WLP 545? origin? best temp? opinions?

[pwnshop]

Hey guys,

I got this yeast out of the free bin at LHBS. brought it back to life and made a nice big starter and last night brewed up a dubbel.

white labs lists the following information:

From the Ardennes region of Belgium, this classic yeast strain produces moderate levels of ester and spicy phenolic character. Typically results in a dry, but balanced finish. This yeast is well suited for Belgian dark strongs, Abbey Ales, and Christmas beers.

Style Performance Listing

A listing of how this style ranks amongst different brew styles, on a scale from 0 to 4.

Style Rating Style Rating
Dubbel 4 Trippel 2
Spiced Ales 4 Grand Cru 4
Other High Gravity 4 Christmas Beers 4
Specialty Beers 4 Saisons 2
Attenuation
78-85%

Flocculation
Medium

Optimum Ferment Temp.
66-72°F

Alcohol Tolerance
High

I have been googling but this doesnt seem to be a very popular yeast or something, as I'm not finding a ton of info about it. There doesn't seem to be a wyeast equivalent. Can't seem to find out the origin other than its "from the Ardennes region". I guess this used to be one of their premium strains and was a seasonal release or something?

Anyone have experience or information about this yeast? It is strange to me that there is not much out there, as usually the first google search result gives me all the info i am looking for!

Regarding ferm schedule, based on other belgian yeasts I have started fermentation on the cold end of the range at 67F. I intend to ramp it up starting tomorrow. I don't know if I should go beyond the upper limit of 72F that White Labs recommends? With other Belgian yeasts i have just let it free rise even into the 80s, but I'm not sure what to expect here since I haven't found many people posting their ferm schedules/expereince.

School me oh knowledgeable HBTers!

 

[m00ps]

This is supposed to be the Rochefort yeast strain

 

[pwnshop]

This is supposed to be the Rochefort yeast strain

Isn't Rochefort strain WLP 540?

Is 545 like a mutant Rochefort then? I do love Rochefort yeast (I pretty much love all the Belgian yeasts)

 

[m00ps]

Oh, oops. My bad

Hmm maybe its from Val Dieu? Dont really know any other breweries in Ardennes aside from Achouffe. Maybe its possibly a different isolated strain from them. They do make a brown ale right? Cause it definitely sounds like it was taken from a dark strong belgian ale

at any rate I'd just do what I do for all my belgians. Pitch it a bit under 70 and step away from the fermentor for a while

 

[pwnshop]

Oh, oops. My bad

Hmm maybe its from Val Dieu? Dont really know any other breweries in Ardennes aside from Achouffe. Maybe its possibly a different isolated strain from them. They do make a brown ale right? Cause it definitely sounds like it was taken from a dark strong belgian ale

at any rate I'd just do what I do for all my belgians. Pitch it a bit under 70 and step away from the fermentor for a while

Yeah it is weird, no one seems to know what brewery it is from. For my own curiosity i'd love to find out...

I might not bump up the temp past 70 on this one since i have no idea what it is going to do or taste like.

 

[bolus14]

As you, and many other have found, there is very little info on this strain so I'll offer some of my experience for any others that may stumble on here. I have been using it for a little over a year now, have pitched it into 4 different beers, a Quad, a Belgian like stout, a saison, and is in a Christmas Ale right now.

It attenuates very well, like most Saison strains, I would have to look at notes but I think the highest any of the beers I've done have finished is 1.006. I get notes of dark fruits, nothing overpowering, but have used it only in recipes with dark malts or a good amount of specialty malts, even the Saison had some caramel malts in it. I can pick out some slight hints of apple/pear, this might become more prominent in something like a tripel, blonde, or Saison without much for specialty malts. Even though it finishes pretty dry it leaves some residual sweetness to the taste.

It seems to floc pretty well, even though White Labs rates it as medium. After my bottles have been in the fridge for a week or so they have been pretty clear. I don't use whirfloc or gelatin and only use an immersion chiller and ice bucket for cooling so sometimes my wort doesn't cool as quick as i'd like and I end up with chill haze. I would say the floc level is higher than a lot of other Belgian strains.

One final note on taste is that it does have a somewhat distinct finish, maybe cider like, to me it's hard to describe. I like to think of it as more of a clean Saison finish rather than the funky/barnyard like finish that most Saison strains leave.