Top Fermenting WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager Yeast?

My strain of WLP802 Czech Budejovice Lager Yeast seems to always ferment at the top. See pic. Is this just my strain, or does anyone else experience this?

The terms top fermenting and bottom fermenting are anachronisms and really do not accurately describe the activity of ale and lager yeasts. WLP802 is a true lager yeast.

Yeah it behaves in all other ways like a lager yeast and give very nice lager flavors. I know lager yeast can ferment at the top, I was just wondering if anyone else is experiencing top fermentation with this strain, or if it was something in my environment as I start up my batches from a perpetually growing mother.

Sweet lord, that's ugly!!! Is that typical for lager yeasts?

If I saw that after pitching good ol' US-05 dry, then I'd get a young priest and an old priest to help me dump it!

Yeah, I've never seen anything ferment like that, but then I don't have much experience with lagers. Slouch is an experienced yeast farmer, so he may have his own version of Czech Bud by now.

Yeah when I look at it looks nice and healthy on a slow ferment. If I warmed it up 5 degrees the wort would boil and churn, but when it is cool the yeast gathers together and looks like a sponge. This batch is only 4 SRM and turned out really clear which is why the yeast can be seen so well.

Usually my lager strains ride much lower in the tank though. Looking at the pic I would have thought it was an ale if I hadn't pitched it my self.

The temp on this is 58. I would normally want it at 53 but my lager fridge is full. Perhaps the higher temp is why it is riding the top.

The pic was taken about 18 hours after pitch. High kreusen was about 36 hours.

very interesting. Lagers are of my most favorate beers to brew, but all the strains I use are true bottom fermenters, although I have no experience with the strain your using.

Most of the yeast has flocculated now, but still undergoing active fermentation. So it must have just been a stage of life for this strain.

I brew a lot of lagers using quite a variety of dry and liquid yeasts, and have never had anything even remotely like that.
Are you pitching a whole yeast cake? It sounds like you are repitching a yeast cake and using multiple generations giving a whole lot of yeast.

Looks like you pitched brain matter? lol.

Never seen it do that before. Interesting

boo boo said:

I brew a lot of lagers using quite a variety of dry and liquid yeasts, and have never had anything even remotely like that.
Are you pitching a whole yeast cake? It sounds like you are repitching a yeast cake and using multiple generations giving a whole lot of yeast.

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I typically make a starter from a mother that I grow indefinitely. I feed the mother regularly, and when I need some yeast poor off the top wort from the mother. split it in half, and feed both of them. The new one is my start. Mother goes back to her feeding schedule.

Depending on how big the mother is, half could be more or less, but usually between 20-30 fl. oz.

bbone66 said:

Looks like you pitched brain matter? lol.

Never seen it do that before. Interesting

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I have achieved brain matter yeast before. I am always quite excited when that happens. When it is in there it looks like a natural sea sponge.

It can happen to top and bottom fermenting yeast. I view it as a sign of a really good fermentation. The flavor is usually always very smooth from the brain formation. And it looks cool besides.

And it looks cool besides.

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lol that it does.