WLP022 Essex Ale Yeast
Flavorful British style yeast. Drier finish than many British ale yeast. Produces slightly fruity and bready character.    Good top fermenting yeast strain, is well suited for top cropping (collecting). This yeast is well suited for classic British milds, pale ales, bitters, and stouts. Does not flocculate as much as WLP002 and WLP005. Attenuation: 71-76%
Flocculation: Medium to High
Ideal Fermentation Temperature Range: 66-70°F
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium    

Reviews:
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" ... off to top crop"
By: Filthy McWhiskey
Date: June 26, 2009
Beers brewed: amber, ESB, English mild, blond
Comments: AMAZING! The best English style yeast I have ever used! I launched an Essex series from yeast cropping one batch after another off the first batch the English mild then came blond, amber, ESB, all came out great! The yeast has a nice bitter to it, worked well with only 2oz. of hops on the mild! The ESB @ 5oz.of hops wow it is beautifully bitter! Can't wait till the next round! Well, off to top crop the Nottingham series next!

"I highly recommend this strain"
By: j_snook
Date: April 29, 2009
Beers brewed: Extra Pale Ale, American Pale Ale, Oatmeal Stout
Comments: This is an update to my previous review of this strain with more complete info: My Stats with this yeast: Attenuation 70% (EPA, pitched one vial/5 gallons wort), 72% (APA, pitched slurry) and 76% (Stout, pitched slurry) Flocculation: Observed very high flocculation upon completion of fermentation. Alcohol Tolerance: Got high attenuation according to published range with the Stout which was 7.0% ABV. Fermentation temp: All 3 fermented around 67-68 F. Observations: Lag times were about 12 hours for each brew. Fermentation was steady for 5 to 7 days with airlock activity continuing up until day 10 for all 3 brews. I did not use foam control or blow-off tubes and had no problems. There is a visible top-cropping fermentation action with this yeast. Flocculation is fairly complete upon attenuation. Bottle conditioning took one week for all 3 brews. Tasting: All three brews had a base of Marris Otter Pale malt and different combinations of American hops. There is a nice but not overpowering fruity profile with aromas of stone fruit like peach. The warm-bread malt flavors/aromas of the MO malt came through very nicely. In the oatmeal stout there were a lot of coffee/esspresso notes from the Roasted Barley and Black Patent malts. The APA had a wonderful balance of crystal malt sweetness and bright smooth hop bitterness and aroma. In general, this yeast seems to develop well-rounded flavors without leaning too much towards either the malt or the hops. The one thing I don't notice is a lot of dry-hop aroma in the APA so I will just go with late/whirlpool hop additions in the future. Summary: I highly recommend this strain. Very easy to brew with. Only downside is it's currently a Platinum Strain so only available in January and February.

"Flocculation was fairly high ... "
By: j_snook
Date: March 18, 2009
Beers brewed: Pale Ale
Comments: Fermented a hoppy pale ale around 68 degrees. Was fast to start but fermented very consistently over the course of 10 days from an OG of 1.052 to 1.015. Final product was awesome - slight fruit aromas and malt flavors with a dry finish. Bottle conditioning was complete in under 7 days. Flocculation was fairly high with a nice pellet forming in each bottle after a week. I think this could be a good choice for a stout and I intend to try it.

" ... fantastic on 'spicy' styled British pale ales"
By: Dave Brown-Smith
Date: May 3, 2008
Beers brewed: British Pale Ale, Best Bitter, ESB
Comments: WLP022 Works fantastic on 'spicy' styled British pale ales (eg: Spitfire, Old Speckled Hen, Tankhouse Ale).

" ... creates a nice ester profile"
By: Tony V.
Date: March 29, 2007
Beers brewed: English IPA, ESB
Comments: Great yeast that is a little slow to attenuate but creates a nice ester profile (bready and slightly fruity) but still lets the hop flavor come through well. Give it plenty of head space during fermentation because its a top cropping variety.

"One of my all-time favorite strains .. "
By: Jason Teeter
Date: Monday, December 18, 2006
Beers brewed: Mostly bitters, more to follow upon release in 2007
Comments: One of my all time favorite strains for English-style pales. Thick, heavy, long lasting krausen makes it very suitable for those brewers wishing to experiment with top cropping and/or open fermentation. Slower acting than many of the English strains such as 002, 005 or 013 but your patience is well rewarded. Moderate fruity esters, with a bready character that enhances the nuttiness of maris otter & toasted grains. Highly recommended for British beer lovers.

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