WLP002 English Ale Yeast

Brewed an imperial IPA with 1.085 OG. Pitched a 1.5L 12hr starter. 4 days later, 1.014FG. The blowoff valve barely held on 7 hrs after pitching. Finished with an outstanding beer and get about 80% attenuation with amalayze extract added.

Brewed an english maple nut brown on washed 002 left over from a Pumking Clone, and then a holiday beer on that washed yeast. Both beers should have finished around 1.02-1.024 and instead I got nearly 80% apparent attenuation with the nut brown finishing at 1.012 and the xmas ale at 1.006!!! Is this because of having too much yeasties in there to begin with? I'm not going to complain about going from a 9.6% ABV to 11.4 or 9.4% to 10.4% , but now both beers are very dry. Much more so than planned... After 3 months in secondary they both still taste like jet fuel, and I will be bottle conditioning likely until next holiday season and beyond.

I gave this a shot in a mild and a bitter. The first pitch was a 1.036 dark mild. The yeast gave me about 69% ADF with a 153F mash. It has a nice flavor that took about two weeks to really come together after bottle conditioning. I liked the flavor combined with darker malts.

The second beer was an ordinary bitter with a light amber. Not as good of a flavor. It didn't really work well with the lighter flavor, and I had issues with the yeast flocing out at 1.014. However, after bottle conditioning, it ended up fermenting down to 1.012 which resulted in overcarbed bottles.

It's a yeast with decent flavor, but I am somewhat irritated at its tendency to floc out like a brick. If I kegged, this wouldnt be as much of an issue since I could vent. Or pasteurized or somewhat.

So basically do a forced ferment test to see the limit of attenuation with your wort, keep temps stable or rising slightly, and pitch enough yeast.

I brewed my ESB with WL002, no starter. Pitched at 68F. Active fermentation started in under 24 hrs, and brought it up to 70F. Ambient room temp was kept at 66F. It went from OG: 1.053 to FG: 1.010 in 8 days. That's 81% apparent attenuation! Much higher than I expected. I'll be cold crashing and kegging it tomorrow. Everything is tasting great so far. I'll certainly be harvesting this yeast for future batches. Time to win some medals.

Superb yeast! Let your beer remain in the primary fermenter for 2 weeks and you will have crystal clear beer. Leaves an English hint of flavor/sweetness. English ales demand this yeast!

My tip: After reading the reviews I used a full 2 oz. of NB yeast nutrient to make a 1 pint starter 6 hrs. before pitching at 75F. After pitching I put a cork on the carboy and vigorously rolled it back and forth for a minute (I learned this technique from watching Papazian in 'American Brew'). Fermentation began almost immediately. It was a late boil, and after 24 hrs I simply left a window open to cool it over night. To my surprise the flocculation actually caused the temperature to rise back to 76F after initially cooling to 70F. Question: Does anyone have any advice or opinion on the use of this yeast for a smoked ale? I use alder chips and the flavor is kind of mellow, so I am a little worried it won't be apparent in the finished product.

Brewed a High Gravity Porter 8.8% ABV. Looking for residual sweetness to balance the high IBU's. At first I was skeptical that the strain could handle almost 9% ABV. Not only did it handle it, but it fermented down to the FG in 7 days. Racked to secondary, flocculation was awesome. My clearest beer to date. It took 6 weeks to carbonate in the bottle. Another 8 weeks to blend and mellow. This beer is a winner. The quality, characteristics and hardiness of this strain created a perfect winter brew. OG 1.090, FG 1.024, AA 72%. Unrefined sucrose in 15% of the Grain Bill.

The yeast gives a great flavor but always makes me a little tense at first. For me it has taken a day for it to really get going and on all 3 batches I regularly have to agitate it. I do not have a wort aerator so I would think that would help quite a bit. However, the yeast is worth the wait and I have obviously come back to it. Contamination has never been an issue.

This yeast can produce diacetyl (butter scotch flavor) if you do not leave the yeast in contact with the beer long enough. Wait 3 days after your air lock stops bubbling before separating the yeast from the beer.

My favorite yeast! Works great for the styles listed. Very clean. Is slow to start, but if you agitate it a bit within the first 10-12 hours, it kicks into high gear. Maltiness really comes through. Beer is very clear when finished. If producing authentic English ales, and the water has been treated with added minerals, the mineral tastes are more enhanced.