Wlp002

I just wanted to throw out how impressed I am with this yeast. I pitched it on saturday morning at about 9:00 am (S.G 1.055) and racked it into secondary yesterday morning (F.G 1.014) and this stuff is already finished AND clear. I think that's got to be the fastest turnaround I've ever had

When they say this stuff has very high flocculation they were'nt kidding.

I'm currantly fermenting an Oatmeal Stout with 002 and when I did my starter, I had a hard time keeping the yeast from coagulating.

Great yeast!

Bull

Yeah I use this strain for most of my ales (well, the Wyeast 1968 strain). I love its malty richness, slight sweetness, super fruity esters, and high flocculation.

One word of caution - don't get overzealous to rack when you see the beer get clear. I've been SURE the beer was done, racked it into a keg, carbed it up, only to find that it has a bit of diacetyl. It's happened to me a couple times (I'm impatient). You definitely want to make sure you raise ferm temp as it slows down - this helps with the diacetyl.

I can usually get my 1.060 beers and under in the keg within 6-10 days with this yeast. Love it.

Oh, and to bullinachinashop, when you make a starter with this yeast and you see it flocculate like that, it's DONE.

Even on my stirplate, the yeast's flocculation is strong enough that it's able to begin clumping even as it whirlpools around. I love having such a clear indication that my starter is ready.

Thanks for the heads up. I tasted it after transfering and there was no noticable diacetyl. It definitely needs some time to mellow the flavors though.

Sometimes you can't taste it at the time of racking. There's a sensory trick that allows you to check for diacetyl that I got from Yeast by White and Zainasheff.

-Pull two small samples of the beer from the fermentor and place in two identical glasses.
-Cover both samples.
-Set one aside.
-Put the other one in a hot water bath that has been heated to 140-160*F.
-Let the glass sit for 5-10 minutes.
-Remove, and using a cool water bath, chill it to the same temp as the control sample.

If the yeast haven't cleaned up the diacetyl, you should be able to smell and taste it in the heated one. Apparently diacetyl is an oxidative product of something else the yeast produce, and the heat speeds up the reaction and makes it more noticeable.

I've had batches that didn't taste like diacetyl straight from the fermentor, but after a few days on tap I start to notice it. Since my last one, I've been doing this D-test every time (if I'm rushing a beer) and it hasn't come up positive but I'll still keep doing it... To me, diacetyl is one of the ultimate let downs after you've put so much effort into making a beer, mostly because you don't notice it until you're all excited to be drinking it.

Not trying to scare you, though - hope your beer turns out well.

Thanks for the info. I had never heard that before and it sounds like something thats definitely worth doing. I too had always been disapointed when the diacetyl rears its ugly head after you've started drinkning it. Thankfully though diacetyl is easy enough to fix.

I wish i had known about it ealier because i just bottled a Scotch Ale yesterday and would have like to check it beforehand. I plan on entering it in a comp in June. Thankfully a little diacetyl is ok for a SA.