WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast

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Yeah, I was already thinking yeast cake harvesting for this fella. I'm not sure how to go about wort additions just yet, and this recipe originally had no simple sugars in it. It IS unnecessarily high, but there's a (stupid) reason for it: I'm trying a Fibonacci IPA recipe from a while back. Had no idea the OG would get so robust, but it is what it is. I'd make a larger volume if I had bigger fermenters to cut down on the gravity, but I don't have that option yet.
 
That's a IIIPA, not a IIPA!

Even if you get 80% attenuation you'll still have a sweet SG of 1.030. I have no experience with WLP090, but that gravity seems unnecessarily high. Regardless, you'll want to stagger your wort additions and most definately work simple sugars into a significant percentage of the recipe. Forget starters, think yeastcake. Pure O2. Nutrients. Good luck, you psychopath.

I'd call this a QuadIPA, actually. I agree with bigbeergeek- add a bunch of simple sugars to increase attenuation... or change the recipe. This is bound to be one odd beer ;)
 
Yeah, I was already thinking yeast cake harvesting for this fella. I'm not sure how to go about wort additions just yet, and this recipe originally had no simple sugars in it. It IS unnecessarily high, but there's a (stupid) reason for it: I'm trying a Fibonacci IPA recipe from a while back. Had no idea the OG would get so robust, but it is what it is. I'd make a larger volume if I had bigger fermenters to cut down on the gravity, but I don't have that option yet.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/entries/yeast-harvesting-novel-approach.html

Consider it ;)
 
If you really want to work with a gravity that high, you might want to try a second yeast addition of WLP099. I use it for my barleywine with good success. When you're about maxed out with the SDSY, do another addition with the 099. That should eat up most of the remaining sugars. You'll end up with a WICKED ABV.

How do you plan on balancing that gravity? I'm not sure your beer can absorb enough bitterness from your hops to give you an IPA impression if you only use traditional methods. You can try something to boost the bitterness. I've heard of tea hopping with a French press, but haven't tried it.

I'll be interested in hearing how it comes out.
 
Alright, I'm pretty sure this will become my new house yeast for a couple reasons.

WLP001 is too slow to ferment, and too slow to clear. WLP002 just isn't quite clean enough, even fermented low. I get a slight apple/pear ester from it, which is fantastic in many beers, isn't ideal for cleaner styles. WLP007 was really close to taking the crown, but I find it has a slight tart character in lower gravity beers.

I've brewed about 5 batches now with WLP090, and I think it's perfect for me.
-It's very temperature tolerant, and still ferments quickly at 62-64F
-The yeast doesn't climb much. I haven't found the need for blow off tubes when fermenting cooler.
-It ferments very quick
-It flocs Very quick
-It's pretty damn clean. Not quite 001 clean, but still clean
-It re-pitches well, and I've found my lag times have decrease with subsequent pitches

The only downside I've found is the Krausen is very thick and sticky. Should it clog and air-lock or blow-off tube, it'll probably clog it good.

My final test for WLP090 is high gravity attenuation. I know WLP090 is rather alcohol-tolerant, but I need to see how it does fermenting a big DIPA where I need 8+ % ABV with a very low final gravity (1.009 or lower). Assuming it ferments a dry DIPA well, I'm looking at my new house yeast.

I like it a lot.
 
scottland said:
Alright, I'm pretty sure this will become my new house yeast for a couple reasons.

WLP001 is too slow to ferment, and too slow to clear. WLP002 just isn't quite clean enough, even fermented low. I get a slight apple/pear ester from it, which is fantastic in many beers, isn't ideal for cleaner styles. WLP007 was really close to taking the crown, but I find it has a slight tart character in lower gravity beers.

I've brewed about 5 batches now with WLP090, and I think it's perfect for me.
-It's very temperature tolerant, and still ferments quickly at 62-64F
-The yeast doesn't climb much. I haven't found the need for blow off tubes when fermenting cooler.
-It ferments very quick
-It flocs Very quick
-It's pretty damn clean. Not quite 001 clean, but still clean
-It re-pitches well, and I've found my lag times have decrease with subsequent pitches

The only downside I've found is the Krausen is very thick and sticky. Should it clog and air-lock or blow-off tube, it'll probably clog it good.

My final test for WLP090 is high gravity attenuation. I know WLP090 is rather alcohol-tolerant, but I need to see how it does fermenting a big DIPA where I need 8+ % ABV with a very low final gravity (1.009 or lower). Assuming it ferments a dry DIPA well, I'm looking at my new house yeast.

I like it a lot.

I am SO with you! I was shocked at the lack of kraeusen from this yeast. And it took a 1.070 DIPA down to 1.012 for me, great stuff.
 
scottland said:
That's good to hear. So I know what to expect, what was your malt bill and mash temp?

I'm across the country currently, so I don't have exact amounts, but it's about 80% 2-row, 10% Vienna, 7% White Wheat Malt, 3% C10. Even with the great attenuation, I'd drop the Crystal malt altogether. I mashed at 150F. Cheers!
 
Oh, that's right inline with 001 then. That OG at 150F, with a little crystal, and no simple sugar is a 1.011-1.014 beer with 001 for me. Now i know i can expect the same. That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.
 
scottland said:
Oh, that's right inline with 001 then. That OG at 150F, with a little crystal, and no simple sugar is a 1.011-1.014 beer with 001 for me. Now i know i can expect the same. That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks.

I believe it has the ability to attenuate more than 001, given proper conditions.
 
Used this recently for this first time...Just bottled yesterday.

I brewed the "Wild Dog Days of Summer Ale" (recipe found here)

OG of 1.052, FG of 1.008...14 day primary. Can't wait to taste it.
 
This is being a funny one. OG of 1.065, after ten days fermenting it is running at ~1.025 with one inch of krausen. It had a crazy amount of foam the first couple of days but now it's just slowly munching away.
 
Just making up a 4 liter starter for this yeast for our Hoppily Married. 1.046 SG with a mash temperature of 153 F. I've used this monster before and it is fast.
 
Ben58 said:
Just making up a 4 liter starter for this yeast for our Hoppily Married. 1.046 SG with a mash temperature of 153 F. I've used this monster before and it is fast.

20 gallon batch? I just made a 1 L starter for a 5.25 gallon batch of 1.048 Cream Ale. This yeast is a monster!
 
Brewed with this for the first time one week ago in a 1.046 OG Pale. Was shocked to take a reading today and find not only am I at FG, the sample tasted pretty damn close to done! Looked in the primary and the krausen had dropped and the beer was pretty close to clear. The best part was that it tasted really good! Count me in as being super impressed with this strain!
 
I just did a 10 gallon batch of a Ten FIdy clone with this yeast, and it did friggin amazing. Made 2L starter, and it went from 1.100 to 1.019 in 7 days. I also used 1/2 tsp of yeast nutrient.
 
Mine took off in less than 12 hours and I can hear it from the kitchen as I type this. Using a 1/2" blow off tube into a 5 gallon pail with 4 gallons of sanitizer. Hopefully I can capture the blow off like I did with 001.
 
Higher attenuation is a tendency of this yeast. When I use it, I will mash warmer than I would 001.
 
Higher attenuation is a tendency of this yeast. When I use it, I will mash warmer than I would 001.

This is exactly my experience... though I've heard of many folks who use it and it stalls out on them in the mid-teens. I just stole my 7th bit from a starter and it is still kicking ass, just like the first time I used it.
 
Yeah, this yeast is an awesome attenuator. I think almost everyone who had a bad experience with this yeast either under-pitched, under-aerated, or fermented too cold or any combination of the above. This yeast is meant to be fermented in the 65-68F range it recommends, not 60F-64F, it comes out super clean in the high 60's.
 
Beezer94 said:
Yeah, this yeast is an awesome attenuator. I think almost everyone who had a bad experience with this yeast either under-pitched, under-aerated, or fermented too cold or any combination of the above. This yeast is meant to be fermented in the 65-68F range it recommends, not 60F-64F, it comes out super clean in the high 60's.

I've successfully fermented it at 64F with no attenuation problems, but I like it best fermented at 66F.
 
I used WLP090 for the first time on a 1.056 Pale Ale (87% Pale 2-row, 9% Munich II, 4% Caramunich III) with a 60-minute Warrior bittering charge and heavy hopping of Cascade and Amarrilo at 15 minutes and at flame out. I also added 1 oz Amarillo as a dry hop. My goal was to use this as a base for a RIS I plan to brew next week.

I aerated the wort for 60 seconds with pure Oxygen with an aeration stone at 64F and pitched on 5/19/2013, same as brew day. I held 64F for the first week and then ramped up to finish at 68F for another few days before kegging. The measured temperature is actual wort temperature being measured and controlled with a SS thermowell and ETC thermostat in an old 22 cu ft refrigerator. Ambient temp was in the mid-to-upper 50s. Fermentation started within 12 hours. Nothing exciting, just a nice 1" - 2" layer of krausen on top with no need for a blow off tube on a 6.5 gallon carboy. The beer finished at 1.010, so that's around 82% AA.

I've been drinking a pint over the last two nights as I just finished carbing it. The yeast profile is a nice balance between the malt and hops. If anything, I think the 090 kinda subdues the hop bitterness in favor of the malt. Either way, it's pretty well balanced. I get no alcohol warming or ester in aroma or taste, but I'm not surprised since I fermented at 64F and probably slightly overpitched.

The reason I got the yeast was for the high attenuation to use in my RIS, but after my experience, I'm afraid the lack of esters will not give me the estery character I want in an RIS. It could also be the case that the citrus aroma from Amarillo and Cascade are masking any esters, but I would think I could taste them if they were present.

Has anyone experienced esters fermenting at a higher temperature? If so, what were the ester notes and what temps/fermentation schedule did you follow? I'm debating about slighting underpitching and starting higher to allow more time for ester formation or just buying a some WLP007 to get the ester profiles I want in the RIS.
 
Well that was nice and quick. 6 days and the 20.5 gallons is down to 1.010, which is why I like this yeast. Dry hopping starts tonight when I get home from work.
 
Pitched this straight into a 2.5-gal batch of American Brown (1.056) on Saturday night.

Nothing.

No airlock movement. No krausen. Nothing. Three days later, took measurement and it hadn't moved.

Pitched 05 tonight to get it moving.

I guess the lesson is always do a starter, if only to test viability.
 
doublebogey10 said:
Pitched this straight into a 2.5-gal batch of American Brown (1.056) on Saturday night. Nothing. No airlock movement. No krausen. Nothing. Three days later, took measurement and it hadn't moved. Pitched 05 tonight to get it moving. I guess the lesson is always do a starter, if only to test viability.

Was it old? I mean, I always make starters, but I did pitch 090 straight from the vial once in order to build up a yeast cake- it took off and fermented beautifully. It was also a fresh vial.
 
I think the best by date was late October. Had been less than a month since purchase.

Weird thing now is that it's been 48 hours since I pitched 05 and still nothing. Haven't taken a reading since pitching 05 but no krausen or airlock activity.
 
I think the best by date was late October. Had been less than a month since purchase.

Weird thing now is that it's been 48 hours since I pitched 05 and still nothing. Haven't taken a reading since pitching 05 but no krausen or airlock activity.

Did you boil your grains before mashing to make sure they were all sterilized? Don't wanna infect the wort before the boil!

B-)
 
doublebogey10 said:
I think the best by date was late October. Had been less than a month since purchase. Weird thing now is that it's been 48 hours since I pitched 05 and still nothing. Haven't taken a reading since pitching 05 but no krausen or airlock activity.

Recipe? Process? Other details? This sounds almost impossible...
 
Any weird peach flavored like us05 when fermented low?

No you just lose the "super." It can throw a little hot alcohol if fermented warm or without oxygen. O2 also is what helps it flocculate harder than US-05. In order to get super performance out of it (fast ferment, hard floc, clean flavor) you need to ferment in it's happy place (67-68) and use plenty of O2.
 
No you just lose the "super." It can throw a little hot alcohol if fermented warm or without oxygen. O2 also is what helps it flocculate harder than US-05. In order to get super performance out of it (fast ferment, hard floc, clean flavor) you need to ferment in it's happy place (67-68) and use plenty of O2.
My ferm temps are right around 70* and it performs great. But, yes, I oxygenate really well...then it's like throwing gasoline on a fire.
 
YMMV but I wouldn't recommend fermenting this strain colder then the recommended temps. It doesn't give off flavors but takes way longer to ferment the beer. I didn't really notice it being any cleaner then fermenting in the recommended range so really no benefit to it as far as I have seen..
 
jtejedor said:
YMMV but I wouldn't recommend fermenting this strain colder then the recommended temps. It doesn't give off flavors but takes way longer to ferment the beer. I didn't really notice it being any cleaner then fermenting in the recommended range so really no benefit to it as far as I have seen..

I second this, not because of personal experience but a friend's- he fermented at 60 and had really poor performance. I always pitch at 65 and let it get up to 67/68, works beautifully. And for oxygen, I pitch good starters and use a little plastic thing connected to the end of the hose that goes to my carboy from the BK... I've never had attenuation problems or off flavors.
 
I'm at the 5 day mark on a 1.072 DIPA using WLP090 and down to 1.028. I stepped up a small vial that I saved from a previous starter I made. Fermented between 62-65F. There's still krausen on top. I shook to aerate and was under the impression I used the appropriate amount of cells of 090. I'm scratching my head. Wait it out? Pitch more yeast?
 
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