Wy 3522

I had never used this before and decided to give it a try. The recipe was along the lines of a Belgian Dark strong ale.

Made a starter Tuesday with the WY 3522. It volcano-ed out the top of the flask overnight. It settled in eventually with a couple inch layer of foam/krausen. It bubbled away very actively and never seemed to slow down. I pitched it last night and it is going crazy this morning.

It's a 5 gallon batch in a 7.5 gallon bucket. I've got a blowoff tube on and the fridge holding it at 65, but it was already spitting foam up into the tube after only 8 hours. I was planning to let it free rise, but I think I'm going to have to hold it cool until it settles a bit.

Anyone have experience with this strain? I'm hoping for a somewhat restrained, spicy beligian funk with smooth alcohol notes. Anyone with advice on how to walk that tightrope?

I ferment that yeast around 70 for the flavor profile you're looking for. Then I do a pseudo-lager around 50 after reaching FG - helps calm any alcohols.

How long do you pseudo-lager for?

3-4 weeks. I do it for all my Belgians, which I think I picked up from a description about how Duvel does their beers.