Dry Yeast for a Belgian Blond? Abbaye vs WB-06 Yeast Comparison! 

Thanks for the feedback!

Thanks for the kind words. I have been enjoying putting together these videos. Hopefully I will have something ready to go for next week.

Thanks for the info. I enjoy the WB-06 batch now more than when it was young, but the Abbaye yeast was a better fit for this style. I could see the flavors fitting a Wit with some spices better. T-58 is yet another yeast that I have not tried.

That's a great tip! Before, I used to use just 0.5g of yeast per litre for my beers, but since I started having trouble with contamination, I decided to use 1g per litre. So, you've just given me a great idea of how to get very good Belgian-style beers using 0.5g of each yeast to complete 1g per litre.

I have mostly used liquid yeasts for years, so I am enjoying learning more about what is available in dry yeast. I had planned to do more 1 gallon yeast trials, but I recently acquired a second pair of 2.6 gallon Torpedo kegs so I will probably keep doing more split 5 gallon batches. The Abbaye batch was a wonderful beer and the keg kicked too fast. I really not digging the WB-06 keg.

@@CascadesHomebrew I can't bust on WB-06 as it is what got me hooked on beer brewing (slightly longer story) but I live in the world of liquid yeasts but have been trying some dry yeasts lately. The Verdant IPA yeast was nice but nothing to jump up and down about but still very nice. Mangrove Jack's West Coast yeast is nice and the one I want to try is the new Lalbrew Farmhouse as it sounds right up my alley with tropical fruit and lots of pepper spice.

It could be that WB-06 was just not a fit for this recipe, did not work well with my fermentation schedule, or it might just be my personal preference. Lalbrew Farmhouse is on my list as well. Your recent Saison tastings were interesting. It is hard to beat the Dupont strain for what I want in a Saison, where Belle and French Saison strains don't quite do it for me.

BE-256 is on my list to try out. I am glad you are finding dry yeast that work for you. Do you have much access to liquid yeast in Argentina?

no, it's difficult to find at homebrew level here, you can find only dry yeast from lallemand and fermentis in brewstores, but I know that brewery's used some vials of white labs.

Thanks! I have a pack of T-58 in the fridge that I will need to put to use soon.

Lallemand is definitely being more innovative these days with lots of new great yeasts, were Fermentis seems to be just trying to push the same limited strains...some of which are kind of odd.

Sounds like a plan. I made a series of beers with Abbaye this year (Single, Dubbel, and Tripel). I might like WLP530 a bit more, but Abbaye is one of my favorite dry yeasts for Belgian styles.

T-58 is on my list of dry yeasts to try out. From what I can tell it is a fairly unique strain from Fermentis that many people seem to like.

@@CascadesHomebrew I did a HORRIBLE dubbel with it last year. I don't blame the yeast though because I added way too much spice... I wanted to give it a new try where the yeast can shine a bit.

T-58 gets a bit spicy if fermented around 18 degrees C and gets more banana ish around 21 or 22 I have been told. I tested it only at 18 degrees, I can testify for that temp.

Nice stacking kegs! What are those?

A while back I picked up a pair of the 10L / 2.5 Gal Torpedo kegs. At around $180 for the pair, the cost was hard to justify but I love the size (I see them listed for $99 each now). I recently acquired a second pair from a friend, and I hope to have all 4 in use soon!

I am not the best at putting words to flavors, and it has been a few months, but I would say some mild spicy characters but more fruit like apple/pear, and a touch of plum. The time I used the Chimay yeast (WLP500) I got a lot of cherry, which I did not get as much here. I did ferment this one on the cooler side to fit the Belgian Blond style. I have another pack of Abbaye that I want to put to use soon.

Yes, using half of the ingredients should get you very close. You might need to tweak amounts a little based on the efficiency of your process.

It is definitely nice to be able to pick up several packs of dry yeast, stick them in the fridge, and not feel bad about not using them until a year later!

@@CascadesHomebrew agreed!