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My WLP011 beer...


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#1 Big Nake

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 09:50 AM

First, I will apologize to nettles for jumping on his thread, MY REDX BEER which inspired me to make a beer with WLP011 (but not REDX yet because I don't have it). I thought I ran into a problem with this yeast but I think it was actually 1338 Euro Ale. Some have mentioned they're the same yeast but I don't think so. One says it's from Munich, the other from "Northern Europe". I made an Altbier of sorts on Thursday morning and used WLP011 in that beer. The yeast had a BEST BY date of April 2014. I took it out of the fridge for about 24 hours to let it warm up and then I made a starter with 650ml of water and ½ cup DME and some nutrient. I chilled that, added some pure O2, added the yeast and got it on the stirplate. It took about 36 hours to look white, foamy and active. I pitched it about 48 hours after making the starter and I pitched the whole thing. I had activity in about 5 hours and the aroma has been very nice. The primary temp has been kept between 62° and 64° and at some points the activity has been quite robust. It's only been 3 days and activity is starting to slow and the primary aroma is suggesting a bit of sulfur now. I plan to allow the temp to rise now and let it go for a bit and rouse it occasionally over the next week. Also, I placed an order at Farmhouse and grabbed 20 lbs of RedX malt and some various hops including Ultra (never used them and they're tricky to find) and also Mandarina Bavaria. I plan to use the RedX, some Special B, TF&S Dark Crystal along with Magnum and the Mandarina Bavaria in a sort of RedX Red Ale with the WLP011. Should be interesting.

#2 denny

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 10:03 AM

Re: 1338 vs. 011.  I agree that they're different yeasts.  For years 1338 was my go to alt yeast, but about 112-14 years ago I started noticing that it wasn't performing well.  I haven't used it since.  I found that I actually preferred 1007 for alt anyway.



#3 realbeerguy

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 10:15 AM

 but about 112-14 years ago 

They had yeast that long ago? :stabby:



#4 neddles

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 10:16 AM

No worries Ken. Ive done the same thing way too many times and probably will again. Make sure to give us the skinny on this beer when it hits the taps. Pics too.

#5 denny

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 11:22 AM

They had yeast that long ago? :stabby:

 

We harvested it from the mastodons.



#6 Big Nake

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 01:37 PM

Re: 1338 vs. 011.  I agree that they're different yeasts.  For years 1338 was my go to alt yeast, but about 112-14 years ago I started noticing that it wasn't performing well.  I haven't used it since.  I found that I actually preferred 1007 for alt anyway.

I bought the WLP011 early this year because I considered making a BdG with it and someone suggested that WLP011 could be a nice yeast for that style along with WLP072 (French Ale) which is only available occasionally. Then I got off the BdG kick and thought I would use the WLP011 in an Alt when nettels considered using it in a pseudo-alt with RedX. If I were planning an altbier from scratch, I would use 1007 probably.

#7 denny

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 01:50 PM

I bought the WLP011 early this year because I considered making a BdG with it and someone suggested that WLP011 could be a nice yeast for that style along with WLP072 (French Ale) which is only available occasionally. Then I got off the BdG kick and thought I would use the WLP011 in an Alt when nettels considered using it in a pseudo-alt with RedX. If I were planning an altbier from scratch, I would use 1007 probably.

 

Got it...I've heard of quite a few people using 011 for alt, but it never struck me as being as crisp as I like alt to be.



#8 Big Nake

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Posted 05 October 2014 - 02:36 PM

Got it...I've heard of quite a few people using 011 for alt, but it never struck me as being as crisp as I like alt to be.

The yeast is supposed to produce a malt-forward beer. With that in mind, I hopped the beer up pretty good (about 30 IBUs of Northern Brewer for 60 and then a little over an ounce of Hallertau for 30... 43 IBUs total) and I also mashed at 149°. The water was a balanced profile between chloride and sulfate and I will be patient with the yeast and make sure it finishes its important work before I put the beer down to rest. Everything I see says that Alt should finish dry and this yeast suggests that you have to take extra steps for that. 1007 is a low-floccer which (I believe) translates to medium-to-high attenuating which you want. On the red ale I plan to make with the RedX and WLP011, I will mash low again and there will be a good amount of late hopping going on there to keep everything in balance. I like my balance, you know. ;)

#9 Brauer

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Posted 06 October 2014 - 04:01 AM

Got it...I've heard of quite a few people using 011 for alt, but it never struck me as being as crisp as I like alt to be.

I've never had any trouble getting it to finish at 1.008-1.010 if I start at 1.048 and step-mash at 149F and 158F. I've never tried using it to make a bigger Alt, but it might finish too malty to make a beer like that come across as an Alt. That might just seem like a Brown Ale.



#10 Big Nake

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Posted 23 October 2014 - 08:43 AM

I moved this pseudo-altbier from primary to secondary today so I could snatch the WLP011 for a RED ALE I'm making today. As the alt was transferring, I grabbed a little sample and it has a very nice flavor. I hopped this beer quite a bit so there was a firm bitterness (as an alt should have) but the yeast character seems to be very nice to my tastebuds. I can't quite put my finger on it but there is something a little different about it. Slightly fruity? I don't know. But the gravity was down so attenuation was not a problem and I fermented it cool so it's quite clean. I think the red ale I'm making today will be nice as well. Cheers Beerheads.

#11 Big Nake

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Posted 10 November 2014 - 07:44 AM

I made a pseudo-alt and the red ale with this yeast and on Saturday I sent the red ale to secondary and the WLP011 down the drain. While both beers were fermenting, I was getting a very encouraging aroma and all seemed good. When I sent the alt to secondary and used the yeast in the red ale, everything seemed pretty good. When I sent the red ale to secondary, I got a strong, nasty whiff of something. I hate to say it but it smelled very "Belgian". Sort of barnyard-like, etc. I'm going to let these sit in secondary for a bit and I may sanitize a bottling wand and reach in there and grab a small sample to taste them before I put effort into kegging and carbing them. I'm not giving up on them but if samples taste wrong to me, I'm cutting my losses. I know the description for this yeast says it's neutral but something is up. Could be my handling of it too, I suppose. EDIT: I went into my beer bunker on Sunday and the whole room smelled like this. I had dumped Starsan into the primary that had the red ale in it the night before and then I dumped it out and let it air dry overnight. I stuck my nose into that primary and ACK. <_<

Edited by KenLenard, 10 November 2014 - 07:45 AM.



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