Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Bell's Yeast Experience  (Read 1946 times)

Offline 303brews

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Bell's Yeast Experience
« on: February 13, 2017, 07:09:45 pm »
I brewed an Azacca/Summit 15 minute pale ale. I aerated for about 2 minutes with pure oxygen. I usually aerate about one minute but had timer issues. I pitched about 65 degrees and set my fermentation chamber to 68 for 3 days, ramping up to 71 over the following 7 days.

I'm using the Inland Island Eccentric ale, which is the Bell's house strain. I pitched one vial straight from the fridge. This yeast is about a double pitch count of Wyeast or White Labs.

It's at terminal gravity and has a really strong ester profile with some banana and clove, much like a Belgian strain. Has anyone else had a similar experience with this yeast?

Online hopfenundmalz

  • Global Moderator
  • I must live here
  • *****
  • Posts: 10678
  • Milford, MI
Re: Bell's Yeast Experience
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2017, 08:58:03 pm »
Some place finally grabbed some for commercial purposes.

I have grabbed some from bottles many times. I use lower ABV beers like the Amber or Oberon to harvest from. That said, it can be estery - Oberon's orange flavor comes from the yeast. Banana and clove? Never had that from the regular house strain. Either they grabbed the wrong beer (Bell's uses a Belgian stain for some beers), or they got some contaminated yeast samples. I wonder what beer they grabbed it from?
Jeff Rankert
AHA Lifetime Member
BJCP National
Ann Arbor Brewers Guild
Home-brewing, not just a hobby, it is a lifestyle!

Offline 303brews

  • 1st Kit
  • *
  • Posts: 9
Re: Bell's Yeast Experience
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2017, 09:58:06 pm »
Some place finally grabbed some for commercial purposes.

I have grabbed some from bottles many times. I use lower ABV beers like the Amber or Oberon to harvest from. That said, it can be estery - Oberon's orange flavor comes from the yeast. Banana and clove? Never had that from the regular house strain. Either they grabbed the wrong beer (Bell's uses a Belgian stain for some beers), or they got some contaminated yeast samples. I wonder what beer they grabbed it from?

Banana might not be quite right. I've only had a couple small samples that I pulled for a refractometer reading. It's a weird smell that was closest to a spicy banana by my perception. Either way, it's really estery, and not really what I was expecting.