What yeast?

Wyeast 3787 Belgian Trappist Ale yeast IMHO...

 

I used 3787. I found it too estery. Maybe my fermentation temp. was too high. If I were to try it again, I think I would use a wit yeast like 3463.

 

I would do a sour wort beer (which I've never done) to get the degree of sourness, then finish the fermentation with something neutral? Or maybe I would brew a sour brown with a neutral yeast with Roseleare strain added to secondary, then add cherries in a tertiary fermenter. I've kicked both of these ideas around in my head for about 5 years but never pulled the trigger. Yet.

 

I dont think I would go neutral with the yeast, that beer definitely has a Belgian character to it beneath the massive cherry flavor. I have read in a few places that NG uses 3787 as their Belgian yeast, but its hearsay to me as I have not heard it directly from the brewer. I have also heard it is just a fruit beer - no souring bugs.

From their website:

This makes me think there might be something going on with wine yeast at the beginning to take on the simple sugars (potentially those of the cherries if you add them at the beginning of fermentation?) then maybe Belgian yeast later on. All speculation there though.

 

Yes, I used it on a 3.1% ABV beer with fairly good results (and the places I would improve the recipe have nothing to do with the yeast selection), I wouldn't hesitate to use it again for a lower gravity recipe.

 

Itll still ferment the sugars, no reason I can see it wouldnt work

 

I think most Belgian yeast would send your beer off in the wrong direction. I don't really pickup a whole lot of Phenolics or much estery character either. When I drink Belgian Red my first impression is the low IBU, and overall sweetness. Then the cherries kick in. NG/Dan Carey have pretty much perfected lactic fermentation as a seperate process and then blend this 'sour beer' back into a couple of their beers to get appropriate character for style. Sometimes to no noticable effect at all ie: Spotted Cow.

So, ferment with a yeast that isn't to attenuative, doesn't create a ton of phenolics or esters. Then, if you want to experiment with flavor profile first...you might 'spike' finished beer with literally a 'drop' of food grade Lactic Acid 88%. (yeast choice...Wit beer maybe? Read descriptions on Wyeast and White Labs websites and order the one you care for).

Beer tasting is subjective and in the end you brew what you like...because it is what you want to drink....

 

This is my impression. I drink several bottle sof this stuff a year and never found anything Belgian yeast phenolics or esters in this beer. It has tartness. I also think Tashbrew is right about the separate lactic fermentation. There was a Zymurgy article a couple years ago about making sour wort before introducing brewers yeast (but not quite the same approach as sour mashing). About the same time, this approach got some discussion on the forums and podcasts and there were some allusions but not confirmations that a regional midwest brewery used a comparable approach to make award winning sour fruit beers.

 

New Glarus has always been mum on how they brew their fruit beers. My guess is they don't use this yeast, but I don't figure the beer you are making would suck with this yeast, either. I sort of doubt it will be tart enough to match the NG beer, but if you have all the ingredients, give it a shot. I've never seeen/read/heard a homebrewer boast of getting this recipe right. Think of the beer as inspired by Belgian Red rather than a clone. Then if you make something you like, consider it a success even if it is not the beer you wanted.