Excessive lag time with WLP002

[mysterio]

IL,

I took the vial out of the fridge four or five hours before making the starter (about room temperature), then let the starter do its thing for about 24 hours before pitching (again, about room temp).

I'll be e-mailing white labs with the lot number if I have to pitch some Nottingham.

Mysterio what was the lot number, i've just been delivered a vial of this from H&G i was going to get a starter under way tonight in the hope that i could use it for brewing a london pride clone at the weekend.

I know its very flocculant so i was going to do the starter on the stir plate, i wonder could i drop a big sterile stir bar in the fermenter and having it lightly stirring for at least the first few days of the ferment

1002TPTPIGA1

[mysterio]

Now I have to say that I have used three new Whitelab yeast this year and apart from a delay for the starter to get going (It was 6 months old) I have had no problems. YMMV

That's interesting about the phenolics. I'm starting to think I just seriously under-pitched. I usually give starters a full two or three days before I pitch but I only gave this one 24 hours. Maybe they need that extra time because of the journey across the pond, especially for WLP002 which is fickle at the best of times. Could be the stuff gathering at the bottom of the starter was break material from the DME.

[Aleman]

I also thought it was interesting, particularly in regard to Ant's post Regarding yeast producing Chlorophenols.

British Ale Started well for me, but produced some interesting flocculation effects, I may have to check but I think it did finish high, Burton Ale worked well although the starter did take a couple of days to kick into life, but both batches of beer I made with it have really been very nice.

I have the Ayinger stain (838??) ready to use and that is really getting quite old, so I am expecting a slow start.

[delboy]

IL,

I took the vial out of the fridge four or five hours before making the starter (about room temperature), then let the starter do its thing for about 24 hours before pitching (again, about room temp).

I'll be e-mailing white labs with the lot number if I have to pitch some Nottingham.

Mysterio what was the lot number, i've just been delivered a vial of this from H&G i was going to get a starter under way tonight in the hope that i could use it for brewing a london pride clone at the weekend.

I know its very flocculant so i was going to do the starter on the stir plate, i wonder could i drop a big sterile stir bar in the fermenter and having it lightly stirring for at least the first few days of the ferment

1002TPTPIGA1

Cheers mysterio i'll go check if they are the same.

Either aleman or mysterio, any thoughts on using a large stir bar in the fermenter to stop the yeast settling out.
I think from what i've read about this yeast that im going to give it a try. I'll spin it slowly so as to not cause any vortexing but quick enough to stop the lazy yesat blighters settling out almost immediately.

[Aleman]

I have wondered this in the past myself, and asked the question of the HBD. The replies I got back indicated that it wasn't a good idea, and had been tried in a commercial environment where the results were less than stellar. For this reason I haven't tried it myself, but keep thinking that if breweries use pumping to rouse the yeast surely this is similar.

If you try it let us know how you get on

[delboy]

I have wondered this in the past myself, and asked the question of the HBD. The replies I got back indicated that it wasn't a good idea, and had been tried in a commercial environment where the results were less than stellar. For this reason I haven't tried it myself, but keep thinking that if breweries use pumping to rouse the yeast surely this is similar.

If you try it let us know how you get on

This will be my first time using this yeast so i won't have anything to compare it with, so i won't really known if its been a sucess or an out and out failure, but sod it i'll probably give it a go anyway.

Mysterio mine has a different lot number so hopefully it won't give me the same problems.
Just looking at the vial it certainly is a strange looking yeast, looks and moves about like porridge

[Aleman]

Just looking at the vial it certainly is a strange looking yeast, looks and moves about like porridge

My British ale looked very odd in the phial, and extremely odd in the starter

What we have determined is that my starter was slightly more acid than expected and the yeast forms these clumps in acid conditions. What I would have liked to have done would have been to add an alkali to test the theory but I'd already pitched it, and damn fine beer it made too

[delboy]

yipe thats exactly how it looks. Microbes do to tend to clump together when they aren't too happy but mabe this is just the norm for this particular yeast.

[mysterio]

That is the norm for that yeast, check the FAQs for WLP002 on the WL website.