Handy yeast comparison guide.

Big Brew Day 2021

Malts
6.0 lb (2.7 kg) Northern Brewer Pilsen LME (liquid malt extract)
1.5 lb (0.7 kg) Northern Brewer Munich LME
12.0 oz (340 g) D2 Dark Candi Syrup
12.0 oz (340 g) CaraMunich® malt
12.0 oz (340 g) Aromatic malt
6.0 oz (170 g) Special B malt

Hops

0.75 oz (21 g) Styrian Goldings, 4.6% a.a. (60 min)
1.0 oz (28 g) Saaz, 4% a.a. (15 min)

Yeast

White Labs WLP500 or Wyeast 1214 Trappist Ale Yeast (2 L starter)

Specifications:

  • Original Gravity: 1.069
  • Final Gravity: 1.016
  • ABV: 6.90%
  • IBU: 13
  • SRM: 18

Directions:
Steep grains in 3.5 gallons of water at 155° F (68° C) for 30 minutes. Add extracts and candi syrup. Boil for 60 minutes. Chill, rack the wort into 2 gallons of chilled water in the carboy, and ferment to completion at 68-70° F (20-21° C). Keg at 2.5 volumes of CO2 or bottle carbonate with 4.4 oz (125 g) corn sugar.

Up Next

For 6.5 US gallons (24.61 liters)

FERMENTABLES
16.0 lb (7.26 kg) Pilsner two-row malt
8.0 oz (227 g) Belgian Caramel Pils malt
1.0 g sweet gale (in mash, 90 min)
1.0 oz (28 g) marsh rosemary (in mash, 90 min)
1.0 oz (28 g) yarrow (in mash, 90 min)
1.0 g sweet gale (60 min)
1.0 oz (28 g) marsh rosemary (60 min)
1.0 oz (28 g) yarrow (60 min)
Other Ingredients
WhirlFloc (20 min)
3.5 tsp SuperFood yeast nutrient (20 min)
0.5 coriander seed (15 min)
1.0 tsp lemon peel (15 min)
14 g sweet orange peel (15 min)
14 g sweet orange peel (10 min)
1.0 lb turbinado sugar
Reverse osmosis water
Wyeast Labs No. 1338 Belgian Strong Ale yeast (2L starter)

SPECIFICATIONS
Original Gravity: 1.074
Final Gravity: 1.010
ABV: 8.37
SRM: 5.7
Efficiency: 75%

DIRECTIONS
Mash grains for 90 minutes at 148° F (64° C). Remember that half the herbs go into the mash, and half are added during the boil. Mash out at 168° F (76° C) for 10 minutes.

What I’m brewing/have brewed.

My brew for Big Brew Day 2020:

Ben’s Pale Belgian Ale

For 5 US gal (18.9 L)
MALTS & ADJUNCTS
9.0 oz. (255 g) Aromatic
7.0 oz. (198 g) Flaked Oats
7.0 lb. (3.18 kg) Pilsner
12.0 oz. (340 g) CaraVienne
6.0 oz. (170 g) CaraMunich II
2.3 oz. (65 g) Carapils (Dextrine Malt)
2.3 oz. (65 g) Red Wheat

HOPS
0.8 oz. (21 g) Saaz, 5.1% a.a. @ 60 min
0.7 oz. (20 g) Saaz, 5.1% a.a. @ 20 min
0.4 oz. (11 g) Saaz, 5.1% a.a. @ 0 min
0.1 oz. (3 g) Magnum, 16.4% a.a. @ 60 min

YEAST
Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes 3522 (I’m using Gnome 45)

ADDITIONAL ITEMS
35.3 oz. (1000 g) Whirfloc, Boil 10.0 min
1 g Calcium Chloride, Mash 0.0 min

SPECIFICATIONS
Original Gravity: 1.054
Final Gravity: 1.012
ABV: 5% by volume
IBU: 33.2
SRM: 8.8
Efficiency: 80%

DIRECTIONS
BIAB method.

Heat 7.9 gal tap water to 157° F. Add grain and mash at 152° F for 60 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove bag and let drain while starting boil. Boil for 70 minutes. Chill to 68° F, oxygenate and pitch yeast. Let fermentation temperature rise naturally up to 74° F. After 10 days, rack and let condition for another 10 days. Bottle using dextrose to 2.5 vol. CO2.