Abbaye Wherry?

[piper]

I had an idea, but I'm still a novice so thought I'd ask for some advice first. I have acquired a bottle of Westvleteren 12 and a Woodforde's Wherry kit. I've brewed Wherry before so I thought it might be time for an experiment.

Wherry comes in two cans and I've got two buckets, so the idea is to make a batch from each tin. In one I'd use the sachet of yeast supplied with the kit. Should I use the whole packet or just half ot it?

For the second batch, I'd drink most of my Westvleteren 12, and use the dregs as the yeast. What quantity would I need for a batch of 20 pints of Wherry, do I need to cultivate it somehow beforehand (if so, how) and, most of all, what's it likely to taste like?

 

[lancsSteve]

Westvleteren use the westmalle yeast (wy3787 Trappist High Gravity) - HOW did you get that bottle? Only ever had one bottle of the 8 but hoping to visit them in April and get a crate - IF I can get through on the phone.

The idea of pouring one of the best beers in the worlds dregs into one of the worst-reputation beer kits in the world makes me shudder personally!

You'd DEF need to culture it up using DME in a milk bottle (4tbsp DME to 330ml water, boil 15 minutes, cool, aererate, pitch dregs and make sure you rinse out bottle) then step up to full milk bottle once it gets going - requires a lot of patience as can be a week or more to go up to pitchable quantity in a few steps. The 12 yeast will have gone through the wars to get to 12% so viability could be an issue.

Likely to taste? Depends how long you leave it! If you;re lucky it will be great but too bitter and hoppy to be much like a belgian.

 

[piper]

Westvleteren use the westmalle yeast (wy3787 Trappist High Gravity) - HOW did you get that bottle? Only ever had one bottle of the 8 but hoping to visit them in April and get a crate - IF I can get through on the phone.

You can't buy it commercially (except from the monks) but there's a flourishing black market trade, at least in Bruges. You won't find it in any shops or bars but I asked for it at a pub out of curiosity and they sold me one for ten euros. My B&B host also had some available for 6 euros each.

The abbey sounds amazing. Apparently you need to check the availability from their website, then phone to make an appointment (if you can get through) about a week in advance. You're allowed 2 crates, I'm told, and it looks like the crates cost 38 euros each (for 24 bottles).