I have ordered some Saccharomyces boulardii and plan to do a test brew this weekend. Going to do 5l/1gallon brew with only pale malt ~1040 OG. Will add a small amount of Perle or saaz depending what is in the freezer.
I will report back in a week or 2, with the recipe and results.
Reporting back... [21 Mar 2016]
Apologies it has been a while, I got it going eventually, and I am not convinced that it fermented to completion, sorry took no readings; I will pop a bottle and take some gravity readings. I have bottled it up and tried some yesterday. It was not hideous, there was a faint sulphur tinge to it, but it tasted OK. I would not say great.
I did not get Banana esters off it, but my kitchen has not been that warm ~ 18C.
It was very cloudy and had not dropped out as I am assuming that s.boulardii has not been selected for this trait. Also, I am not totally convinced it had finished fermenting; it seemed pretty slow.
I'll stick a couple of the bottles in the fridge and see if it drops clear or not.
If I was doing this again what would I change...
- I used about 10 capsules in the starter, I would up this closer to 40;
- OR I would collect the flocculated sediment and reuse this, thereby selecting for flocculation;
- I would probably mix it with some ale yeast, to ensure completion in a faster timeframe;
Await further updates....
[06 Apr 2016]
It is refusing to drop clear, the flavour is not the most appealing in the world. Sightly harsh and astringent.