First time using Abbey Ale 530?

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tally350z

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So I am using the White Labs Abbey Ale 530 yeast for the first time and had a few questions about pitching. I want to get some more fruity esters from the yeast so I will ferment it a little warm, somewhere around 73-75.

Should I make a yeast starter with the vial or underpitch the yeast to stress it out a little more and still ferment at 73-75?

Any help is much appreciated..
 
Maybe others with more experience can chime in but I think "best practices" for belgian yeasts are to let them free rise. According to white labs the optimum temp for this yeast is 66-72. I would try and start fermentation as close to 66 as you can get it and let it free rise for the next few days up to 72.

As far as stressing the yeast, I'm not sure. I typically, get a starter going for all my liquid yeasts cultures. Whats the OG of the beer you plan on brewing?
 
OG is around 1.065. So possibly just pitching it in the mid 60's then letting the fermentation temp rise to the mid to low 70's?
 
I really wouldnt mess with underpitching, the dangers of underattenuation is too great. (I mean if you are under pitching by 10-15% thats one thing, 50% I wouldnt.) Id pitch at 65-66. And either let free rise, or raise it 2 degrees a day after 2 days til you get to the mid 70s. Which ever is easier on your setup. Too high the first few days and it can throw unpleasant fusels. I still get alot

The Westmalle strain is a complex estery yeast, If you havent used it before, do it by the book, and then adjust from there. Too high the first few days and it can throw unpleasant fusels. I still get alot of character when I pitch that yeast fermenting in the low 60s.
 
I have use this yeast in 2 beers I made a starter for the first batch and repitched more yeast in the second batch. The first batch I kept @ 66 degrees and the second batch I kept @ 70. I liked the higher pitch rate with the higher temp IMO.
 
The Westmalle strain is a complex estery yeast, If you havent used it before, do it by the book, and then adjust from there. Too high the first few days and it can throw unpleasant fusels. I still get alot of character when I pitch that yeast fermenting in the low 60s.

I agree with this. Start it out in about the low-mid 60's let it start there, after a few days you can ramp the temp up to help it finish. That yeast is notorious for starting off fast and then slowing to a crawl to finish. After fermentation slows you can warm it up and give it plenty of time to finish.
 
I haven't used that particular strain, but with every other Belgian strain I have ever used, I get great results from a proper starter, plenty of O2, and low-mid 60s. I wouldn't mess around with that underpitch/warm ferment/stressing the yeast stuff. Treat the yeast right and they'll do their thing.
 
Definitely start low and expect a huge krausen that's ripe for top cropping yeast for a second batch. Definitely make a starter too.

You get loads of flavour even with standard ale fermenting temperatures.
 
Make a starter. You don't want to stress the yeast so much they don't finish the job! Definitely attach a blow-off tube. I had the most violent fermentation I've ever seen with this yeast. Start in the mid 60's, hold for 48 hours, then free rise a couple º a day until you hit the mid 70's.

I made a belgian blonde with about the same starting gravity and it really started tasting great after 4 months in the bottle. If you can, keep some of these around. It's worth it.
 
So I am using the White Labs Abbey Ale 530 yeast for the first time and had a few questions about pitching. I want to get some more fruity esters from the yeast so I will ferment it a little warm, somewhere around 73-75.

Should I make a yeast starter with the vial or underpitch the yeast to stress it out a little more and still ferment at 73-75?

Any help is much appreciated..

I won a local competition using the Westmalle strain (530) fermenting with a 1.2L starter w/ stir plate, in 1.072 wort, and a 69 degree fermentation. Next time I make it, I'm going lower fermentation temperature, probably 67, since I thought the winner was a little too warm-alcoholic, even though the judges didn't.

I am in the camp of people who think that Belgians work best when treated like other yeasts. There are a few crazy strains, but this is not one of them. Westmalle ferments it at 64, rising to 68 by the end, for what that's worth.
 
Sweet. I will proceed as normal and post the results. I have only had to use a blow-off tube twice before, but I will have it ready with this yeast incase it takes off on me.
 
Pitched a little under 2 weeks ago and there is still a krausen. Checked the gravity the other day and it is right around 1.020. Still chugging away.
 
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?
 
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?

id go with wlp500 if you want the plumy/dark fruits. 530 will be great too, just not as fruity. Ive done side by sides and let them free rise to room temp (80F+) after 2-3 days. 530 was a bit boozey and spicey early on, but after 2 months it was amazing. i personally like the spicey boozey bite on my belgian strongs and think warm fermentation is the way to go after 2-3 days for belgian yeasts.
 
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.
 
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