with this yeast that i didn't care for either. BUT, after a couple more months, the belgian notes are surely there and they have both matured into really good beers. How did yours come out? Which yeast did you use?

its still sitting in the primary. i plan on bottling next week. OG was quite high, about 1.08, so i thought i would let it sit a while. its gonna need some months to mellow out but i'll make sure to get back to you.

 

[drumuglyknuckles]

So, several months down the road, this is really good. I also made a belgian IPA with this yeast that i didn't care for either. BUT, after a couple more months, the belgian notes are surely there and they have both matured into really good beers. How did yours come out? Which yeast did you use?

hi! this beer is very nice that i made. i used the wyeast belgian stout. the beer tastes like a sweet stout and has the fruity esters that a belgian would have. i will try and make this again sometime. i didnt use roasted barley, instead i opted for a touch of black for color and of course used special b. it did take some time for the harsher grains to tame out.