Author: Malcolm Frazer

I was recently honored to be asked to brew several beers for a relative’s wedding. After a round of sampling with the soon-to-be grooms, it was agreed one of the beers they enjoyed most and wanted served at their special occasion was a Witbier. This worked out great since I’d just acquired a vial of White Labs WLP410 Wit II, a Platinum strain with limited availability (May-June). Here’s how White Labs’ description of this strain:

Less Belgian-like phenolics than WLP400 and more spicy. Will leave a bit more sweetness, and flocculation is higher than WLP400. Use to produce Belgian Wit, spiced Ales, wheat Ales, and specialty Beers.

Right off the bat, I raised an eyebrow since one of the common descriptors for phenols in beer is “spicy,” often perceived as clove and/or pepper character, such as one might experience when drinking Bavarian Hefeweizen or Belgian Saison. Phenols abound throughout the natural world and their chemical composition makes for a very aromatic compound. They aren’t just spicy but can take on many forms and be experienced in a variety of ways including vanilla, mint, “barnyard,” smokey, band-aid/plastic, and medicinal, to name a few commonly used descriptors.

As you might have noticed, I’m rather easily distracted by nerdism. Since I was brewing a Witbier anyway, I thought it might be interesting to compare this limited yeast offering to the more commonly available WLP400 Belgian Wit Ale. Were they really all that different? Would the White Labs description be congruent with the experiences of blind tasters? Only one way to find out!

| PURPOSE |

To evaluate the differences between two Witbier yeast strains, WLP400 and WLP410, when used to ferment a split batch of the same wort.

| METHODS |

In traditional farmhouse fashion, the grist for this recipe consisted of remnant fermentables. A few years back, when trying to emulate Liopard Oir, a local favorite of mine, I used a mix of grains I had lying around to go along with Belgian Pils and wheat. I ended up liking the result so much it’s now become a staple at family functions, picnics, and other pouring events.

Wit This Ring I Thee Wed

Batch Size Boil Time IBU SRM OG FG ABV 11 gal 60 min 15 3 1.045 SG 1.008 SG 4.8%

Fermentables

Name Amount % Belgian Pils 6 lbs 7 oz 30 Wheat Malt 5 lbs 10 oz 28 Oats, Flaked 3 lbs 2 oz 15 Corn, Flaked 1 lbs 14 oz 9 Wheat, Flaked 1 lbs 14 oz 9 Munich Light 7 oz 2 Rice Hulls 1 lbs 7 oz 7

Hops

Name Amt/IBU Time Use Form Alpha % Hallertauer Hersbrucker 45 g/12.1 60 min Boil Pellet 4.3

Adjuncts

Name Amt Use Time Citrus Zest, Grated (various types) 70 g Boil 5 min Coriander Seed, Crushed 20 g Boil 5 min Chamomile, Tea 2 g Boil 5 min

Yeast

Name Lab Attenuation Ferm Temp WLP400 Belgian Wit White Labs 76% 66°F WLP410 Belgian Wit II White Labs 72.5% 66°F

With such a low OG, I decided to forgo my typical practice of making a starter a few days before brewing, choosing rather to pitch each vial directly into the wort. To ensure my Witbier was nice and dry the way I like it, I mashed low and hit my target temperature of 148˚F square on.

I was pleased with the pH reading about 10 minutes into the mash rest.

About 45 minutes into the mash, I used a bucket water heat stick to raise the temp to 168˚F, after which I collected the thick beta glucan rich wort in my kettle and brought it to a boil. It was during this time I prepped the adjuncts including coriander and various types of citrus fruit such as different orange varieties, grapefruit, and lemon.

Incessantly seeking efficiency improvements, I developed an ingenious approach to zesting quickly. Power tools are multipurpose.

I added the adjuncts with 5 minutes left in the boil. Once complete, the wort was quickly chilled and I took a hydrometer reading to confirm I hit my target OG.

The wort was split evenly between 2 carboys and placed in my fermentation chamber regulated to 66°F, I pitched one with a vial of WLP400 and the other with a vial of WLP410. The former was observed to get going a bit sooner.

About a week after pitching the yeast, both beers appearing very similar, I ramped the temp to 70˚F to encourage complete attenuation. All signs of fermentation had ceased at about 2 weeks post-pitch, this is when I took a hydrometer reading that showed both beers had indeed met my expectation for dryness.

At this point, both beers looked exactly the same.

Curious how each yeast may have impacted some unseen and often overlooked variables, I took post-fermentation pH measurements of each beer and discovered an objectively observable difference.

The beers were racked to separate kegs and force carbonated in my keezer for a few days prior to being presented to the tasting panel.

| RESULTS |

A total of 24 people participated in this xBmt with good representation from BJCP judges since this panel was hosted at Hitchhiker Brewing Company during a T.R.A.S.H homebrew club meeting. The panel also included experienced homebrewers and general imbibers of craft beer. Each taster was blindly served 1 sample of the WLP400 beer and 2 samples of the WLP410 beer in different colored cups then instructed to select the one they perceived as being different. To reach statistical significance with this sample size, 12 participants (p<0.05) would be required to accurately identify the WLP400 beer as the unique one. Ultimately 15 tasters (p=0.001) were capable of doing so, suggesting these yeast strains do in fact produce beers with stark enough differences that people will reliably be able to tell them apart.

Interestingly, of those who correctly identified the different beer, preference was split exactly in half with each batch garnering 7 votes and only one person endorsing no particular preference despite detecting differences. Moreover, 10 panelists accurately identified the beer fermented with WLP400 after viewing the descriptions for each yeast provided by White Labs.

Following completion of the xBmt survey, I noted some comments made by participants. Many described the sample fermented with WLP410 as being spicier with a particular white or black pepper note. In fact, a few participants mentioned they thought the xBmt variable might have involved the spicing in the beers, with one person asking if it had to do with coriander levels, while another thought I might be investigating the relationship between mash temperature and 4-vinylguaiacol (4VG) production.

My Impressions: When sampling to decide which of these beers to bring to my cousin’s wedding, I was immediately struck by the scent of white pepper emanating from the WLP410 sample. I perceived the character to be even more intense than what I’ve experienced with Saison and Hefeweizen. I wouldn’t say it was displeasing, but certainly unexpected, so much so that I actually checked my kegging setup to ensure it wasn’t contaminated or that I hadn’t accidentally connected that tap to an old Saison I’d stowed away. After multiple tastings, I eventually came to appreciate the unique qualities WLP410 imparted and found that, other than the pungent pepper character, the two beers were more similar than different. Since perception is arguably very subjective for everyone and we all have sensitivities to certain flavors, it didn’t surprise me much that some participants were unable to identify the odd beer out, nor was I surprised most were capable of reliably distinguishing between the two.

| DISCUSSION |

I’ll acknowledge experiencing some trepidation prior to performing what amounts to a simple ingredient comparison, as on its face there just isn’t much pizzazz in determining whether different yeasts produce noticeably different beers. Admittedly, the fact an xBmt like this reached statistical significance doesn’t surprise me as much as other variables might. However, as is often the case in life and brewing, I’m glad I went through with it and ended up feeling it was quite educational. Comparing these two Witbier strains side-by-side not only demonstrated they are indeed different, but served as reinforcement of the important role these unicellular little buggers play in determining our final product. As a result of this xBmt, I am more inclined to try additional White Labs Platinum strains as they come available and may even pit them against similar non-Platinum strains to experience more fully the varied nuances each provides.

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