Alternate uses for WLP500?

Ingredients
1

I’ve been on a kick lately where I’ve been wanting to experiment with using yeasts in a manner they traditionally aren’t intended for. My first recipe called for pitching an imperial stout onto a yeast cake of Ringwood, no tasting yet though.

For my next idea, I’d like to rack a heavy milk stout onto a cake of WLP500 Trappist Ale yeast. The question though is, what lighter gravity beer should I pitch the vial of 500 into so that I can have a nice cake to rack onto when it’s done? I was thinking maybe an ESB, or even an Irish Red, but I’m open to suggestions!

2

It makes a great Wit or Belgian Wheat beer.

3

Belgian Milk Stout (esp higher ABV) sounds great!

Don’t rack onto the entire cake. Just pitch enough slurry for your volume/gravity. The entire cake is WAY too much yeast and can cause off flavors, esp in high gravity beers.

You can estimate the amount of slurry you need with the Mr. Malty yeast calculator:
http://www.mrmalty.com/calc/calc.html

4

Good to know, thanks!
Since I use glass carboys is it acceptable to just slosh the cake around and pour out what I don’t need?

5

Yep. If you’re getting a lot of hops/trub into the fermenter, I would collect the slurry in a sanitized mason jar and wash/sanitize the fermentor. This helps keep ‘gunk’ from piling up in the fermentor. Plus, if you’re not ready for the yeast, you can cap and store it in the fridge.

6

Why not brew a belgian pale ale with American hops?

7

Or a Belgian pale ale with NZ/AUS hops.

8

Or a Belgian wheat beer! It makes a great Belgian Wheat! (Echo…echo…echo…)