Kai
Well-Known Member
So I've got this long-term experiment I've been planning out, often with a beer or two in me.
The idea is, I'll order in exciting Belgian-style strains one at a time, and I'll use that culture to inoculate a series of beers testing out its performance and flavour across several different styles of Belgian beer with different conditions for it to work in. I'll both get a good understanding of how the different strains perform in different conditions, and with any luck a sizeable stock of different Belgian beers.
I'd try to make the recipes I'm dealing with consistent batch-to-batch so I can be comparing just the yeast performance directly. It could give me some good horizontal side-by-sides of the different yeasts as well.
Planned beer series:
1st Generation
Batch 1: Farmhouse ale
OG: ~1.055
Goal: try to ferment as dry as possible, using low mash temps, adjunct sugars, higher temperatures, whatever may be necessary. Oxygenate well to maximise yeast growth for further batches. Ramp up fermentation temperatures to 80˚+ during fermentation to maximise ester/phenol production and see what really extreme flavours the yeast can make in the right conditions. Push against the attenuation limit of these yeasts.
2nd Generation
Batch 2: Abbey Dubbel
OG: ~1.065
Goal: go for a soft, complex, malty-sweet ale. A test for balance and complexity in more moderate conditions. See how graceful the yeast can be in a more refined environment.
Batch 3: Abbey Tripel
OG: ~1.080
Goal: test out the yeast's ester and phenol production in more stressful conditions. See how well it handles a higher OG. Consider incremental feeding to help it dry out. Again, paying attention to balance and complexity like the Dubbel, but pushing for dominant esters and phenolics in a more extreme, stronger beer.
3rd Generation
Batch 4: Abt/Quadrupel
OG: ~1.095+
Goal: test alcohol tolerance, attenuation, performance in a Quad. Special focus on its balance in a heavy, winier drink, and its ability to carbonate after such a work-out. I might make this a 2.5G, due to risk of failure and the challenge of polishing off 5G of Quadrupel. It'll also make it easier to hit a pitching rate.
Furthermore: Yeastcake from the other 2nd Generation batch would be washed and refrigerated to add to a nice Belgian yeast bank. I don't think I should take any of these past the 3rd generation unless I'm trying to make my own distinctive strain.
Some other beers I might consider adding or subbing into the regimen:
-Belgian Pale Ale
-Witbier
-Imperial Wit
-Something Brett'd (Orval style. Obviously I wouldn't harvest from this)
Anybody interested? Is this even possible? Any tips on how I could maintain viability into the third generation of repitching? Is this stupid?
Please, if this is a bad idea, tell me off now; if you have suggestions to improve the process, please share them.
Some yeasts I'm planning on doing this with:
-Wyeast 3711VSS French Saison (on the go)
-Wyeast 3864VSS Canadian/Belgian (in my fridge)
-Wyeast 3562 Belgian Ardennes (Chouffe!)
-Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey Yeast II (Rochefort!)
-Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity (West~; not just my favourite yeast, but perhaps my favourite living organism!)
-Wyeast 1214 Belgian Ale Yeast (Chimay)
Probably in something closely approximating that order. Will definitely take years to complete if I stick with it.
The idea is, I'll order in exciting Belgian-style strains one at a time, and I'll use that culture to inoculate a series of beers testing out its performance and flavour across several different styles of Belgian beer with different conditions for it to work in. I'll both get a good understanding of how the different strains perform in different conditions, and with any luck a sizeable stock of different Belgian beers.
I'd try to make the recipes I'm dealing with consistent batch-to-batch so I can be comparing just the yeast performance directly. It could give me some good horizontal side-by-sides of the different yeasts as well.
Planned beer series:
1st Generation
Batch 1: Farmhouse ale
OG: ~1.055
Goal: try to ferment as dry as possible, using low mash temps, adjunct sugars, higher temperatures, whatever may be necessary. Oxygenate well to maximise yeast growth for further batches. Ramp up fermentation temperatures to 80˚+ during fermentation to maximise ester/phenol production and see what really extreme flavours the yeast can make in the right conditions. Push against the attenuation limit of these yeasts.
2nd Generation
Batch 2: Abbey Dubbel
OG: ~1.065
Goal: go for a soft, complex, malty-sweet ale. A test for balance and complexity in more moderate conditions. See how graceful the yeast can be in a more refined environment.
Batch 3: Abbey Tripel
OG: ~1.080
Goal: test out the yeast's ester and phenol production in more stressful conditions. See how well it handles a higher OG. Consider incremental feeding to help it dry out. Again, paying attention to balance and complexity like the Dubbel, but pushing for dominant esters and phenolics in a more extreme, stronger beer.
3rd Generation
Batch 4: Abt/Quadrupel
OG: ~1.095+
Goal: test alcohol tolerance, attenuation, performance in a Quad. Special focus on its balance in a heavy, winier drink, and its ability to carbonate after such a work-out. I might make this a 2.5G, due to risk of failure and the challenge of polishing off 5G of Quadrupel. It'll also make it easier to hit a pitching rate.
Furthermore: Yeastcake from the other 2nd Generation batch would be washed and refrigerated to add to a nice Belgian yeast bank. I don't think I should take any of these past the 3rd generation unless I'm trying to make my own distinctive strain.
Some other beers I might consider adding or subbing into the regimen:
-Belgian Pale Ale
-Witbier
-Imperial Wit
-Something Brett'd (Orval style. Obviously I wouldn't harvest from this)
Anybody interested? Is this even possible? Any tips on how I could maintain viability into the third generation of repitching? Is this stupid?
Please, if this is a bad idea, tell me off now; if you have suggestions to improve the process, please share them.
Some yeasts I'm planning on doing this with:
-Wyeast 3711VSS French Saison (on the go)
-Wyeast 3864VSS Canadian/Belgian (in my fridge)
-Wyeast 3562 Belgian Ardennes (Chouffe!)
-Wyeast 1762 Belgian Abbey Yeast II (Rochefort!)
-Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity (West~; not just my favourite yeast, but perhaps my favourite living organism!)
-Wyeast 1214 Belgian Ale Yeast (Chimay)
Probably in something closely approximating that order. Will definitely take years to complete if I stick with it.
