WLP001/002 Top Croppage?

[carrotmalt]

I'd like to try top cropping with the WLP001 I'm using now. It has a nice creamy krausen that I could easily scoop off the top, but the White Labs website doesn't say anything about top cropping for it like it does other strains.

I've been getting around 82% attenuation and am thinking about trying WLP002 to lessen that. Anybody have success top cropping either of these strains?

 

[lyacovett]

I top crop WLP001. Works fine for me. I think it is easier than washing yeast. I could crop WLP001 and fill up almost half a quart with a thick slurry. I was on my 7th batch or so when I got lazy, didn't do it, so had to go buy a new vial.

I think you can top crop just about any yeast, but some form a larger krausen than others, so you may not get a large of a yield.

 

[kanzimonson]

002 is my house yeast and I find that it usually has a pretty small krausen, which would make top cropping difficult.

Changing to this yeast is a great way to lower your attenuation, but just know that these two yeasts have extremely different flavor profiles. 002 is explosively malty and rich, and really emphasizes your grain bill over your hops. It also will leave the finished beer a little sweeter.

I recommend trying WLP050 first. It's similar to 001, but slightly less attenuative. And it flocculates like crazy - I love my beers to be clear of yeast so this is my choice when it comes to making American ales.

 

[carrotmalt]

002 is my house yeast and I find that it usually has a pretty small krausen, which would make top cropping difficult.

Changing to this yeast is a great way to lower your attenuation, but just know that these two yeasts have extremely different flavor profiles. 002 is explosively malty and rich, and really emphasizes your grain bill over your hops. It also will leave the finished beer a little sweeter.

I recommend trying WLP050 first. It's similar to 001, but slightly less attenuative. And it flocculates like crazy - I love my beers to be clear of yeast so this is my choice when it comes to making American ales.

Thanks for the tip. I just did some reading at White Labs, and I may try the WLP051 instead of the WLP050 since I'm not going to distill it . I do still want to try the 002 as well though. Maybe I'll wait and use it for my first English Bitter and try the 051 for my next pale ale.

By the way if 002 is your house strain, what styles are you using it with?

Edit: Also, how is the 051 for a top cropping candidate?

 

[kanzimonson]

Oops! Obviously I meant 051 there!

I use 002 with practically any style. I like really malty beers, even if they're bitter and hoppy as well. This yeast strain is just bursting with flavor. I also find that I like my beers baaaaarely sweeter than most people, again, even with hoppy beers. I have a brown ale I make a lot and this is where I learned to like the yeast, but since then I use it in anything from pale ales to stouts. I think American brown ales are great with this yeast - you have the ability to get a rich and malty beer, but also play with the hops to get the bitter balance you need. So delicious.

 

[carrotmalt]

Well, my next vial will probably be the 051. I'll probably try and top crop it if there's a decent amount of krausen. Even if I can only get a small amount, it seems like I could still incrementally step it up in a starter.

I'm just not sure if there's something magic about the krausen from top cropping yeast varieties beyond the extra head size.