pitching red onto cream ale (WLP080) cake

So, first off let me say this the title is a bit misleading since I will not be pitching on to the whole cake. I will pitch onto an appropriate amount of slurry for the beer that I brew.

My main question is that I am going to be racking a cream ale and bring a red ale next weekend. I searched the forums but didn't seem to see anybody ever using this yeast for a beer style like this. My thought is that it should just make for a very clean red (or any beer for that matter...)

Any thoughts or input? Recipe something like this:

9# US 2 row
14oz Crystal 120
1# Melanoidin Malt
8oz Carapils
2oz Special B

.75 Cascade @ FWH
1oz Cascade @ 20min

WLP080 Cake

Am I going to make something extra good because of this yeast?

Should be fine.

Thanks for the response. I usually strive to make great beers, as we all do - by "fine", do you think it will be good? Better than say wlp001? I'm thinking a really clean, almost lager like red would be great. If it would be better with the traditional yeast I'll prob just use that....

If you want a lager-like red, then use a lager yeast. I have no idea how "clean" your cream ale tastes, so I have nothing to go off of. WLP001, fermented in the low 60s, produces a very clean, lagerish ale, but will not be the same as a truly lagered beer. Asking us to tell you how your yeast works is pretty silly, when it comes down to it.

Subscribed, I think the best was to find out is do it! I almost used a cream ale yeast on a brown ale cause we had it laying around, but punked out and ran out to get more wlp002. Wish i did it just to see the difference.

Thanks for the responses! I guess I'll just do it and report back. Who knows, maybe I'll stumble upon some great tasting recipe/yeast combo! I know white labs does a red with the yeast in their tasting room, but I've never heard anything about it or tasted it (need to stop by next time I'm down there....)

My cream ale is based of of 'Cream of Three Crops' on this forum and always comes out very crisp and clean, especially after about the two week mark in the keg (3-4 week primary). I'll do the experiment and post my results for anyone who is interested.

BTW... any input on my Red recipe above? This is my second Red recipe, but is pretty different from my first. Looking for a dark mahogany color with a strong malt backbone.

Thanks and Cheers!

In my opinion, a pound of melanoidan is a bit much. I would reduce it by half. If you want a nice, malty character, replace a third or so of the 2-row with Munich base malt. For a more complex dark crystal character, I usually use an equal amount of special B and dark English crystal. So in your case, about a half pound each of special b and c120. Some people find special b a bit offensive, but I really like it.

urbanmyth said:

In my opinion, a pound of melanoidan is a bit much. I would reduce it by half. If you want a nice, malty character, replace a third or so of the 2-row with Munich base malt. For a more complex dark crystal character, I usually use an equal amount of special B and dark English crystal. So in your case, about a half pound each of special b and c120. Some people find special b a bit offensive, but I really like it.

Click to expand...

Thanks - this is exactly the input I was hoping for. When you say offensive, what do you mean? I really enjoy the raisin, plumb, currant flavors, so maybe I'll like it too. I just don't have much experience with special B. The majority of my brewing has been APA's, IPA's, Cream Ales, Lagers and a few specialty ales like pumpkin beers.

Here is my second crack at it, I upped the OG a bit too...


7# US 2 row
3# Munich Malt
1# Vienna Malt
12oz Crystal 120
8oz Melanoidin Malt
8oz Carapils
4oz Special B
1# Honey (not Honey Malt) just for ABV boost

0.75oz Magnum (12%) @ 60min
0.5oz Cascade (5.5%) @ FWH
1oz Cascade (5.5%) @ 10min
0.5oz Amarillo (7.4%) @ 10min

Ferment @ 58-62deg F with slurry of WLP080 Cream Ale Blend

If the honey is just for an ABV boost, I wouldn't waste it. Just use table sugar.

I figured I would update this thread too - I posted what I ended up going with in the Recipes forum. Just in case anyone is interested....


So I brewed my red this last Friday (11/23/12) and made some changes based on what I had in my grain bin.

75% RO water and 25% tap (Huntington Beach, Ca water). Added CaCl2, Gypsum, and some MgSO4 to get calcium levels up and Cl/S04 ratios balanced.

5.75 gallon batch into fermenter

7.5# Pale Malt US 2-row
2.5# Munich
1.5# Vienna
12oz Melanoiden Malt
8oz Crystal 40
8oz Crystal 60
4oz Aromatic Malt
4oz Crystal 120
4oz Special B

75 min mash @ 152f (RIMS tube)

0.5oz Simcoe @ FWH
0.5oz Cascade @ FWH
0.5oz Magnum @ 60min
0.25 Simcoe @ 10min
0.25 Cascade @ 10min
0.25 Simcoe @ 0min
0.25 Cascade @ 0min

Crushed Whirlfloc Tab @ 10min
0.5 tsp Yeast Nutrient @ 10min

Pure O2 through SS stone for 30-45 seconds

Approximately 150 ml of washed WLP080 thick slurry from a cream ale pitched at 65f and quickly brought down in chamber to be fermented at ~60-62f (beer temp from immersed thermowell).

That's where she sits now. It's been 4 days now and I just took the blowoff tube off (which was needed). Should be good!

OG: 1.068
Hoping for and FG around 1.014-1.016