WL029

Anyone ever used this strain in a Robust Porter  ??? :o

I’ve had mixed results with this strain in other beers. I known some breweries that use this strain as their house strain but find it can do odd things and throw odd flavors. I do like it for a kolsch but for some reason I don’t ever seem to have luck with it for other beer styles. And I’ve used it a lot. YMMV.

thanks K

I am aborting repitching the slurry I have from an IPA I have to keg tonight and called up my pro buddy to see what he had - he has 001 and 029 currently and seemed pretty happy with using 029 in Porter, but I wanted a second opinion - I think I’ll stick with 001.

Everytime I hear about people who use this strain successfully in other beer styles I am left scratching my head and wondering what possibly I could be doing wrong. One thing: I find it is a temperamental strain, unlike chico which is a super hero.

I don’t want to discourage you from experimenting though!  :wink:

I also use it for a Kolsch with very good results. I’ve never tried using it for anything else. It lends a background white wine type flavor in a Kolsch. It ferments out in the 80+% in a Kolsch recipe. Dunno…Let us know how you make out with it if you decide to try it in a RP.

I like this yeast and used it exclusively for the first half of the year. I ran into problems on the second re-pitch of slurry. So my advice is to build a starter from slurry for each subsequent pitch.

Think it would go well in a porter because 029 complements the malt so well.

thanks for all the comments guys, but I went over lunchtime and got some Chico.

not tried 029 in a porter, but for my first all grain brew (a med-robust porter) I used 011 euro ale.  I can see 029 being problematic like mr vice was saying, but the euro ale yeast was awesome.  Like euge said “complements the malt.” chico works too.

I agree with what euge has said…I think it would work great!  The only downside is the yeast is a bit temermental.  I have gone to always creating a starter…even when using slurry from a prev. batch.  I then watch the fermentation of the starter.  If the yeast acts the least bit funny in the starter…I get a new vial and put that into a starter to wake it up.  In eaither case, I try to pitch the starter into a beer within a day or two after the starter finishes out.  Otherwise, I think 029 goes into a deep sleep and takes a while to wake up…resulting in very long lag times.

Either yeast sounds good…but he 029 sounds really interesting!

I only used 029 thrice - once in an Altbier that turned out quite well (despite some people advising against it), then for a Kölsch that turned out great (it was my first), and again in a hoppy session ale that is still fermenting. I know a great brewery that uses the Wyeast Kölsch strain successfully in a number of applications, but I really just brewed this 5 gal session ale for the sake of having a big pitch for 10 gallons of Altbier I will be brewing soon (which may be followed up by 10 gallons of mock-lager Schwarzbier or Munich Dunkel). I got a very lagery effect from 029 - so much so that I my Kölsch (brewed on the hoppy end of the style) strongly resembled a German Pilsner

I tried it several times in an alt and never quite cared for it.

+1.  I don’t know why it didn’t perform well, but my Alt was lacking with this yeast.  I have used it for up to 5 generations of Kolsch, though, without any problems.  I ferment it very cold, too (as low as 52F).