New Brunswick Craft Brewers Association

Beer Recipes and Food => Mead, Wine, and Cider Recipes => Topic started by: Kyle on August 16, 2012, 02:18:09 PM

Title: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: Kyle on August 16, 2012, 02:18:09 PM

I'm going to start getting into blended fruit wines e.g.: crab apple cranberry; apple rhubarb; perry. Following less than spectular experiences with high abv wines and mead, I will be keeping everything below 12%abv. Do you have any yeast reccomendations (other than EC-1118)

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: Richard on August 16, 2012, 09:16:51 PM

KV-1116. Good with low-nutrient musts, good attenuator.

Only reason I'd go elsewhere would be for greater residual sweetness, but I've no experience on that front as of yet.

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: Jake on August 16, 2012, 10:12:26 PM

Just throw in a couple pkgs of turbo yeast from Noble Grape  :lol:  ... it'll get ya drunk  :rock:

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: Dave Savoie on August 17, 2012, 06:29:42 AM

71 B  !!!

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: Kyle on August 17, 2012, 08:44:16 AM

Quote from: "Jake"

Just throw in a couple pkgs of turbo yeast from Noble Grape  :lol:  ... it'll get ya drunk  :rock:

I think I'll pass on that one  :lol: Going for quality here

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: brew on August 20, 2012, 01:52:06 PM

Quote from: "Jake"

Just throw in a couple pkgs of turbo yeast from Noble Grape  :lol:  ... it'll get ya drunk  :rock:

You can get a 2 lbs brick of dry active yeast at the coop for like $6...  :mrgreen:

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: Richard on August 20, 2012, 02:32:00 PM

From the wines I've had via Dave, I'd +1 on the Lalvin 71B - nice residual sweetness compared to the hyper-attenuation of the various Champagne yeasts.

http://www.lalvinyeast.com/71B.asp (http://www.lalvinyeast.com/71B.asp)

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: sdixon on September 01, 2012, 09:47:13 AM

Also if you have the time and batches to experiment, you might try combining a KV-1116 (or 71-B) and a high attenuating brewers yeast like Wyeast 3522 or Fermentis T-58. I've been having some good and interesting results combining strains. Currently have a farmhouse'ish ale on combining T-58 and S-33. I pitched them together.

You may prefer to pitch with one yeast first and then add the other after about 60-70% ferment. I'm not sure how it would work with fruit wine, but with beer, your first pitched yeast will give it the majority of the character. If this is the case, you might want to pitch with the 71-B first. The challenge with be for your brewers yeast to start, so create a good starter and add fermentables (table sugar is fine) when you pitch.

I think I've just talked myself into doing a batch like this :-)

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: pliny on September 03, 2012, 09:24:26 PM

If you can get your hands on Montrachet yeast that is a good option for sure.

Title: Re: good yeasts for fruit wines?
Post by: Kyle on September 04, 2012, 10:55:20 PM

thakns guys - for this round, I've decided to go with the 1116.