WLP530 - Know it, fear it!

I am used to blowoffs. I brew a lot of beer in the 1.070 range and I know that some yeast can be explosive. And yes, this is a Belgian yeast, which will naturally be volatile at higher temperatures.

However!

I have a 1.044 beer at 70 degrees and it blew my airlock off! It looked all nice and mellow yesterday and then boom! I had to clean out my new (used chest freezer) on its first beer.

Oh well, it smells great.

 

That yeast strain could ferment a rusted out Volkswagon...

 

Noooooo ****. I love it. I can't wait to put something around 1.100 on the cake. I will make a bomb.

 

Pictures? We need brew pr0n.

 

70F seems to be the magic number.
I had a 1.045 pale ale that was about to launch the airlock on day 3 at 72F.
It's in secondary with B lambicus, so it won't be ready for months, but the hydrometer sample was awesome.
I washed that yeast for a 1.068 dubbel and pitched at 66F instead of 68F.
After 4 days it started to push out the krausen when it reached 72F again.
There's a thick layer of yeast at the bottom of the jar.

 

What a coincidence...I brewed a pre-Triple ale two weeks ago using Wyeast 3787 Trappist High Gravity Yeast (supposedly the same Westmalle strain as WLP530) and I'm kegging it tonight. I plan to wash the yeast and harvest three half-pint mason jars and pitch the rest into the Tripel (my first) that I'm brewing tomorrow. Shooting for 1.090 OG, highest gravity I've ever tried.

I plan to make it a 5.25 gal batch in a 6 gal carboy...just to try and prevent too much blowoff. Seems there is a LOT of yeast in the blowoff of the two Belgian strains I've recently tried (other was WY1762 Belgian Abbey II, aka Rochefort, also WLP540).

This Trappist HG def seems to have a stronger smell than the 1762 Belgian Abbey II. Neither beer is anywhere close to being ready to drink though.

EDIT: Both brews blewoff twice too...they blew and subsided but as soon as the temp went up a bit they both blew again.

 

It was late and I just wanted to clean it up. Next time.

 

Question: How high of an OG do you think you need to add the sugar during fermentation (instead of just adding it all in the kettle)? If you did a 1.090 brew would you add any sugar during fermentation...or just add it all during the boil?

Note: when I say 1.090...I mean the 'final' OG you'll have after all the sugar is added.

Due to burner issues I ended up with only a little over 5 gal. in a 6 gal carboy for my Tripel and it didn't blow off...until I added the first dump of sugar.

 

I know this is an old post but WHOA! This just fermented the sh*t out of the dubbel I put in the basement on Sunday night. I didn't do a starter or anything because the label said only do it if you want a faster start or the OG is over 1070. I clocked in at 1065 and i'm lazy as hell. 24 hours later I was worried because nothing was happening. Then in the morning it started gently bubbling, temp up from 64 to 66. Went to work, forgot to check on it when I got home. Checked in the morning and KABLAMO! Lid is all the way across the room, airlock shattered krausen bubbling over. Installed a blow-off tube to a new air lock and this morning it had blocked up with yeast and was ready to blow again. This yeast is a badass.

 

I'd rather necro post than create a new thread but this yeast is intense. I'm currently sitting at 6 gal in an 8 gal bucket fermenting a Belgian Quad at 1.090 and am worried the lid will blow soon. There's at least 5" thick krausen and it's starting to hit the lid. I'm currently fermenting at 70 on day 2. It's naturally risen up from 66 and I'm already at 40% attenuation. This yeast is indeed a badass.

Sent from my super rad tablet device thingy.

 

My house strain. Love at first taste. Wash this yeast and watch it get better and better. Love you long time.

 

Left to go have some beers with some friends and came home to a mess. Blew the damn lid off despite changing the airlock out and using vinyl tubing into a growler. Next time I need to use a 6.5 gal carboy with a blow tube instead of this 8 gal bucket. Just not enough headspace once this yeast takes off and hits 70 degrees. What a beast. Might end up becoming my house strain.

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I did one at 1.104 with a 2 liter starter on about 4 gallons. It went off.

 

I use 3787 for all my tripels, bière de gardes, and other lighter Belgian styles. I always have huge blowoff, and it usually spews krausen all the way down the tube and overflows the gallon jug of starsan.

I <3 this yeast.

 

Just prepared a starter of this, looking to get it into a 1.090 quad. Should be awesome. The 1.065 dubbel is brewed with it turned out great and it went off like a bomb. The quad will likely cause damage. Just going to go with a blow-off tube immediately this time.

 

Just had mine go off too. Twice. Belgian apricot wheat. Hit the ceiling.

View attachment 1428613278530.jpg

 

Yeah WLP530 is a beast...this is what I found this morning when I woke up...
And I even had a blow off tube!

 

The only way I feel comfortable is with a 6 1/2 gallon carboy and the big 1 in. blowoff tube.

Save the plastic carboys and skinny tubes for other things.

 

Unfortunately in Italy we don't use carboys and plastic fermenters are the most commons



I know the tube is too small and the risk is that is clogged by yeast and other stuffs

Anyway I hope the most active phase of fermentation is passed away.
By the way the content of the fermenter is a belgian dubbel. I tried for the first time the Black Scapular by Jamil

 

Ha. That's ironic, since my carboys come from Italy!

 

I am replacing most of my carboys with lightweight plastic, but there are a couple applications I just can't go without my glass.
Westmalle fermentations being a prime example.
That yeast is just insane.

 

Perhaps consider open ferment in a bucket.
Maybe loosely covered with foil.
After high krausen, throw on your lid and airlock.

 

Big bucket...like 7 gallon.

 

I know this is a super old thread, but I have a related question. I'm thinking about making a fairly low gravity beer with this yeast (OG ~1.045), and I'd like to do 2.5-3 gallons in my 5.3 gallon Speidel fermenter. Should I expect blowoff problems with that much headspace?

 

I think that the headspace should be enough...

If you want to be sure with some antifoam you will sleep peacefully

 

I didn't sleep whole first night with this yeast. It was a beast and messes up my entire fermentation chamber. It was haliroius!

 

A recent Tripel fermentation with 530:



Cheers,
--
Don

 

You guys are scaring me...

 

Wouldn’t Open top fermentation work? Maybe .. gauze over the top..no pressure as long as the sides of the bucket are tall enough that’s how I do my Saison’s but it’s not the same monster yeast.

 

There are some potential issues with that:

1. Contamination risk
2. Oxidation risk
3. Ester suppression

On the other hand, a blow-off tube is a simple, easy, and effective way to direct excessive kräusen into a vessel for easy cleanup without the risks.

There's also a product called Foam Control (AKA FermCap-S). You can add it to the beer or even just the blow-off vessel if you want.