On a Hunt For Diacetyl!

[Annunciation_Dan]

Call me crazy guys, but I'm looking for a yeast that is prone to producing diacetyl and the much maligned butterscotch flavor.

I'm currently working up a recipe for a toffee porter and can carmelize the table sugar easy enough, but need to get a bit of buttery note to it without all the fats of actual butter.

Any WLP or Wyeast strains you guys know of that will help me round off my flavor?

 

[FarmerTed]

I got crap-loads of it with WLP810 during bottle conditioning, but thankfully it went away. Ringwood yeast is supposed to be the worst, but you could just cold crash a fermentation with WLP002 before it's over to capture some diacetyl. You could also just buy some from Aldrich (that's a joke). In large amounts, it's incredibly nasty; be careful what you wish for.

 

[MaxStout]

English ale yeasts should do the trick. Underpitched (no starter) Wyeast 1056 with ferm temps on the low end of the yeast's range gave me a butterbomb Irish red ale last year.

 

[brewguyver]

Call me crazy guys, but I'm looking for a yeast that is prone to producing diacetyl and the much maligned butterscotch flavor.

I'm currently working up a recipe for a toffee porter and can carmelize the table sugar easy enough, but need to get a bit of buttery note to it without all the fats of actual butter.

Any WLP or Wyeast strains you guys know of that will help me round off my flavor?

Hmm - have you ever tasted a diacetyl sample? What they say is buttery/butterscotch. From what I've had, they really should say "chew on a warm stick of unsalted butter." Let me know if you find a good butterscotch strain, or one that tastes like buttered scotch (would be an interesting combo)!

Otherwise I'd be prone to say "these are not the droids you're looking for."

 

[CUrchin]

+1 on Ringwood. Shipyard uses it in their beer,and when I (am forced to) drink their beer I get diacetyl tones from the taste. I personally don't like it,but each to their own.

 

[VikingChrisColby]

Wyeast 1187 (Ringwood) or White Labs WLP005 (British Ale) will give you all the diacetyl you want and more. If you slightly underpitch, ferment on the cool side of the yeast's range, and separate the yeast from the beer as soon as fermentation finishes, you'll be swimming in diacetyl.


Chris Colby
Editor
beerandwinejournal.com

 

[Annunciation_Dan]

I guess the next question is, how much diacetyl should I be looking for. Definitely want more than a really clean yeast, but am wary of the "butterbomb"

Assuming I under pitch a british yeast pack at middle of range temperatures in a 1.060 wort, will I be looking at an above average, but not overwhelming diacetyl flavor?