MiniFerment data:
What is MiniFerment? White Labs yeast strains were tested using the same wort in its proprietary MiniFerment process. The process simulates large-scale brewing. To learn more about MiniFerment click here. To learn more about understanding the data, click here.

Fermentation temperature: 68° F
Attenuation: 90%
Hours to get to 50 percent attenuation: 32 hours

Reviews:
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"Used on an Imperial IPA .. "
By: HomeBrewStuff.com
Date: Nov. 22, 2009
Beers brewed: Imperial IPA
Comments: Used on an Imperial IPA, began with a 1 qt (1.040) starter 3 days before brewday. OG of 11 gal batch was 1.097 FG after 14 days was 1.015 @ 70°.

"I'm happy that the gravity is lower ... "
By: Joseph
Date: Oct. 16, 2009
Beers brewed: English Barleywine
Comments: This yeast saved my big beer. I think the original yeast, English Dry, got lazy as I did have 10% of the sugars from honey. It stopped at 1.040 from 1.110 and was just too sweet. So, I made a half gallon starter with wlp099 and it is now at 1.027 and still showing some activity. I'm happy that the gravity is lower, but ecstatic that the wlp099 did not destroy that flavor I love from the English Dry!

"Cool by usual method ... "
By: Mick Yallup
Date: May 6, 2009
Beers brewed: 20% Barley Wine
Brewery name: Sleetmoor Brewery
Comments: Mash overnight @ 63'c and sparge with minimum additional liquor to give twice final volume brew required. Bring to boil & reduce volume (by 50%) to (approx) required o.g. Add hops & boil for required time. Cool by usual method and pitch yeast. After initial fermentation add 2 pkts "dry beer enzyme" (to convert residual dextrose to fermentable sugars) and aerate with aquarium pump + airstone. Add 1 tsp nutrient/gall & ferment out, aerating as required.

"WLP007 more versatile"
By: Alastair Hewitt
Date: Oct. 16, 2008
Beers brewed: RIS, high gravity ale
Comments: I stepped up WLP099 twice and pitched it in a Russian Imperial Stout. I pulled the slurry when the RIS was about 8% and pitched it into a 1.100 OG wort. This was oxygenated for about 3 hours with pure O₂ at the beginning of fermentation. Fermentation was very active and I started sugar additions (blend of malt extract, honey, brown sugar). Fermentation started to slow after first addition and then stopped soon after second. Added more nutrients and additional oxygen, but no luck, the yeast can't take the current alcohol level (calculated around 13%). It looks like this yeast is not alcohol tolerant much beyond 13% ABV. I did a similar beer two years ago with WLP007. Aimed for 13% ABV and made it to 13.7%. This time I was going for 18%, but things have stopped with an FG of 1.070. Over $100 down the drain unfortunately. The RIS came out great. I did a small sugar addition to this and got to 10% with out much trouble. I don't see much difference between WLP007 and WLP099 for high gravity brewing. WLP007 has the advantage of being more versatile for normal gravity beers.

" ... had great results"
By: joe
Date: Feb. 22, 2008
Beers brewed: Barley Wine
Comments: I brewed a barley wine with this yeast and had great results. It finished at 10%. My friend and family are begging me to brew it again.

"I would recommend WLP001 instead ... "
By: Clay Brackley, Head Brewer, Sleeping Lady Brewing Co.
Date: January 30, 2008
Beers brewed: IPA, Amber, High Gravity Wheatwine
Brewery name: Sleeping Lady Brewing Co.
Comments: I purchased a 7bbl of WLP099 and propped it up in a 5 bbl batch of Amber with a gravity of 15P. The Amber turned out awful, it was overattenuated and astringent with some autolysis flavors. This was immediately following fermentation. The IPA was a little better because the hops masked the astringency a bit but it still was not as good as my house yeast. I would not recommend this yeast ! for average gravity beers. It is a great attenuator of high gravity worts but it tastes bad. I would recommend WLP001 instead as it attenuates well, flocs better than 099 and tastes much better. I will never buy this strain again.

(Editor's note: WLP099 is designed to be used in big beers that need a lot of attenuation, and the big flavors from those beers match well with the yeast. Others have used in normal gravity worts and enjoyed the results, however).

FAQ for this yeast
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(Find special tips for WLP099 here.)

Q: Hello! I read with great interest your write-up on WLP099 yeast. I wonder if any of your customers have tried to make a 25% sugar wine using this yeast? I would love to see their results (and process) if it has been published.

A: People have, but we do not know of published recipes.

Q: I have some questions concerning your high gravity tips: Can a hand-held blender be used for both the initial and subsequent aerations?

A. This would not get good aeration; an aquarium pump with an inline air filter is better.

Q. In a 25L batch, what weight of yeast and nutrient should be used? Which nutrient(s)?

A. 1-3 vials of yeast would be good; 1 tablet of Servomyces.

Q. What would be the best temperature to control to, to minimize impurities? At this temperature how long would you estimate it would take for completion?

A. 75 degrees F would be good, which would take about 5-15 days to complete.