Yeast choice for an elderflower grisette

Discussion in 'Homebrewing' started by Dave_S, May 29, 2018.

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  1. Dave_S

    Dave_S Crusader (429) May 18, 2017 England

    The elder tree at the bottom of the garden is coming into bloom, and I'm planning an elderflower grisette using the flowers.

    I'd appreciate some thoughts on the recipe. Note that I'm not too bothered about brewing "to style" (otherwise I wouldn't be using elderflowers), I'm more concerned with making a nice, balanced drinkable beer with flavours that meld nicely together.

    Current thinking:
    Grain bill, something like 2:1 or 3:1 Pilsner to malted wheat, OG 1.045-ish.
    25-30 IBU
    A reasonable dose of Huell Melon late boil / hop stand.
    Elderflowers (about 1 head per litre) in the hop stand, 15 minutes at 158 C.

    Stuff I'm still pondering:
    Grain bill: maybe add something to give it a bit more malty backbone, eg sub out a bit of the pilsner for Belgian Pale Ale or Vienna? Maybe add some oats to avoid the whole thing coming out too thin?
    Yeast choice - this is the big one. I've not got a fridge and our house is likely to stay at about 69F during the brew, so I'm restricted to stuff that'll work at high temperatures. Obvious options from my regular supplier are WLP565, WLP566, Imperial B56 (= Blaugies?), Belle Saison, or Mangrove Jacks M29. More leftfield choices would be Sacch Trois or one of the White Labs wit or abbey yeasts used at high temperature. I'm after a dry beer but would be concerned about ending up too thin given the OG, so I've got some inclination to swerve the really attenuative chew-through-the-bucket yeasts and I don't really want to get into faffing with brett or bugs. And again, I'm not too worried about getting "classic saison" character so much as complimenting the elderflower and the hops nicely.

    Any thoughts?

    Thanks!
     
  2. Dave_S

    Dave_S Crusader (429) May 18, 2017 England

    (Slight update: just found out through another channel that fermenting the standard abbey yeasts hot isn't a great plan, so maybe scratch that option...)
     
  3. EvenMoreJesus

    EvenMoreJesus Initiate (0) Jun 8, 2017 Pennsylvania

    I've used dried elderflowers in the past, but only in a mixed fermentation capacity. If I was doing what you are doing, I'd think strongly about using multiple saison strains. I like 3711 and 3724, but you could use other combinations of the ones that you mentioned.
     
  4. JackHorzempa

    JackHorzempa Grand Pooh-Bah (3,375) Dec 15, 2005 Pennsylvania
    Society Pooh-Bah

    “I'm after a dry beer but would be concerned about ending up too thin given the OG, so I've got some inclination to swerve the really attenuative chew-through-the-bucket yeasts and I don't really want to get into faffing with brett or bugs.”

    The perfect yeast to meet that criterion is Wyeast 3726.

    Best of luck with your Elderberry Grisette.

    Cheers!
     
  5. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    Another vote for 3726 which can be bought readily as Imperial Organic “Rustic” definitely won’t finish as 3724 or 3711 so I would mash low.
     
  6. Dave_S

    Dave_S Crusader (429) May 18, 2017 England

    Thanks for the comments on this. I've got a thingy of "Rustic" as mentioned above, will see how it goes...
     
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  7. Tilley4

    Tilley4 Pooh-Bah (2,811) Nov 13, 2007 Tennessee
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    That sounds like a terrific beer... Let us know how it is...
     
  8. Dave_S

    Dave_S Crusader (429) May 18, 2017 England

    Wow, this yeast don't hang around - pitched at 5pm, spaffing froth out of the airlock by midnight. Impressive!
     
    Prep8611 likes this.
  9. Prep8611

    Prep8611 Savant (1,208) Aug 22, 2014 New Jersey

    Ya I’ve really liked a lot of imperial organic yeast. Glad you took the advice and are impressed by the yeast. Let us know how this turns out.
     
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