WLP002 or WLP007 for Arrogant Bastard?

[ultravista]

I've brewed A.B. several times now with WLP007. Last night I was reading The Craft of Stone Brewing and dagnabbit, nearly all of the recipes they provide cite either 002 or 007 for fermentation.

I am looking for feedback from those that have brewed A.B. with both 002 and 007 and the perceived/real differences between the two. For example, will 002 produce a maltier character vs. 007 drying the beer out?

And of the two, which do you prefer, and why?

[alanzo]

I haven't brewed an AB clone with both 007 and 002, but have done a similar beer (Jamil's Evil Twin) with both.

Definitely prefer the 007. The 002 does put out more fruity esters than the 007, but in a beer like a west coast amber, you can't really taste it. But what 002 definitely did that I did not like was leave the beer too sweet. In a west coast amber style, you need the beer to dry out nicely because of all the caramel malt that is used and so that the hops can be be bright.

[hoodie]

They have a proprietary yeast, but Mitch has said that the closest would be a dry English strain like 007.

[siwelwerd]

It's tough to get the required attenuation with 002. In general, I only use 002 for beers that start out below 1.050-1.055. I also greatly prefer the more restrained ester profile of the 007.

[ultravista]

Will 002 give a different flavor profile than 007?

[alanzo]

Yes. The end result will taste sweeter.