Has anyone had extensive experience with this strain? If so what are your thoughts?
I am using it (potentially) for my second Spring wit. I did my first Spring wit using the Belgian Wit strain (3944) and fermented cool (62* degrees F) and then let it free rise after 10 days at 62*. Right now it is hovering around 68 and should finish up in the next week or so.
With this next wit I plan on going with a little (2oz) of lime zest, and I am really trying for a tart, crisp beer with a dry finish. If I ferment starting at 63* (lowest temp according to the manufacture), let it go for 10 days then free rise to the fermentation is complete would this miss the mark on the ester/phenol production usually captured in a wit?
I have no experience with this strain and would love to hear what feedback you all have.
Well, I went to my LHBS and they did not have any WYeast 3463 in stock. They said there hasn’t been too much interest in it to carry it. I was bummed at first, but when I looked at their substitute chart, it stated that the Wine, Mead and Sake Yeast (Wyeast 4184) was the substitute. I was like :shock: when I saw that and I almost pulled the trigger to see how that strain would ferment out a Witbier. In the end at the check out line, I chickened out and went with the 3944 Wit strain and will probably ferment a little warmer (around the 68-69*) range to get more of a funky profile.
If anybody used this strain (Forbidden Fruit) before, please chime in, I’d love to hear how it worked out.
I’ve used both in wits and prefer Forbidden Fruit. It’s less tangy, but nice and fruity and goes well with the citrus notes of the coriander. The Witbier yeast was fine, but it stalled out on me at 1029. Warming it up to 75 got it to finish, but I read a lot of other people saying it’s prone to stalling like that. It is a little more tart than Forbidden Fruit
Thanks BrewingRover. I think I will order it for my next Wit. I too had a slooooooow ferment with the Belgian Wit strain. I fermented low at 62* and slowly ramped it up to 72* over a 10 day period. I hit my gravity marks, but sadly it tastes like melted Army Men (chlorophenols) in my beer , but that is a topic for a whole different thread.
We are getting ready to brew a wit and I have never heard of (nor had) 3944 stall out. I’ve done similar ferment schedules (usually pitch @ 60, start ramp to 70 after 2-3 days) to the above-posters generally with results I’ve loved. What I do generally do though is a brewday starter and pitch actively-fermenting starter wort to try to coax more esters and phenols out of it.
Hi Pietro, question, do you add any spices (Orange Peel, Coriander, Chamomile)? I did on my last wit that is conditioning and usually I do the additions at 5 minutes remaining, but this last time I wanted a little more of a bite and did it with 15 minutes left. I tasted the batch before kegging and it had a bite to it that I am hoping mellows over the next few days while keg conditioning.
Also, I have a slight chlorophenol taste that I am hoping clears out with age, but think it is the byproduct of something more sinister. Perhaps my mash schedule caused it:
-P rest at 120, but the actual was closer to 129
-S rest at 154, but the actual was closer to 149
Hose water also leaked from my immersion chiller into my wort, but it was caught fast…
typically I add fresh zest of 4-5 citrus fruits per 5 gallons at flameout (grapefruit, tangelo, tangerine, orange), along with Indian coriander and chamomile leaves. I also will supplement and add to the keg. This time, we are going to try to do a ‘zeststand’ and add these at flameout and cover for 30 minutes before chilling…because the garage smells great when I add these…which means the aroma is no longer in the beer.
Chlorophenols are usually a result of chloramine, chlorine, or a precursor that is in the grist. Do you treat with campden? I read something about 4-ethylphenol (band aid precursor)being more prevalent in wheat/malted wheat as well. I usually do a protein rest and decoct to sacc rest, though I’m not sure I would decoct if using our RIMS system, which we will be on this next batch. FYI, but I don’t think (though I could be wrong) that mash schedule would necessarily impact the presence of those precursors.
Thanks Pietro for the info. My next Wit (this Friday) I am using 1 oz of Lemon Peel and 1 oz of Lime Peel and I think I’ll try your F/O approach. Last night, I was enjoying a Victory Whirlwind Wit. Very good and crisp.
Regarding the chlorophenols, I am lost as to where in the process I got the melted plastic taste. It is faint, but it is there. Meaning it is most certainly a palatable beer, just not a competition beer.
I used the pH strips to check my mash and I definitely was on the lower end of 5.2 (between the colors of 5.4 and 5.0 on my strips). In addition, I used EZ water (I know I know Bru’In water is the way to go, but I am still wrapping my brain around that spreadsheet), and used the same sanitation process that I have been using since day one of home brewing (PBW cleaner and Star San). The only two things I can think of, is I didn’t rinse the PBW well enough out of the fermenter, or my muni water leaked too much from my immersion chiller into my wort and it raised the pH.
Maybe it dissipates because I am painfully optimistic, but if not I have a neighbor that would drink tiger pi$$ if he thought it could get him buzzed.
What about Camden? Treating/dialing pH will not precipitate out chlorine or chloramine in the muni water (or are you using distilled and building up and I just missed it?)
Be careful with the lime. I have never added it, only because it was cautioned against on the Brew Strong episode I listened to before brewing my first wit. Though I do use lemon zest, I forgot to mention that. Wits are one of those styles where you can basically add whatever the H you want though :mrgreen:
Hi Pietro, I am using muni water. I haven’t used campden tablet, but I am not against it. Would I be able to achieve the same results by degassing my mash/strike water? I haven’t done that either, but I heard that I can leave my total water out over night uncovered…
Regarding the Lime, do you recall the specific cautions they stated? Too bitter?
I don’t recall why the no lime, but I would check out that episode, especially if you are into witbier. One of the better ones they did…and Jamil isn’t on it, its Doc Lothamer discussing his wit recipe/process :mrgreen:
I don’t think degassing will precipitate out chloramine, as its more stable than chlorine (which is why water departments add it). Cheap insurance in my mind, still have the same $2.95 packet of camden tabs after 75 batches.
Thanks Pietro. Very useful info. I will pick up some tablets tonight!!!
I am not too sure if we’re allowed to post links, but this is the episode that was discussed in this thread and it is VERY informative. From grinding the coriander, when to add spices and how to treat the water. I learned a lot for this episode of Brewing Network.
If anyone is interested, it is about 40 minutes long.
, but that is a topic for a whole different thread.