Experience with WLP550

[adhomebrew10]

I attempted my first Belgian yesterday using WLP550. It was my first in over a year and with all new equipment, so there were a few hiccups - exited to be back brewing though!

Anyway, I made a starter, cold crashed, then decanted, warmed and pitched. I have made quite a few batches with dry yeast, but I have not had activity as quickly before as with the 550. Within 2 hours, I had pretty good activity and by 6 it was going nuts.

A few questions:
1. Is the lower lag time more normal with liquid yeast in general?
2, I used a blowoff tube after reading how violently 550 ferments, but so far only have about an inch of Krausen at 24 hours. What are your experiences?
3. I have read the flavor profile is very spicy - peppery and clovey. I am fermenting at about 68 and was hoping to let the temp free rise, but my basement is about 67 and I have the carboy in a cooler of about 20g of 68 degree water, so I don't think it will rise very much. What can I expect from the low end of the temp range?

It is a belgian blonde, FYI.

 

[serum]

I attempted my first Belgian yesterday using WLP550. It was my first in over a year and with all new equipment, so there were a few hiccups - exited to be back brewing though!

Anyway, I made a starter, cold crashed, then decanted, warmed and pitched. I have made quite a few batches with dry yeast, but I have not had activity as quickly before as with the 550. Within 2 hours, I had pretty good activity and by 6 it was going nuts.

A few questions:
1. Is the lower lag time more normal with liquid yeast in general?
2, I used a blowoff tube after reading how violently 550 ferments, but so far only have about an inch of Krausen at 24 hours. What are your experiences?
3. I have read the flavor profile is very spicy - peppery and clovey. I am fermenting at about 68 and was hoping to let the temp free rise, but my basement is about 67 and I have the carboy in a cooler of about 20g of 68 degree water, so I don't think it will rise very much. What can I expect from the low end of the temp range?

It is a belgian blonde, FYI.

It's a really nice yeast. It can be quite vigorous but not always. It quite often clogged up my airlock but when I used it a week or so ago I got 2 inches of krausen. Sometimes it gets started quick but builds up over a few days so it might not get quite as explosive until a few days in.

Liquid yeast tends to start much quicker in my experience so what you've seen is quite normal in my books.

If you've got it in a cooler of 68F water it'll probably climb higher than that in the early stages but at the colder end this yeast can be quite clean with a bit of fruit salad type flavour. It can dry out quite a bit when aged.

For a Belgian blond it's my yeast of choice so I'm sure this will be good.