Recent experience with WLP500 Chimay Strain

[meadowstream]

I just made a belgian dubbel with WLP500 one week ago. The SG fell from OG of 1.080 to 1.012 over just one week.

This was surprising because while the fermentation was healthy, it never appeared to be blow-the-top-off vigorous. I pitched a 2 liter starter at 82 degrees F, then it started to climb a couple of degrees and I cooled the fermenter to 66 degrees over the next few hours and then maintained it at 68 degrees. Temperature is measured by a t/c in a t/w to the middle of the sankey fermenter.

Wanted to share this experience because I have read about slower attentuation, less complete attenuation, and even stopped fermentation with WLP500 a few times here. This experience is different because after one week WLP500 has fermented to a point where some might consider the beer dry.

So far, nearly all beers that fermented in the sankeys have attenuated fully and relatively quickly. My practice is to sterilize the sankeys thoroughly with boiling water and steam for quite a while during the mash - after having dosed them with iodophor previously. So, it is the shape that is so conducive to attenuation?

If it is the quality of WLP500 or White Labs strains generally, then all credit to WL.

 

[Bendbiker]

WLP500 is one of my top 3 favorite strains. Taste is awesome generally!

 

[meadowstream]

This WLP500 dubbel came out tasting, to my palate, nearly exactly like Chimay. Other than pale malt, caravienne, aromatic and chocolate malt, I used saaz, northern brewer, and hallertauer. The FG stayed at 1.012 and I bottled and corked in 750ml bombers. I got impatient and cracked a bottle last weekend and, just like the primary fermentation, the bottle appeared fully carbonated after a week. If this stays true to form then it is going to be a really good beer.

 

[Teacher]

T-58 is supposedly taken from the same source as WLP500, and I've always had quick and complete ferments with it.

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

I did a Dubbel with WLP500 a couple months ago and it rocketed down from 1.067 to 1.010 in about 48 hours. I pitched a rather large volume from a previous cake and fermented at 70F. I have had a problem with it wanting to condition in the bottle for that dubbel though. Next time I think I will keg first and bottle off the keg.

 

[meadowstream]

MachineShopBrewing, that is interesting regarding the bottle conditioning. Did you maintain an even 70F for bottle conditioning, too? Here, this dubbel fully carbonated in one week. I used enough sugar to carbonate to 3.0 volumes, and the corks are definitely pushing at the wire caps. Do you think that the yeast were "worn out" from lengthy propagation and maybe just needed more time to carbonate?

 

[MachineShopBrewing]

Not really sure the reason. I don't think the first couple of weeks were above 70F though. I ended up moving them upstairs to the bedroom closet and rousing the yeast. I then left them laying on their side for about a month and now I am seeing some carbonation. Been working on brews for Midwest Homebrewer of the Year for 2011 and have decided that I am going to bottle everything off the keg from now on to avoid any variation in CO2 from bottle condition.