Just pitched about 400 ml of fresh harvested slurry to 8 gallons of robust porter. currently sitting at 58 can I go lower? or am I getting over zealous with the cool temps on this yeast? I am in no hurry so if it’s just a matter of taking longer it’s not a problem.
58 seems tobe the sweet pot on this strain for starting out. Be sure you ramp it up over 62 after a few days or it has a tendency to stall.
+1…58 is money for that one
cool, it’s sitting at 58 now. I will ramp it up starting tomorrow.
I added wort to a previous cake of WLP029 on Saturday and began it at 58oF. It does seem to like that temp. I let it free rise to 66oF Yesterday and this morning I had to add a blow-off tube. I’ve never had to use a blow-off tube on WLP029!
Makes me wonder about the info White Labs gives for their yeasts. I assume their “optimal” temps are optimal for a number on a chart and not for decent flavor? For WLP029 they say:
[quote]Optimum Fermentation Temperature: 65-69°F
Does not ferment well less than 62°F, unless during active fermentation.
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they are trying to balance yeast health with performance and quick starts/ferments. it’s marketing more than anything.
Two weekends ago I just christened my first temp-controlled chest freezer ferment chamber with this yeast. I pitched it at about 59F and held it at 60F until the krausen fell. It looked like a good and active ferment.
I just listened to this link on the WL website where Chris White talks about ferment temps. Interesting:
I made a Kolsch the other week with WLP029 that’s ramping down to the lagering stage as I type. I pitched it at 58F and held it there for several days then ramped up to 60F for a few more days then ramped to 65F for 3 days. 10 days total primary ferment. It went from 1.050 to 1.013. I’m planning to lager it on the yeast for 4 weeks.