White Labs Irish Ale Yeast

[Ballantine]

I have a 10 gallon split batch of dry stout in primary.
Fermenter#1 : WLP007 (english) Fermenter#2 : WLP004 (irish)
During the first 4 days the irish gave off a sour flavor (lactobacillus?)but seems to have normalized to a clean beer flavor similar to the english yeast in fermenter #1. That is as far as I can tell with a nasty head cold.
I'm totally unfamiliar with WL Irish ale yeast, is that part of the profile of that strain? I'm not ruling out possible contamination.
I did make a 2L starter from a 8 month old pure pitch pack that displayed the same off flavors. Because the starter smelled off to me (before I got a cold) I didn't use the stater and opted to split the batch and pitch the two yeast strains i had on hand, which were fresh. So I let the starter ferment completely and it smells fine. When I rack into the secondary I will check the gravity and see how it tastes. I'm curious if anyone else has had a similar experience with WLP004. Thanks

 

[Pappers_]

Haven't used the Irish strain, so am interested in reading about others' experience and how yours turns out. That being said, I wouldn't worry too much at this point - fermentation is a complex process, with lots of odors sometimes. Here's hoping your end result is what you wanted!

I read on the White Labs page that this strain is known to produce diacytl, fruitness and a 'crispness' which could be interpreted as accentuating tartness.

 

[BrewRunning]

I just brewed an Irish Red using this yeast. It also had a slight sour odor during fermentation but has mellowed out nicely. Today was day 8 in the fermenter.

 

[catdaddy66]

I have used wlp004 about 4 times and like it a lot. My last use was last November in an Irish red ale. It did have an off flavor that was mild to moderate, but this has mellowed out a great deal. I do not recall any off odors or flavors in any of the other uses.

I got nothing...

 

[Ballantine]

Alright ,this is good, as long as you guys have had similar results I'm more confident that I won't be dumping 5 gallons down the drain.

 

[Ballantine]

I just racked both beers into the secondary both read 10.18 after 8 days. As flavor goes the WLP007 ale seemed to accentuate the darker grains and was a bit dryer. The WLP004 brought out more chocholate with no off flavors at all, smoother and rounder. Definitely the better of the two. I've been tweeking this recipe for years but always used California ale yeasts, and always seemed to miss the mark. WPL004 will be the go to yeast now.