Anyone with experience with WLP029?

[Jordan Logo]

Anyone ever use this yeast?

I decided to try out Brulosopher's Best Blonde Ale this past weekend and pitched my yeast at 56 degrees and have been fermenting at 58 degrees for the past 2-3 days now and haven't really seen any airlock activity like I normally see. I do see a small krausen forming which is giving me some hope. I just switched to MoreBeer's buckets which maybe might be the issue?

Any help would be awesome!

 

[Snark_Wolf_Brewing]

I have used WL029 several times in the past for a Kolsch recipe. Based on what you've said, you're fermenting a bit lower than the optimal temperature range for the yeast strain. According to White Lab's information, WL029 ferments best at between 65-69 Fahrenheit. The yeast may be still be OK, just fermenting your wort a lot slower than expected. What I would do is place the fermenter someplace where you can bring the fermentation temperature up between 65-69 and see what happens.

 

[Snark_Wolf_Brewing]

Looking at Brulosopher's recipe, I see where it does say to ferment at 58°F for 4-5 days then ramp up to 65° over the next few days, then cold crash for 48+ hours after FG is stable (10-14 days). So, I would slowly ramp the temperature up to 65 in another day or two and see what happens.

 

[Jordan Logo]

Looking at Brulosopher's recipe, I see where it does say to ferment at 58°F for 4-5 days then ramp up to 65° over the next few days, then cold crash for 48+ hours after FG is stable (10-14 days). So, I would slowly ramp the temperature up to 65 in another day or two and see what happens.

makes sense... do you have any experience on why someone would ferment so far below a recommended fermentation temp THEN ramp up?

 

[Snark_Wolf_Brewing]

Nearest I can figure, is to get a lager like quality from the WLP029 while still being near ale fermentation temperatures. This link has a bit more info on the strain... https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-bank/wlp029-german-ale-k-lsch-yeast

 

[9Kegs]

I used WLP029 as my ale yeast for at least 8 generations last year. I always pitched at 64F and raised it 1 degree per day until it reached 70F to finish.

 

[Northern_Brewer]

pitched my yeast at 56 degrees and have been fermenting at 58 degrees for the past 2-3 days now and haven't really seen any airlock activity like I normally see. I do see a small krausen forming which is giving me some hope. I just switched to MoreBeer's buckets which maybe might be the issue?

If fermentation seems sluggish, then it's usually lacking either quantity or quality of yeast. What sort of starter did you make?

As an aside, the latest sequencing data suggests WLP029 is probably a lager yeast so probably best treated as such.

 

[Jordan Logo]

If fermentation seems sluggish, then it's usually lacking either quantity or quality of yeast. What sort of starter did you make?

As an aside, the latest sequencing data suggests WLP029 is probably a lager yeast so probably best treated as such.

I went ahead and just pitched 2 packets due to lack of time for a starter. I mean it looks fine... I see a Krausen formed, maybe there's not a good seal on the bucket lid? Would that really affect any flavor since the co2 is still creating a "layer" between the outside air and the wort?

 

[Cain]

I went ahead and just pitched 2 packets due to lack of time for a starter. I mean it looks fine... I see a Krausen formed, maybe there's not a good seal on the bucket lid? Would that really affect any flavor since the co2 is still creating a "layer" between the outside air and the wort?

How did it turn out?

 

[Twinkeelfool]

029 is my house yeast. Hoppy beers, lager like ales, stout. Anything not Belgian or English it’s great in. Very consistent and clears well

 

[Lefou]

I've used WLP029 at ambient temps near 59-60F with no real trouble. My method is to use a pitch a nice 500ml starter using liquid yeast, and a weak solution of wort left to sit for about two hours before pitching. Starting gravity of my beer wort is 1.050 or less and it finishes off nice and clear in about two to three weeks in primary.
Yeast has very low ester/phenol production and drops nicely. I don't bother with raising the temperature at all because a nice, long slow fermentation with a healthy pitch of this yeast strain doesn't tend to produce significant diacetyl or sulfide.

 

[Twinkeelfool]

Yes, it is super clean