Any update on this? I'm considering 530 for a Belgian Dark Strong I am doing soon. White Labs describes it as giving "distinct plum and fruitiness", which is what I'm looking for. I was figuring on pitching at 66 and keeping it in the high 60's for 2 or 3 days and then slowly going up to the 74-75 range. Any suggestions are welcome. Also, how long does it typically take to finish and is it prone to stalling?
I think the Westmalle (530) strain is a wonderful balance of fruit and spice, but the spice is present, if not assertive, and the result is not particularly fruity. (edit: that might be misleading: it has a wonderful fruit character, but in concert with spice, and the overall impression is not dominantly fruity.) I agree that 500 is better for fruity.
If you go with it, I have found it to be a user-friendly yeast: it doesn't stall, it's very alcohol tollerant, and it flocs well enough eventually. However, I have found that 530 really needs some time to condition. It just makes a huge difference when you let it age 2 months in the bottle (it would probably also work to naturally carb in a keg, if that's your preference.) Personally, I have found that all the trappist/abbey type strains benefit from some age---Chimay (WLP 500) can get really heavy in banana and be a little solventy when young, six weeks later, it's more apple/stone fruit and the solvents are gone. So, time is the one user friendliness ding I'd give these yeasts, but it really has to do with patience, not tricks in handling.
By the way, I ferment all my belgians in the mid to upper sixties (high gravity --> lower) and never bother to ramp them. I find that this works well, avoiding phenol bombs and paint remover.