You can think of yeast profiles somewhat like a stereo with a broken tuning knob. However, there is nothing that says you can't use an estery yeast to make a beer with a clean, ester-free profile. The only exception is Irish Red, which is expected to contain no esters according to BJCP. American and British strains of ale yeast do tend to have somewhat similar, estery profiles, so it's not surprising that the descriptions for nearly all of these styles make a mention of fruitiness or esters in both aroma and flavor. Harpoon brews an IPA, a combination Pale Ale/Amber Ale, a Brown Ale, and an Irish Red Ale in the Spring. I'll be referencing the BJCP style guidelines alot for this for those unfamiliar, this is the body responsible for certifying people to judge beer competitions (also not a bad life), and they are also the clearing house for style definitions in a way, so that all us beer geeks around the world can use a consistent vocabulary when discussing matters of style.įirst the ales in the British and American tradition, as there is some overlap here. They must have worked very hard to find just the right strain, and I imagine that using a single strain is very convenient, in that it limits the chance of cross contamination within the brewery and makes the work of managing the yeast farm that much simpler. The strain is also an ale yeast, which works quicker and is, by most accounts, less temperamental than lager strains (we'll get into the difference in a later article). What the tour guide was saying then, is that Harpoon selected and then patented their particular strain of yeast based primarily on the fact that the founders were particularly pleased with the estery profile it produced. They also produce various other compounds that impact the flavor and aromatic character of the finished beer, among them esters (a class of compounds with fruity or citrusy flavor and aroma) and phenolics (a class of compounds with a spicy flavor and aroma). During the feeding process, they turn simple sugars in wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide (which if trapped, as in bottle conditioned or cask beer, will naturally carbonate the beer). They breed, then they feed, then they sleep until someone provides them more food (not a bad life if you ask me). Yeast are single-celled organisms that turn sweet wort into beer. This didn't quite do it for me, so I decided to dig a little deeper.įirst, a tiny primer on yeast for the uninformed. wheat beer.Asked about it during the tour I attended, the guide simply explained that flavor differences among the styles were a result of ingredients, that is the barley and hops were different, but that the common string running through the beers in their main lineup-marking them like a signature for anyone with a palate refined enough to read it-was the fruity profile of their proprietary yeast strain. Could use a bit more clove spice to balance the bitterness at the end of the sip. It would be nice to have some more banana to mix with the faint melon. Overall: “This one has a little more hops in it and not that much wheat. A light touch of melon sweetness appears in the middle of the sip, with a bit of bitterness at the end of the sip. The hops bitterness is medium-low, and nicely balances the malt with a bit of resinous, woody character. It doesn’t smell like a traditional German hefe.”įlavor: “A chewy wheat flavor up front, with light banana, honey, and a touch of spice. Floral hops and a faint solventy note that blends with a perfume-like ester. Low yeast contribution with some fruity esters. Because it is unfiltered, the yeast accounts for the cloudiness of the pour as well as a faint but clear citrus-like character.” What our panel thoughtĪroma: “Moderate bready wheat with a slight lemony edge, and a touch of honey sweetness. “UFO Hefeweizen, an American wheat beer, pours a cloudy, golden color with a dense, frothy head.
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