Wyeast - Trappist High Gravity 3787

[Lionheart]

I just brewed a tripel and the airlock is bubbling away. It stinks like eggs or something. Has anyone had this experience with this strain of yeast? Don't get me worng, If it makes a great brew I dont care if it smells like a porta-potty. My guess is the smell is normal for this strain. I'm just looking for confirmation. Thank's.

 

[Brewmaster Tom]

I've used that strain many times (one of my go-to Belgian strains) and cannot say I've ever had that problem...in fact I think it one of the better smelling strains I use.

Not saying there is a problem but it makes me wonder certain questions like (1) temperature you are fermenting at; (2) age of the smack pack; (3) did you use a starter?

Hopefully it's nothing but it seems unusual to me.

 

[Lionheart]

I've used that strain many times (one of my go-to Belgian strains) and cannot say I've ever had that problem...in fact I think it one of the better smelling strains I use.

Not saying there is a problem but it makes me wonder certain questions like (1) temperature you are fermenting at; (2) age of the smack pack; (3) did you use a starter?

Hopefully it's nothing but it seems unusual to me.

Fermentation temp is 70*. Smack pack was 1 month old from date of manufacture. No starter. I never do with the smack packs. Maybe it's the combo of the tripel and a brown ale fermenting next to each other causing the off smell. It's not like rotten eggs. It's more like eggs cooked in butter. Anyway, I hope it turns out fine. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[Tore]

smackpacks are not starters. Depending on the volume and gravity of the beer i would say consider making a starter, you might stress your yeast if you use too little yeast for a strong beer.

 

[Lionheart]

So even though it's called High gravity yeast I would need to make a starter? I typically just pitch 2 packs of yeast with higher gravity beers. I have never had a problem doing it that way. I did only pitch 1 in this case. OG was 1.090 I hope I did not mess it up by under pitching.

 

[chessking]

according to Mr Malty
http://www.mrmalty.com/index.php

with a 1.090 O.G., and a five gallon batch, also with a month old manufacturing date, you would need just under a three liter starter or 4 smack packs to have the proper cell count (305 billion). The "High Gravity" in the name refers to the ability of that strain of yeast to function in the stressful Alcohol environment of that big a beer. Other yeasts shut down without finishing the ferment. Also that yeast works best pitched at 64 deg F and allowed to rise to 70 deg over the next week. Pitching at 70 deg may leave some solvent like alcohols as well as spicy phenols and fruity esters that are not wanted in that style.

 

[JAMC]

"eggs cooked in butter" would suggest to me that it's a sulphur / diacetyl (butterscotch) combo going on.

I've seen lots of threads all over the boards about sulphur smells - I've never had it myself, but the impression I get is that it always dissipates with time and the finished product isn't affected. Same story with diacetyl. Conventional wisdom is that a diacetyl rest after fermentation should sort it out as the yeast tidy up after themselves. In practice this just means an extended time in primary. If you were planning on a two week primary, consider going for three.

I've deliberately underpitched belgian yeast a couple of times to exaggerate the characteristics. Each time it's taken the yeast a long time to multiply up and any visible signs of fermentation to occur. Did you get a significant delay between pitching and visible activity? In the most extreme case one of my batches took 4 days to wake up on an OG of 1.060, but it got there in the end.

 

[Lionheart]

Delay? Yes, It was about 36 hours to start. Then this morning I had to but a blow off tube in it as the air lock was foaming up. It all sems to be under control now. I'll transfer to a secondary after 2 weeks. It can sit there for 2 more weeks. Then I will rack it into a keg to sit for a couple of months. Do you think if the yeast does not finish before the secondary I should pitch more into the secondary to complete fermentation?

 

[BrewHop]

I wouldn't pitch more yeast unless you don't hit the FG you want. If that is the case then pitch more yeast into primary. Starters are generally a good idea for all beers. I used to not make them and just put more vials in but when I began to make starters I noticed the quality of my brews increased dramatically and it also helps to greatly reduce lag times. It does save money too since a little bit of extract is much less than another vial/smack pack of yeast. Dry yeasts are really the only ones don't need to make starters with.

Mr Malty is a great resource for determining how much you should be pitching. For something that is 1.090 I would have made a starter with maybe even two smack packs. However that said you are probably fine. The yeast are just going to be more stressed out and might not attenuate fully. With your style of beer that isn't necessarily a bad thing because it will increase that Belgian yeast ester profile. For this style, like someone else also mentioned, sometimes people under pitch to get more of that quality.

As for the smell I have run into the rotten egg/sulfur smell with yeasts before and I don't think you need to worry. My brews always turned out fine.

 

[JAMC]

Delay? Yes, It was about 36 hours to start. Then this morning I had to but a blow off tube in it as the air lock was foaming up. It all sems to be under control now. I'll transfer to a secondary after 2 weeks. It can sit there for 2 more weeks. Then I will rack it into a keg to sit for a couple of months. Do you think if the yeast does not finish before the secondary I should pitch more into the secondary to complete fermentation?

I wouldn't worry about it until much nearer the time. If there are unusual smells or off-flavours (assuming you take a sample and taste it) at the point when you're thinking of transferring to secondary, then weigh up the options. The most likely scenario is that everything will appear normal after two weeks and you won't need to do anything different.

The only scenario I'd consider adding more yeast would be if the batch hadn't fully attenuated and missed it's target FG. If I understand how yeast works (feel free to jump in and correct me someone, I'm not an expert!) any sulphur/diacetyl issues would be resolved by giving the existing yeast additional time to re-absorb the diacetyl in suspension at the end of their natural life-cycle. Adding fresh yeast - which has the ability to produce more diacetyl - is likely to complicate things and may hinder the existing yeast performing the job you want them to do.

 

[Lionheart]

I guess I'll just leave this one alone and see how it turns out. My guess is it will be just fine. Maybe a bit less ABV worst case. Thanks for all your input! :mrgreen:

 

[BrewHop]

yeah one of those RDWHAHB situations

 

[JAMC]

I've used that strain many times (one of my go-to Belgian strains) and cannot say I've ever had that problem...in fact I think it one of the better smelling strains I use.

What kind of characteristics should I expect from 3787 if I wanted to experiment with it?

I currently use the Chimay strain (Wyeast 1214 Belgian Ale / WLP500 Trappist Ale) as my go-to Belgian yeast. That's my point of reference really.

I have also experimented with 3522 Belgian Ardennes, which I liked. Not quite such a profound yeast flavour but still in the same vein.