WLP570 flocculation

[cascadiabrewer]

Does anyone have advice on how to get WLP570 to clear up? I use it to make a Belgian golden strong, but the last two times I made it (different vials of yeast) it has been cloudy in the keg. I know White Labs website shows it has low flocculation properties. But I made one last year and it turned out crystal clear with the yeast. I used just pilsner malt and corn sugar. Wyesast yeast nutrient and super moss (one batch)/ whirfloc (the other batch). Even tried heating gelatin up to 150 Deg. F in water then dumping that into the keg.Fermented at 63 Deg. F starting at the pitch then slowly ramped up to 75 Deg. F over the course of 7 days. Beginning gravity of 1.072, finished gravity at 1.007. Kegerator temperature is at 34 Deg. F.

Any advice would help..

Thanks

[Ozwald]

Sounds like a transfer problem. Get a short piece of 2x4, or something else about that thick & prop it under one edge of the carboy/bucket. All the yeast will settle to the lower corner that's not propped up. When you transfer, stay on the high side & don't be afraid of leaving some of the beer behind to keep the sediment to a minimum.

The gelatin will help with a lot of things, but it has it's limits. Also, make sure you're using the correct amounts.

Boil 300mL of water.
Cool below 150F.
Add a teaspoon of gelatin powder (I measure it in grams, but I forget off the top of my head 3.5g? - about half a packet)
Let it bloom for 10 minutes
Pour it in the keg & rack on top to let it mix in well.
Wait 7 days with the beer cold (perfect time to let it slowly carbonate)
Pour off a pint or two without disturbing the keg

If you keep that initial sediment down, both by angling the fermenter & giving it time to settle - just because you hit FG doesn't mean it's done, give it some time - the gelatin should be cleaning up the little bit that's left without a problem.

[cascadiabrewer]

Ozwald,
I have shortened my dip tubes after I transferred it into another keg. This is definitely suspended yeast. After adding gelatin I had a good pint of yeasty golden strong that settled out, transferred it but the beer is still cloudy. Have you used this yeast much?

Steve

[DBear]

Don't fight it because it will drive you mad. 570 is the worst. I find only time and cold will work and I still did not have a crystal clear beer.

[Ozwald]

You said you reached FG in 7 days, but how long after that did you wait to transfer it? True, the strain isn't a strong flocculator, but 7 days is still too early to be transferring, terminal or not.

[brewinhard]

Sounds like a transfer problem. Get a short piece of 2x4, or something else about that thick & prop it under one edge of the carboy/bucket. All the yeast will settle to the lower corner that's not propped up. When you transfer, stay on the high side & don't be afraid of leaving some of the beer behind to keep the sediment to a minimum.

The gelatin will help with a lot of things, but it has it's limits. Also, make sure you're using the correct amounts.

Boil 300mL of water.
Cool below 150F.
Add a teaspoon of gelatin powder (I measure it in grams, but I forget off the top of my head 3.5g? - about half a packet)
Let it bloom for 10 minutes
Pour it in the keg & rack on top to let it mix in well.
Wait 7 days with the beer cold (perfect time to let it slowly carbonate)
Pour off a pint or two without disturbing the keg

If you keep that initial sediment down, both by angling the fermenter & giving it time to settle - just because you hit FG doesn't mean it's done, give it some time - the gelatin should be cleaning up the little bit that's left without a problem.

Don't forget to rack COLD beer on top of the gelatin. Helps things along a bit faster.

[Ozwald]

Sounds like a transfer problem. Get a short piece of 2x4, or something else about that thick & prop it under one edge of the carboy/bucket. All the yeast will settle to the lower corner that's not propped up. When you transfer, stay on the high side & don't be afraid of leaving some of the beer behind to keep the sediment to a minimum.

The gelatin will help with a lot of things, but it has it's limits. Also, make sure you're using the correct amounts.

Boil 300mL of water.
Cool below 150F.
Add a teaspoon of gelatin powder (I measure it in grams, but I forget off the top of my head 3.5g? - about half a packet)
Let it bloom for 10 minutes
Pour it in the keg & rack on top to let it mix in well.
Wait 7 days with the beer cold (perfect time to let it slowly carbonate)
Pour off a pint or two without disturbing the keg

If you keep that initial sediment down, both by angling the fermenter & giving it time to settle - just because you hit FG doesn't mean it's done, give it some time - the gelatin should be cleaning up the little bit that's left without a problem.

Don't forget to rack COLD beer on top of the gelatin. Helps things along a bit faster.

I don't. I won't crash any fermenter than I can't pressurize at least to 5psi. I'm usually racking on the gelatin at 70ish degrees without issue. The tricks I do are if a beer finishes in 7 days, it's in the fermenter no less than 14 days. Time drops a lot of that extra out letting the gelatin focus on the finer stuff. That's with a good floccer like '56. With a less flocculant yeast, I'd give it an extra 7-10 days... FG in 7 means transfer in 21.

The keg gets purged. Gelatin goes in (I let it bloom right in the keg). Rack on top of the gelatin for good mixing. When it's full, put the lid back on & put some pressure on it. Goes in the kegerator with the gas hooked up, don't even look at it for a week, pour off the pint & drink crystal clear beer. My kegerator is set for something like 39 or 40 with a 4 or 5 degree swing.

[cascadiabrewer]

I ramped my temp up over 7 days the beer did not finish by then. It sat at 75 Deg. F for another couple weeks letting the yeast do it's job. It seems to start fast but slowly finish with this beer. When I use Gelatin it's in a keg, after carbonating and draining a pint from the tap of any yeast that has dropped to the bottom of the keg. My thinking is that way the gelatin is only focused on the last yeast in suspension.
I don't crash in the fermenter anymore, I always transfer to a keg to cold crash.

So both of you are transferring on top of the gelatin? I've always dumped it into the keg, interesting, in your opinion does that seem to do a better job?

The only cloudy beer problem that I have had is with this yeast. All other beers are crystal clear without gelatin. If you guys have made a Belgian golden strong, what other yeast have you used?