Belgian Ardennes
The most restrained of the Belgian strains: light pepper and pear rather than a full phenolic assault, and it drops bright, which most of them do not.
Apparent attenuation
72-76%
72% - 76%
Fermentation
18-27 C
18C - 27C
Flocculation
High
Drops hard and early. Rouse it if the gravity stalls above target.
On a 1.050 wort
1.012-1.014
the finishing gravity its range implies, or 4.7-5.0% ABV
The same organism, different labels
Wyeast 3522
White Labs WLP550
Labs do not confirm each other’s provenance and these are not guaranteed identical. They are close enough to plan a batch around, which is what the list is for.
Find this strainWhere it belongs
- Belgian Pale Ale
- Belgian Blond Ale
- Saison
Pitching it
One fresh sachet or a healthy starter is enough for an ordinary-gravity ale. Above about 1.060, build a starter or pitch two: under-pitching produces fusel alcohol that no amount of conditioning removes.
Other belgian strains
Belgian Abbey
74-78%Spicy and fruity, with pepper and dark stone fruit that build as the temperature rises. Tolerates high gravity well.
Trappist High Gravity
74-82%The Westmalle strain, and the one to reach for above 8%: fruity, dry, and capable of finishing a quadrupel without stalling or throwing fusels.
Saison
78-95%Peppery, dry, and notorious for stalling around 1.020 before finishing if kept warm. Will attenuate further than any other common strain.
French Saison
77-83%The saison strain for people who do not want a three-week stall: attenuates almost as far, far more reliably, with more citrus and less pepper.
Belgian Witbier
72-76%Tart and lightly phenolic, leaving the haze a wit needs and a spiciness that meets the coriander halfway.
Belgian Golden Strong
73-80%The Duvel lineage: fiercely attenuative, pear and light pepper, and it will take a 1.080 wort down past 1.008 if you give it sugar and warmth.