Mikkeller, a Danish brewer with quite a following in the United States, recently released a Single Hop Series, where a number of identical beers, save for the individual hop used, were released--made a big splash. I, alas, was distracted and missed that release, but recently headed over to the Trappist in Oakland for the Yeast Series. A pale ale produced with the same malt, hops, and water for each but with five different yeasts. The opportunity for side-by-side comparison was indeed educational.
The Lager/Bohemian yeast beer had a sweeter nose and a soft but slightly crisp grip. The underlying richness really opened up into complexity as the beer opened and this understated beer was undoubtedly my favorite of the lot. The American Ale yeast beer was very neutral indeed--more wine-type smells on the nose, showing more malt and clean and straightforward in the mouth. The other ingredients, not the yeast, dominated the taste profile here. The Hefeweizen yeast beer sang the familiar tune of banana and oranges and was creamy and delicious, but the fruity esters do get tiring after a bit--man does this yeast have strong characteristics. The Belgian yeast beer was soft, rounded and caramelesque. The aromas were particularly soft and come-into-my-reading-library-with-a-roaring-fire-in-the-middle-of-winter-esque. The Brettanomyces yeast beer offered excellent sour cherries on the nose and clean simple tart fruit in the taste. Came off as a bit too yeasty as the beer went along, but, all in all, one of my favorites. Pretty eye-opening for me to discover how interesting an effect the lager yeast had and the degree to which even the strong flavor and aroma components of the hefeweizen and brettanomyces yeasts still depend on the underlying hop/malt/water presence of the beer that either provides depth and a foundation for those elements or fails to do so. Controlled comparisons rock!