Last year I brewed a Biere de Garde (BdG), and was very happy with the results. This year I thought I'd brew it again, but I'm finding that the yeast, wlp072, is not actually available on a yearly basis. morebeer.com calls it 'seasonal' and says it's available May/June, however, it appears that it's seasonal...only in years that White Labs feels like propagating it. I guess I was lucky last year. Interestingly, White Labs used to list it as a recommended yeast for BdG, but this year it no longer is. Strange, but oh well. Now I can't get it. So the only BdG I've had is my own, as I've never seen it in a bottle, or at any of the many breweries in my area. Basically, I don't really know what it should taste like, but more importantly, I don't know what--if any--character the yeast is providing. I'm under the impression that the yeast should mostly get out of the way in this style, and the wlp072 seemed to do that, aside from a faint citrus note. When I look at Wyeast and White Labs yeast recommendations, a lot of them seem like they'd impart a bit too much character. But again, I have nothing to go on since I've only had my own version of BdG. So my questions are: If you've brewed a BdG, what did you use, and what did you think of it? Or if you've brewed more than one, what yeast did you prefer? Have you actually had a commercial BdG? And if so, what was your impression of the yeast character?
wlp072 is my preferred primary yeast for the style as well, but there are other good options out there. Basically, you want something that favors malt flavors but is otherwise pretty neutral. I'm fairly certain that a Scottish or German Ale yeast would work well, and I know some brewers use lager yeasts. Commercial BdG that I've had tend to have a fairly subdued yeast character, but its pretty wide ranging. Some are slightly fruity, some a little earthy, some are a touch phenolic. Quite a few have a whiff of sulfur. Here's kinda how I run fermentation for BdG. Not traditional, but it makes beer I like. Pitch a big starter of the primary yeast strain. Once fermentation actively starts, add 3711/Belle Saison/whatever. At high krausen, add sugar At bottling, add brett Store at room temperature for a month Once carbonated, store cold for at least a month This gives me a very dry beer, a little fruity, a little phenolic and earthy, but much less so than a saison. I like to think of it as a cross-contaminated Bock that turned out well anyways.
For a good representation of style, check out 3 Monts . . . https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/260/1308/ . . . this is distributed widely in the US and a decent beer store should carry it. When I brew Biere de Garde I use Ommegang's yeast (harvested) which gives a spicy/herbal character. This same yeast is used in all their Belgian offerings,but the "de Garde" has a heavier malt presence which slightly over-shadows the yeast's esters. If you aren't into harvesting you could use any Saison yeast and just adjust ferm temp (usually lower) to reduce yeast esters. In a pinch you could probably get away with any Belgian strain ferm'ed at a lower temp. It's really all about balance (ferm temp, malt complexity, ABV, FG, carb level, etc).
I personally have never brewed a Bière de Garde but I have a good friend who has told me that he has brewed a number of high quality Bière de Garde beers using Wyeast 3787 fermented cool (i.e., 64 degrees F). If you have the ability to maintain a fermentation temperature of 64 degrees F I would suggest 3787 to you. Cheers!
I used the European ale yeast to create a malty profile. You’ll see a wide range of yeasts used for this style - strains typically used for clean lagers to dry saison to malty Ale to estery and phenolic Belgians. The modern versions of this style seem to be divorced from historical French beers. My understanding is that commercial French versions are likely to be strong lagers but commercial American versions stray from this. My thoughts are to aim for a bock- like beer (can range from traditional to helles bock) but swap some sugar in for some of the malt to make for a drier finish. Use a clean ale yeast or lager if you prefer.
