WLP090 San Diego Super Yeast

[Brulosopher]

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...

 

[gwapogorilla]

I have used 090 a few times. I do a Sierra Nevada clone using it and it rocks! https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f66/high-plains-pale-ale-425144/

090 is quickly becoming my house strain. It ferms FAST, high floc rating and the flavor is awesome....no fruity tastes or unwanted off flavors.

 

[slickfish]

Any weird peach flavored like us05 when fermented low?

 

[doublebogey10]

Recipe? Process? Other details? This sounds almost impossible...

Don't want to threadjack since it appears my issues have less to do with this yeast and more to do with who knows what. Started another thread about this here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f14/no-fermentation-425883/#post5418354

 

[daksin]

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.

 

[gwapogorilla]

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.

 

[jtejedor]

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..

 

[Brulosopher]

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.

 

[m00se]

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?

 

[terrapinj]

warm it up or just wait it out longer - the ideal range is 65-68deg

 

[jbaysurfer]

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?

My experience with that yeast (dozens of batches) is that at 65-68 (recommended range) it ferments fast and clean. At 64 the pace drops off considerably, and at 63 it just about goes to sleep. Try heating it up and swirling the carboy/bucket a bit. I've had krausen linger at the top of the beer for weeks on end with that strain, though not every time, so I wouldn't read into that so much. But at this point, don't be afraid to ratchet up the temp to 69-70 and swirl the carboy/bucket. You didn't say what temp you mashed at or if there's any simple sugars/how much crystal...but all those things play into it as well. This yeast strain is a beast in it's range, but it's S.L.O.W. if you go below 65 degrees.

Edit: reading back I can't help but notice how many people say they're fermenting this yeast below 65. This is just one brewers experience (this post) but I can confidently say I've used it in at least 30 batches, so my experience is considerable even if it doesn't seem to match that of others for some reason.

 

[m00se]

Thanks. Mashed at 148F. 5% Sucrose, 5% Carapils, rest was 2-row, german pils, and munich. Hopefully I can heat carboy up. Maybe heating pad until I get the heating element squared away in the ferm chamber.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Thanks. Mashed at 148F. 5% Sucrose, 5% Carapils, rest was 2-row, german pils, and munich. Hopefully I can heat carboy up. Maybe heating pad until I get the heating element squared away in the ferm chamber.

Just be sure not to over do it. If you mashed at 148 you still have a lot of sugars to ferment out. You can heat it safely to 70 I'd say, but you don't want to add another problem (fusels) to the one you've got. I'm pretty confident that you can get it finished out by increasing the temp, just don't get too crazy. GL.

 

[Brulosopher]

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?

I ferment this yeast at 66

 

[Brulosopher]

Just be sure not to over do it. If you mashed at 148 you still have a lot of sugars to ferment out. You can heat it safely to 70 I'd say, but you don't want to add another problem (fusels) to the one you've got. I'm pretty confident that you can get it finished out by increasing the temp, just don't get too crazy. GL.

He's well beyond the point of fusel development and could actually raise the beer to 70F+ without concern.

 

[jbaysurfer]

He's well beyond the point of fusel development and could actually raise the beer to 70F+ without concern.

In general I agree, and that's basically what I told him. Maybe rather then say "fusels", I should say "unwanted esters".

Either way, I gave my best advice. I ruined a Belgian Dark by trying to unstick a fermentation and ramping temps up into the mid-high 80s. It wasn't "fusels" so much as "hot esters" but that's a subtle difference and if you're fermenting with SD Super, you don't want either.

 

[Brulosopher]

In general I agree, and that's basically what I told him. Maybe rather then say "fusels", I should say "unwanted esters". Either way, I gave my best advice. I ruined a Belgian Dark by trying to unstick a fermentation and ramping temps up into the mid-high 80s. It wasn't "fusels" so much as "hot esters" but that's a subtle difference and if you're fermenting with SD Super, you don't want either.

Fusel alcohols, esters, and other off-flavors are produced during the growth phase of yeast. After 3 days or so, up to 75F won't change anything and will usually help with attenuation, hence I think he should bring temps up. I even do this with lager beers.

 

[m00se]

It's down to 1.015 since Wed. I've shook the carboy a few times to bring the yeast back into suspension but it seems to settle out rather quickly.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Fusel alcohols, esters, and other off-flavors are produced during the growth phase of yeast. After 3 days or so, up to 75F won't change anything and will usually help with attenuation, hence I think he should bring temps up. I even do this with lager beers.

I'm not trying to overstate the concern. I just said "don't overdo it".

I think your advice is worthy as well and not so different then mine. You just would've gone to 75 instead of 70. He got it fixed (see post above).

 

[jbaysurfer]

It's down to 1.015 since Wed. I've shook the carboy a few times to bring the yeast back into suspension but it seems to settle out rather quickly.

You got quite a bit more fermentation out of it as I suspected, nice work. 1.072 to 1.015 is about 80% attenuation, it's settling out because it's done.

I'd stop rousting it at this point. Let it floc out and rack it when clear. Also, it's too late for this, but when I "roust" yeast I just gently swirl the carboy, not shake it. There's not much 02 inside the carboy, but there IS a nice layer of C02 over the beer that I try not to disturb more then necessary.

 

[Righlander]

I direct pitched a vial into a 1.046 pale ale. It acts a lot like WLP001. It does finish a lot faster though, got down to 1.008 in 6 days at 65f. It drops very clear even before cold crashing. Works well with the pale ale. I will say that the hops didn't quite come through as much as with WLP001, but it's very close. Would work very well to make a nice clean cream ale.

 

[ejf063]

So just to be clear: ferment at about 66* ambient… or shoot for 66* in the beer itself, making the ambient tem around 60*

 

[jbaysurfer]

So just to be clear: ferment at about 66* ambient… or shoot for 66* in the beer itself, making the ambient tem around 60*

Whatever ambient temp you need to get to 66 beer temp. I generally start it at 64 measured by a probe insulated from the ambient air and taped against the side of a carboy. Probably 66 internal temp at the peak...maybe 67. You start that yeast at 68 though and you'd better have a wide blowoff tube.

 

[SFGiantsFan925]

Wish I would have read this thread before pitching.

Just made a Russian Imperial Stout, and it came in at 1.100. Pitched a huge starter of WLP090 and was thinking it would take off. Started fermentation at about 62 degrees, but it didnt move too quickly. It eventually took off, but did not go that crazy. After 2 days, I uped it to 66 degrees, and its still bubbling away. It chewed it down to 1.030 so far, and seems to still be going a bit. Hope to get it to about 1.020, but that may be impossible.

 

[j1n]

Wish I would have read this thread before pitching.

Just made a Russian Imperial Stout, and it came in at 1.100. Pitched a huge starter of WLP090 and was thinking it would take off. Started fermentation at about 62 degrees, but it didnt move too quickly. It eventually took off, but did not go that crazy. After 2 days, I uped it to 66 degrees, and its still bubbling away. It chewed it down to 1.030 so far, and seems to still be going a bit. Hope to get it to about 1.020, but that may be impossible.

That would be 79% attenuation. Ive gotten 83% on a Pliny clone with this yeast. Its def possible for you to get to 1.020 FG.

 

[jbaysurfer]

Wish I would have read this thread before pitching.

Just made a Russian Imperial Stout, and it came in at 1.100. Pitched a huge starter of WLP090 and was thinking it would take off. Started fermentation at about 62 degrees, but it didnt move too quickly. It eventually took off, but did not go that crazy. After 2 days, I uped it to 66 degrees, and its still bubbling away. It chewed it down to 1.030 so far, and seems to still be going a bit. Hope to get it to about 1.020, but that may be impossible.

I'd go all the way up to 68F asap if I were you. I noticed that this yeast will totally go to sleep at temps below 64. 62 is pretty low, but since you did basically a free rise in a high gravity beer that might turn out to be a good way to handle it. Don't be afraid of the high end of the range late in fermentation though, it's your best shot at fermenting that beer out to 1.020

 

[SFGiantsFan925]

I'd go all the way up to 68F asap if I were you. I noticed that this yeast will totally go to sleep at temps below 64. 62 is pretty low, but since you did basically a free rise in a high gravity beer that might turn out to be a good way to handle it. Don't be afraid of the high end of the range late in fermentation though, it's your best shot at fermenting that beer out to 1.020

Thanks! I just set the ferm chamber to free rise to 68 to see if I can squeeze a little more action out of the yeast. I was afraid if I started at 66 or higher, I would get a "hot" beer and have it too boozy, with a crazy fermentation. I wasnt home either for the first two days of fermentation so it was hard for me to really see and control what was going on.

 

[jbaysurfer]

I think you did well. It's better cool then warm in that scenario This yeast doesn't put off a lot of esters, but on a beer that big, it probably would've gotten a bit too "hot" if you'd started it that high.

 

[native86]

I made a kind of Maharaja clone recently. Made a starter with the San Diego Super, OG was 1.10. After eight days it was 1.05. Hoping to get down to 1.02. Took a sample, it was clean and super bitter!

 

[MNishCT77]

Has anyone had problems with over carbonation with bottle conditioned beers fermented with WLP090. I have had two 10+ABV RISs where ~10 oz. DME was added and both were super-carbonated. Neither tasted infected at all...in fact, both beers are still tasting great, so I firmly believe that the problem is overcarbing. Thanks.