Introduction

   
Many  unique  strains  of  Belgian-­‐style  ale  yeast  are  available  through  commercial  yeast  
suppliers.    Many  are  mainstays  in  the  product  lineup  and  some  are  limited,  seasonal  offerings.    
With  so  many  strains  available,  how  do  you  know  which  strain  to  pick  for  your  perfect  
Belgian-­‐style  beer?    Is  one  more  beneficial  for  competition  beers?    Do  these  strains  really  
produce  different  beers?  If  so,  how  do  these  beers  differ  in  perceived  characteristics  like  
spiciness,  fruitiness,  maltiness  and  hops,  as  well  as  more  objective  measurements  like  krausen  
height,  percent  attenuation  and  flocculation  behavior.    We  selected  6  different  Belgian-­‐style  
yeast  strains  to  determine  how  much  the  different  strains  affect  the  flavor  of  the  resulting  
beer.      

 
Methods  
A  Belgian  tripel  recipe  (slightly  reduced  in  gravity)  using  Belgian  pilsner  malt,  Belgian  
aromatic  malt,  table  sugar  and  styrian  goldings  hops  was  used  to  make  a  common  wort  that  
was  evenly  divided  between  6  individual  fermentors.    One  vial  of  each  yeast  strain  was  
pitched  into  a  unique  fermentor  containing  the  common  wort.    The  different  strains  were  
from  White  Labs  and  include  WLP500,  WLP510,  WLP530,  WLP540,  WLP550  and  WLP570.  
Based  on  the  original  gravity  and  wort  volume,  one  vial  of  commercial  yeast  in  each  fermentor  
resulted  in  an  appropriate  cell  count  for  ensuring  proper  pitching  rate.      
Based  on  data  from  the  book  Brew  Like  a  Monk,  68%  of  Belgian  and  100%  of  the  
Trappist  breweries  raise  the  temperature  over  the  course  of  the  ferment.    So  for  this  
experiment,  the  fermentation  was  also  increased  over  time  within  the  range  that  Belgian  
breweries  use.    Fermentors  were  held  at  68°  F  for  48  hours,  then  raised  1°  F  every  12  hours  
until  80°  F  was  reached.    Temperature  was  held  for  24  hours,  then  reduced  1°  F  every  12  
hours  until  the  temperature  returned  to  70°  F.    Temperature  was  held  at  70°  F  for  an  
additional  48  hours,  then  temperatures  were  allowed  to  naturally  fall  to  66° F.    Fermenters  
were  crash  cooled  to  36°  F  after  24  days  in  the  primary  fermenter.    Beers  remained  at  36° F  
for  14  days  to  cold  age  and  improve  clarity.    Beers  were  transferred  in  a  closed  system  using  
CO2  to  push  the  beer  from  the  fermentor  to  a  corny  keg.    Forced  carbonation  was  used  until  
the  beers  equilibrated  at  20  PIS  @  36° F  or  approximately  3.5  volumes  of  CO2.      

Krausen  height  and  attenuation  were  recorded  during  and  after  fermentation.    After  
carbonating,  a  tasting  panel  of  4  BJCP  judges  initially  sampled  the  beers  to  evaluate  the  beers  
according  to  BJCP  guidelines.    This  information  was  used  to  construct  a  form  to  be  used  to  
help  evaluate  the  beers.    Afterwards  the  beers  and  judges  comments  were  presented  to  the  
LAGERS  homebrew  club  to  discuss  differences  in  flavors,  perceptions  and  measurable  
statistics,  and  to  use  the  form  to  evaluate  any  differences  between  the  6  strains  of  yeast  with  a  
large  group  of  tasters.    

 
 
 

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY            

I:  Belgian  Experiment  Basics  
Grain  Bill  
Ingredient Amount % Wt MCU When
Belgian Pilsen Malt 12lb 0oz 85.7 % 3.2 In Mash/Steeped
Belgian Aromatic Malt 8.00 oz 3.6 % 1.6 In Mash/Steeped
Sugar - White Sugar/Sucrose 1lb 8oz 10.7 % 0.0 End Of Boil
 
Hop  Schedule  
Variety Alpha Amount IBU Form When
Slovenian Styrian Goldings 2.6 % 128 g 31.6 Loose Pellet Hops 60 Min From End
 

II:  Analytical  Data  Results  

Krausen  Height  with  Increasing  Temperature  

5  
Krausen  Height  (inches)  

4  
WLP500  
3  
WLP510  
2   WLP530  
WLP540  
1   WLP550  
WLP570  
0  
70   71   73   75   77   79   81  
Temperature  
 
Krausen  Height  Data  

9/25/11   9/26/11   9/27/11   9/28/11   9/29/11   9/30/11   10/1/11  

 
Brewery*    
Temperature   70   71   73   75   77   79   81  
Chimay   WLP500   0.5   1   1.25   1.25   0.5   0.5   0.5  
Orval   WLP510   0.5   1   1.5   1.5   1.5   1   1  
Westmalle   WLP530   0.5   1   4.5   4.5   4.75   4.5   4  
Rochefort   WLP540   0.5   1   1.25   0   0   0   0  
Achouffe   WLP550   0.5   1   1.75   1.5   1   1   1  
Duvel   WLP570   0.5   1   1.5   0.25   0.25   0.25   0  
*  according  to  online  sources  at  Mr.Malty.com  
 

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY            

Attenuation  Data  

%  
Brewery*   Strain   OG   FG       Attenuation  
Chimay   WLP500   1.065   1.008   87.1%  
Orval   WLP510   1.065   1.010   83.9%  
Westmalle   WLP530   1.065   1.008   87.1%  
Rochefort   WLP540   1.065   1.018   71.2%  
Achouffe   WLP550   1.065   1.008   87.1%  
Duvel   WLP570   1.065   1.007   88.7%  
*  according  to  online  sources  at  Mr.Malty.com  
 
III:  Sensory  Data  Results  
  Sensory  data  are  the  analysis  of  30  data  forms  from  30  unique  tasters.    Graphical  data  
below  are  constructed  from  the  number  of  a  particular  descriptor  within  a  category  divided  
by  the  total  number  of  data  points  within  the  whole  category.    It  is  not  simply  the  number  of  
people  who  tasted  a  descriptor  divided  by  the  total  number  of  tasters,  as  a  taster  could  check  
off  multiple  flavors  for  each  beer  within  a  category,  or  none  at  all.    For  example,  if  we  select  
‘apple’  as  a  descriptor  example,  the  data  represents  the  number  of  times  ‘apple’  was  checked  
divided  by  the  total  number  of  descriptor  data  points  and  not  the  number  of  people  who  
tasted  ‘apple’.    So,  if  there  were  30  tasters,  100  unique  data  points  for  fruity  esters  and  10  for  
apple,  the  graph  would  show  0.10  (10/100)  rather  than  0.3  (10/30).            

 
Overall  Impression  of  the  Strain  

100%  
90%  
80%  
70%  
Favorite  
60%  
50%   Spicy  
40%   Fruity  
30%  
Hoppy  
20%  
10%   Malty  
0%  

 
The  most  preferred  strain  was  the  WLP550.    WLP500  and  WLP510  were  dominated  by  fruity  
esters,  while  WLP530  and  WLP550  were  dominated  by  spicy  phenolics.    WLP570  was  
balanced  between  spice  and  hops,  and  WLP540  was  malt  dominant.      

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY            

Broad  category  of  Descriptors:  

100%  
90%  
80%  
70%  
60%  
50%   Hop  Character  
40%   Malt  Character  
30%  
Yeast  Character  
20%  
10%  
0%  

 
With  all  strains,  the  yeast  characters  dominated  the  flavor  of  the  beer.    While  malt  and  hop  
characters  were  perceived,  the  yeast  provided  the  beer  with  the  basic  essence  or  character  
that  is  indicative  of  the  Belgian-­‐style  ales.      
 

Narrow  Category  of  Descriptors:  

100%  
90%  
80%  
70%  
Hops  
60%  
50%   Dried  Fruits  
40%   Melanoidins  
30%  
Spicy  
20%  
Fruity  
10%  
0%  

 
The  yeast  flavors  of  WLP500,  WLP510  and  WLP540  are  characterized  more  by  fruity  esters  
than  spicy  phenolics,  whereas  WLP530,  WLP550  and  WLP570  are  characterized  more  by  
spicy  phenolics  than  fruity  esters.    With  all  strains,  melanoidin  characters  dominated  dried  
fruit  characters.      
 

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY            

Fruity  Yeast  Characters:  

100%   Strawberry  
90%   Raspberry  
80%   Plum  
70%   Pear  
60%   Orange  
50%  
Lemon  
40%  
Grapefruit  
30%  
20%   Grape  
10%   Bubblegum  
0%   Blackberry  
Banana  
Apple  
 
All  strains  produced  considerable  apple,  banana,  grape  and  pear  flavors,  but  they  varied  in  the  
balance  between  these  flavors  to  give  different  overall  impressions.    WLP510  had  a  significant  
amount  of  orange  (pith)  character  and  WLP540  was  more  complex  and  dominated  by  berry  
characters.    The  WLP540  strain  had  difficulty  fermenting  at  higher  temps,  and  differences  in  
these  characters  might  be  a  result  of  heat  stress  on  the  yeast.      

 
Spicy  Yeast  Characters  

100%  
90%   Vanilla  
80%  
Start  anise    
70%  
Pepper  
60%  
50%   Oak  
40%   GOP  
30%  
Cumin  
20%  
Coriander  
10%  
0%   Clove    
Cinnamon    

 
All  strains  had  strong  notes  of  clove,  coriander  and  pepper.    WLP510  and  WLP530  had  the  
least  clove  character.    Other  notable  differences  between  strains  are  the  cinnamon,  coriander,  
oak  and  pepper  balance.      

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY            

Melanoidin  Malt  Characters:  

100%  
90%  
80%   Toffee    
70%   Toast  
60%   Dough  
50%  
Cracker    
40%  
30%   Caramel  
20%   Bread  crust  
10%   Bread  
0%  
Biscuit  

 
Cracker  and  bread  notes  were  tasted  across  all  strains.    All  strains  appeared  to  accent  malt  
characters  fairly  evenly.  
 
Dried  Fruit  Malt  Characters:  

100%  
90%  
80%  
70%   Licorice  
60%   Fig  
50%  
Date  
40%  
30%   Prune  
20%   Currant  
10%   Raisin  
0%  

 
Dark  fruit  characters  were  accented  by  all  yeast  strains.    Raisins  and  currants  were  most  
common.    WLP500  and  WLP540  appeared  to  accent  fig  flavors.      
 
 

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY            

Hop  Characters:  

100%  
90%  
80%  
70%  
Earthy    
60%  
50%   Soapy  
40%   Perfumy  
30%  
Citrusy  
20%  
Spicy  
10%  
0%  

 
The  yeast  accented  different  hop  characters.    WLP550  and  WLP570  were  both  spicy  and  
perfumy.    WLP500  and  WLP510  were  relatively  balanced  across  all  descriptors.    WLP530  was  
spicy  and  earthy,  while  WLP540  was  mostly  earthy.      
 

Summary  and  Conclusions  

All  strains  produced  beers  that  were  noticeably  different.    WLP550  was  the  favored  
yeast  and  the  one  most  people  readily  identified  from  commercial  examples  as  “that  classic  
Belgian  character”.    If  choosing  a  yeast  solely  for  entering  competitions,  this  profile  may  be  
favored  or  more  easily  recognized  by  judges.    The  Rochefort  strain,  WLP540,  lost  its  krausen  
as  temperatures  rose  and  the  beer  did  not  completely  attenuate.      The  beer  had  noticeable  
berry  characters  that  were  largely  missing  from  all  other  strains,  and  may  have  resulted  from  
heat  stress  on  the  yeast.    Overall,  this  strain  produced  a  maltier  and  fruitier  beer,  which  may  
better  complement  the  complex  malts  and  dark  fruit  characters  in  Belgian  dubbels  or  Belgian  
dark  strong  ales.    The  Orval  strain,  WLP510,  had  a  strong  orange  and  orange  pith  character  
that  was  not  noticed  in  any  other  strain.    Given  these  orange  characters,  this  yeast  might  serve  
well  for  making  Belgian  witbiers.    

 
Acknowledgments  
  Thank  you  to  the  LAGERS  homebrew  club  for  facilitating  this  experiment  as  part  of  the  
membership  learning  series.    Thanks  to  My  Old  Kentucky  Homebrew  for  assistance  with  
sourcing  and  supplying  ingredients  and  equipment  for  the  experiment.      A  special  thanks  goes  
to  Chuck,  Leah  and  Paul  for  assisting  with  the  initial  tastings  and  development  of  the  
evaluation  form.      

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY            

Yeast Number:_____________ Yeast Number:_____________ Yeast Number:_____________

(check all boxes that apply) (check all boxes that apply) (check all boxes that apply)

Overall, is the Beer profile is: Overall, is the Beer profile is: Overall, is the Beer profile is:
o Malty o Malty o Malty
o Hoppy o Hoppy o Hoppy
o Yeasty o Yeasty o Yeasty
o Fruity o Fruity o Fruity
o Spicy o Spicy o Spicy

Yeast profile: Yeast profile: Yeast profile:

o Estery-Fruity o Estery-Fruity o Estery-Fruity
o Apple o Apple o Apple
o Banana o Banana o Banana
o Blackberry o Blackberry o Blackberry
o Grape o Grape o Grape
o Grapefruit o Grapefruit o Grapefruit
o Lemon o Lemon o Lemon
o Orange o Orange o Orange
o Pear o Pear o Pear
o Plum o Plum o Plum
o Raspberry o Raspberry o Raspberry
o Strawberry o Strawberry o Strawberry
o Other:_____________ o Other:_____________ o Other:_____________
o Spicy o Spicy o Spicy
o Cinnamon o Cinnamon o Cinnamon
o Clove o Clove o Clove
o Coriander o Coriander o Coriander
o Cumin o Cumin o Cumin
o Grains of paradise o Grains of paradise o Grains of paradise
o Oak o Oak o Oak
o Pepper o Pepper o Pepper
o Start anise o Start anise o Start anise
o Vanilla o Vanilla o Vanilla
o Other:_____________ o Other:_____________ o Other:_____________

Malt profile:
o Biscuit Malt profile: Malt profile:
o Bread o Biscuit o Biscuit
o Bread crust o Bread o Bread
o Caramel o Bread crust o Bread crust
o Cracker o Caramel o Caramel
o Dough o Cracker o Cracker
o Dried fruits o Dough o Dough
o Raisin o Dried fruits o Dried fruits
o Currants o Raisin o Raisin
o Prune o Currants o Currants
o Date o Prune o Prune
o Fig o Date o Date
o Licorice o Fig o Fig
o Other:_____________ o Licorice o Licorice
o Toast o Other:_____________ o Other:_____________
o Toffee o Toast o Toast
o Other:________________ o Toffee o Toffee
o Other:________________ o Other:________________
Hop profile:
o Spicy Hop profile: Hop profile:
o Citrusy o Spicy o Spicy
o Perfumy o Citrusy o Citrusy
o Soapy o Perfumy o Perfumy
o Earthy o Soapy o Soapy
o Other:____________ o Earthy o Earthy
o Other:____________ o Other:____________
 

Christopher  Owen,  L.A.G.E.R.S.  Homebrew  Club,  Louisville,  KY