Ode to WLP007

So I have been using pacman and other "neutral" dry strains for the last three years primarily. Recently I started experimenting with WLP007 and I have to say, THIS STUFF IS AWESOME.

I have dialed this yeast in for about 64 degrees and it attenuates like crazy and seems to leave a softer, more rounded hop bitterness to the beer with very slight fruit esters at this temp. It finishes in 3 days like clockwork and drops like a rock when it's done.

at 64 degrees after 3 days I have experienced this attenuation;

porter mashed at 155
1.060 OG
1.014 FG

IPA mashed at 150
OG = 1.062
FG = 1.010


I have to say, this is impressive...very impressive. It attenuates like WLP001 or Pacman, Flocs way better and I think leaves you an overall tasty, tasty beer. Now to give it a try in Arrogant Bastard and also test its upper limits in an imperial stout.

Did you ever use a starter for your dry yeast? Most of the beers i brew with SA-04 are done in 3 days as well (and i normally dont use a starter) Its all about temp of the wort and food for the yeast.

WLP007 is liquid and I always use a starter of appropriate size, if not a little bigger than reccomended.

Permo,

Good post, and I am very interested. You mentioned fermentation at 64F; I have been using WLP007 exclusively for about 6-8 months, but I do not think I have found it's best temperature yet. I have been resonably happy pitching at 62, raising to 64 the next morning (12 hours later), but then heating up to 67 the following morning (now 36 hours after pitching) for the remainder of fermentation. No D-rest, no crash cool. Just 3-4 weeks at 67. Is your 64 ambient temperature, or are you able to dial a wort temperature of 64? I have to imagine that if your 64 is ambient, and my 67 is wort temp, we are really in the same ballpark. If that is the case, I won't fiddle around with things, but I am interested in knowing that detail.

I appreciate your input on this awesome yeast,
Joe

jfowler1 said:

Permo,

Good post, and I am very interested. You mentioned fermentation at 64F; I have been using WLP007 exclusively for about 6-8 months, but I do not think I have found it's best temperature yet. I have been resonably happy pitching at 62, raising to 64 the next morning (12 hours later), but then heating up to 67 the following morning (now 36 hours after pitching) for the remainder of fermentation. No D-rest, no crash cool. Just 3-4 weeks at 67. Is your 64 ambient temperature, or are you able to dial a wort temperature of 64? I have to imagine that if your 64 is ambient, and my 67 is wort temp, we are really in the same ballpark. If that is the case, I won't fiddle around with things, but I am interested in knowing that detail.

I appreciate your input on this awesome yeast,
Joe

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I have pitched at 60 and kept the temperature of the wort at 64 degrees for the results I posted above. I fermented a batch in the past at 69 and that had a much more distinct ester profile, hard to describe but surely not as clean as at 64. I was concerned with attenuation and the yeast dropping out prematurely at 64, and this surely was not the case. I am wondering if you used this strain and harvested over and over, you could slowly acclimate it to ferment at 60 and ferment dry and clean.

Great to know.

First time I used it, I topped out around 70. I've been slowly dialing it back batch by batch. I agree in the high 60's, there was much more of an ester profile than I wanted or expected.

64 it is. Thanks for the tip.

Joe

I just used this yeast for the first time, made a 2 liter starter on a stirplate, and pitched into 5 gallons of 1.085 wort. Three days later it had come down to 1.045, then it slowed way down. Its definitely still fermenting, but now I am at 2 weeks. Is the gravity actually coming down still? It seems like from what you guys are saying I should be seeing my FG in 3 days... did I underpitch and miss my mark?

bottlebomber said:

I just used this yeast for the first time, made a 2 liter starter on a stirplate, and pitched into 5 gallons of 1.085 wort. Three days later it had come down to 1.045, then it slowed way down. Its definitely still fermenting, but now I am at 2 weeks. Is the gravity actually coming down still? It seems like from what you guys are saying I should be seeing my FG in 3 days... did I underpitch and miss my mark?

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1.085 is a pretty high OG to start compared to others
what was your fermentation temps?

stocktires said:

1.085 is a pretty high OG to start compared to others
what was your fermentation temps?

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I pitched at 70, then it fermented in the 64-66 range for 4 days. After that I left the garage door open for a night and the fermometers read 56 degrees... they went up to 62 over the next 2 days but we had a cold spell and that's about as warm as they got till I brought them inside 2 days ago. Now they are at 67. Brewed 2 weeks ago. I kind of don't want to take a reading because I've already dipped in there three times and im nervous about contamination

bottlebomber said:

I pitched at 70, then it fermented in the 64-66 range for 4 days. After that I left the garage door open for a night and the fermometers read 56 degrees... they went up to 62 over the next 2 days but we had a cold spell and that's about as warm as they got till I brought them inside 2 days ago. Now they are at 67. Brewed 2 weeks ago. I kind of don't want to take a reading because I've already dipped in there three times and im nervous about contamination

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The gravity was not your issue; the problem is the swinging temps.

It attenuates extremely well for an English strain, but it will floc, drop, and quit if you crash cool it too soon (which is essentially what you did).

Next time, have a big enough starter, make the pitching temp the lowest temp the yeast sees, and run it up a few degrees from there. Something along the lines of pitching at 61/62 and fermenting at 65/66.

If your garage gets cold at night, an interior closet with more stable temps might be a better option. Better yet, pitch and allow for growth overnight in the cool garage (60F), then about 12 hours later, move the carboy into the slightly warmer indoor closet (66F) for the duration of fermentation and conditioning.

It is an awesome yeast, but you have to treat it well. It needs lots of aeration, and (like all yeast) benefits from some form of temp control. Give it another shot.

Joe

EDIT - Just reread that you had a 2L starter. I am confident that as long as the yeast was reasonably fresh, the pitch rate was high enough. That narrows the issue down to the temp control problem. If you can stabilize around 66F, the yeast may finish fermenting, but the flavor will not be representive of an ideal fermentation.

I just tool a hydro reading and the IPA has come down from 1.085 to 1.022 so far since I've brought it in to the house. That's pretty good. I like your suggestions though, I will definitely follow that next time

bottlebomber said:

I just tool a hydro reading and the IPA has come down from 1.085 to 1.022 so far since I've brought it in to the house. That's pretty good. I like your suggestions though, I will definitely follow that next time

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That is good, but that yeast can do better. Maintain proper fermentation temperature control next time and it will really attenuate. I just had a 1.072 IPA get down to 1.009

Permo,

Just to follow up....

I took your advice about the 64F fermentation temp, and things are going very well.

I brewed Tasty McDole's JBA, oxygenated, and pitched a 1.5 L starter of WLP007 on Sunday night at 61F (with a 1 degree allowance). Monday morning, I had a light foam gathering on the surface of the wort, and I increased the temp to 63F. That evening, I had a huge krausen with serious blowoff. Tuesday morning (36 hours after pitching), I increased to the final fermentation and conditioning temperature of 65F. Today, the blowoff has subsided a bit, and we are definately in the second half of fermentation. I wouldn't be surprised if I come home tonight to find it basically finished.

This is truly a beast of a yeast, and I look forward to tasting the results of this slightly lower temperature. I have a feeling that 64F will be my target from now on.

Thanks again for the tip.

Joe

Glad to see I am not the only one in love with this yeast. I have made my last few batches of my house IPA with it and am very pleased with the results. I've been pitching and fermenting at 66 (temp probe taped to fermenter and then insulated) but I think next time I'll try 64 and see if I can notice any difference.

This yeast is great. Right now it is my go to yeast for everything that doesn't need a special yeast (belgian, hefeweizen, etc.)

Very clean at 60-64 but kicks off fruity esters at 67-70.

Just recently I didn't have enough space in my chest freezer so I had a split batch cream ale fermenter at 62 and the other at room temp (probably 68-72). The 62 was very crisp and clean and refreshing, the higher temp version was good but a bit more fruity and not as refreshing tasting.

Here is an update on how rediculous this yeast is. I brewed a 1.045 OG bitter which turned out awesome. So I figured what the heck, and I brewed up a 1.072 OG india red ale, mashed at 154 so I could retain some body and pitched on the cake.

FG = 1.008.....you can do the math.

THe beer was FIERY at first, but after being in the keg for 5 weeks it is really nice.

recently brewed what was supposed to be an american barleywine using some washed wlp007 slurry

mashed at 149.5 based on Jamil's recommendation from a podcast and used 3lbs of extract in the boil

OG was 1.086 (i added 1lb of corn sugar today, day 5 of fermentation bringing OG to 1.094 per beersmith) but pre addition SG was 1.014 and it was still bubbling away, i'm concerned there isn't going to be much body now so may end up just calling it a IIPA

assuming all the corn sugar is fermented, its going to still be about 84% attenuation if the FG doesn't go too much lower

Sounds like a delish IPA though...

terrapinj said:

recently brewed what was supposed to be an american barleywine using some washed wlp007 slurry

mashed at 149.5 based on Jamil's recommendation from a podcast and used 3lbs of extract in the boil

OG was 1.086 (i added 1lb of corn sugar today, day 5 of fermentation bringing OG to 1.094 per beersmith) but pre addition SG was 1.014 and it was still bubbling away, i'm concerned there isn't going to be much body now so may end up just calling it a IIPA

assuming all the corn sugar is fermented, its going to still be about 84% attenuation if the FG doesn't go too much lower

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took a gravity reading today 2 weeks in - 1.008 down from 1.094 which is 90% apparent attenuation - I shouldn't have added the sugar in the fermenter

Yeah that's not really barleywine FG... and at over 11% abv its not quite a quaffer either. I would almost consider back sweetening

I just recently brought a 1.090 brown ale I did down to 1.015 in 2 days with this yeast. Its a monster.

looks like i'll be calling it a triple ipa and drinking it relatively young, oh well

sample had very little alcohol bite to it surprisingly.

<resurrection time>

i just went back to 007 after brewing a few batches with san diego super, us05, etc..
still love this strain. it floccs so hard that i had to coax the plug of lumpy yeast from the tube with a chopstick. ha!

this yeast makes an amazing Red Chair or Arrogant Bastard - just put in a 1.5L starter into a black ipa and at 66f, produced a 5" kreusen monster. i'll be able to wash it a couple of times, at least. peanut butter chocolate stout, anyone? :rockin: