Belgian yeast

I like Belgians more on the subdued side so which Belgian yeast would have the least phenolic and esters. the new one from Wyeast sounds interesting Wyeast 1581

Wlp550

I agree about 550 but any Belgian strain fermented on the cooler side will have less of an ester profile and more phenolic character.

I just used antwerp ale from white labs. Its a seasonal but as described fermented pretty clean (for a belgian anyhow) and accentuated the malt quite a bit in the batch I just made. I didn't even ferment all that cold I think it got up to 72 at some point. I agree the belgian stout strain sounds very interesting.

would WLP550 be more subdued than WLP530

Ferment any Belgian strain on the cooler side and it will be fairly subdued.

wont the lower temps create phenols

Yup, ferment it cool and it will be quite mellow with the phenos! I bought a Farmhouse Ale yeast with the intent to enter in a contest, the entry did not happen before I brewed so I brewed and fermented at 64°F and it turned out pretty good. I entered a different contest as a Saison and scored 35! (the comments were that it would have been more to style if it were fermented warmer as it lacked the esters the style called for)

Keep it cool and good luck!

wont the lower temps create phenols

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That has been my experience with WLP550. I fermented a beer @ 64 and it was crazy phenolic, almost undrinkable. It did mellow out after a few months but was never that good. On my second attempt with that yeast, I pitched at 65, held at 68 for a few days, then ramped up one degree a day up to 75. The results were much better. No detectable phenolic character, at least to my palate.

Of the Wyeast selections 3522 is the most neutral..

I,like the yeast but prefer more yeast flavor so i do not us it a lot. But occasionally it is perfect for some brews.

sounds like a real balancing act to get a neutral character out of these yeasts totally unlike American or English yeast

Brew Like a Monk has some great info on this topic in chapter 8. For Wyeast, your best bet is 3522, it's 510 for White Labs. Do a cooler fermentation for both of them, ~65F.

I've found Wyeast's 1762 to be the most "neutral" of the lineup, though I haven't tried them all. Fermented cool, around 65-68 tops, it's mild, but definitely tasty.