WLP007 Dry English Ale

[SEndorf]

My wife is a Bud / Miller drinker so I agreed to make something for her.
Sort of a Bud clone with 6 row, flaked rice and a bit of carapils.
But rather than lager it, I'm using WLP007 for the first time keeping it at the lowest end of the recommended fermentation at 65.
Typically you don't do a diacetyl rest on an ale yeast, but I'm wondering if I should make an exception to help clean this up. I admit I took a shortcut using this yeast, but I want it as clean and crisp as possible. Anyone with experience with this yeast? Thoughts?

 

[danthebugman]

Even with an ale yeast a lot of people will bump up the temperature towards the end of fermentation a little to encourage the yeast to finish fermenting and clean up after itself. Another option if you wanted to stick with a lager yeast in the future is to do something like Saflager 34/70 at an ale temp. Check out Brulosophy's blog as they've done experiments with this and there's also a few threads here that deal with it.

 

[JJack887]

007 is a great strain. I can vouch for it.

 

[CA_Mouse]

I have used WLP007 for a lot of my higher ABV beers. I always ferment in the 64-66*F range for 3 to 4 days and then allow it to rise to about 72*F. This allows it to finish any residual sugars and clean up any off flavors that may have occurred by the lower temperature. It will give a clean, dry finish, but I've not had it provide what I would consider a crisp finish. Admittedly, I have never used 6-Row or rice/corn and don't make lagers.

 

[Bsquared]

WLP-810, San Francisco lager yeast used at its higher end 65 will still end up very clean, this is the yeast Anchor steam uses in its California common. I've used it to mave some really nice American "lager-ish beers. there are at least two Brewery's I know of down here that are using it to brew lagers and are fermenting with it in the low 60's.
007 is not really happy below 68, and can stall out, it really prefers to start at 66-68, and ramp up to the low 70's.

 

[SEndorf]

Good information. Thanks.
Very active fermentation for 4 days at 65. I'll pop it up to 67.
Although this is not a high grav beer.

 

[CA_Mouse]

Good information. Thanks.
Very active fermentation for 4 days at 65. I'll pop it up to 67.
Although this is not a high grav beer.

I wasn't saying that only high ABV beers are needed, just that I've only used it on them. Mainly because it is a beast on the fermentable sugars and attenuates extremely well. I've used San Diego Super Yeast in the same way, for the same reasons. Use them because I know that they will handle what I throw at them.

If it is still fermenting violently, I'd let it go another day or so. Usually I've let it start rising in temperature once it starts to slow down. Sounds like it is preforming for you in the same way it does for me.

 

[505-Brewer]

You most certainly do a DA rest on ales. Yes fermenting warmer produces more DA but also reduces it more quickly too. Homebrewers tend to leave the beer on yeast for quite sometime removing DA, but any respectable microbrewery is paying a lot of attention to DA. They'll do a sensory perception as sampled and as heated. A double negative by a number of folks w diff't pallets is required for it to be deemed ready to crash cool and package. Better yet a UV-vis spectrometer will over ride all pallets. Its a big deal. DA can ruin many beers, not just lagers. Simple attention and time and caution (or a spectrometer) can insure DA free beer. But yes lagers are expected to produce more DA.

 

[doublebogey10]

007 is a great strain. I can vouch for it.

Harvest it and use it again. Third- and fourth-generation 007 is terrific.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

My wife is a Bud / Miller drinker so I agreed to make something for her.

Sort of a Bud clone with 6 row, flaked rice and a bit of carapils.

But rather than lager it, I'm using WLP007 for the first time keeping it at the lowest end of the recommended fermentation at 65.

Typically you don't do a diacetyl rest on an ale yeast, but I'm wondering if I should make an exception to help clean this up. I admit I took a shortcut using this yeast, but I want it as clean and crisp as possible. Anyone with experience with this yeast? Thoughts?

I really love this yeast, and I use it on a lot of my ales, although, typically on relatively complex malty and/or hoppy styles (* i don't tend to use much more than 1/4 - 1/2 lb crystal/caramel for most 5-6 gal recipes, but I like to mingle base malt such as 2-row or MO with some Vienna and/or Munich). I love it at 64-65 for a week or even two, then ramped up over another week or two to 67-70. I find keeping it at the low end longer keeps it "cleaner" tasting. IME, no need to rush bringing up the temps, and I haven't experienced any diacetyl issues with this yeast.

It has great attenuation (I like mine dry), and especially if you bottle, it flocculates like cement at the bottom of the bottle, which is a plus.

However, I did try this recently in a very light grainbill, and only a 4.5% beer (my lowest ABV to date), and the English character came through quite a bit compared to previous batches. On this one, it was kept at 66 for a week and then ramped up to 68 for 2 more. I'd not expect a super lager-like profile with this with a really light base grain bill. Don't get me wrong, I really like this at 64-65 for the first week or so of fermentation, and it yields a very clean ale, but with a very light grain bill, the English ale flavor will likely find its way through.