WLP 550 for a wheat beer?

I did a search here and came up with one thread where someone tried WLP 550 Belgium Ale with WLP 400 for a wit beer. Never posted the results, unfortunately. Anyone ever do a Belgium wheat with 550 and compare with other wheat beer yeasts (belgium or otherwise?) Wheat beers seem to get a lot of character from the yeast, but so do Belgium's.

I am thinking of doing a dark wheat beer and testing 550 with another wheat yeast to see the difference. However, any advice or experience would really help! Thanks!

Your searching will almost certainly go better if you use the adjective "Belgian" instead of the noun "Belgium" as part of your search terms. You wouldn't search for a "Germany hefeweizen", would you? I'm not trying to be an ass; it really will help the search process.

That said, I think 550, at relatively high temps, would give a very nice effect in a witbier style ale. No, it won't be the same as one of the wit specific strains, but 550 is surprisingly close. I've never done a split wort test with any of these strains, but after drinking a lot of beers made with 550, and using it once, that's my impression, for what it's worth.

Belgian/Belgium wasn't even in my search, as I used "550" and "wheat" in my search. Anyway, the point is taken about using the adjective. I wasn't paying attention!

550 won't give you a Hefeweizen or a Wit, but it will give you a great beer. I would give it a little longer to age than a hefe or wit (both of which can be drunk young).

Mk010101 said:

Belgian/Belgium wasn't even in my search, as I used "550" and "wheat" in my search. Anyway, the point is taken about using the adjective. I wasn't paying attention!

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Just to say it... I love the 550.

robtotten said:

550 won't give you a Hefeweizen or a Wit, but it will give you a great beer. I would give it a little longer to age than a hefe or wit (both of which can be drunk young).

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Hmmm, I had forgotten the fact of wheat beers are best young. I also like my wheat's cloudy, and if 550 flocs well, then that would defeat the purpose. Probably best to let wheat's be fermented with yeasts specific for them. I still may give it a shot, make a 5 gallon batch and split it. Ferment 1 gallon with 550 and the rest with another yeast.

I've been intrigued by information out of BLAM talking about how brewers want to make beers drinkable (aka more attenuated.) I am new to belgian yeasts, having never tried them. I plan on testing various beers with them to see how or even IF I like them. Thus the reason for the thread. WLP 550 seems like a yeast fit for many styles just based on what WLP website says, and so, I am starting here.