WLP099 Super High Gravity Yeast

[Don]

Anyone use this and if so what were your results?

White Labs
WLP099 Super High Gravity Yeast:

Flavors from this yeast vary greatly with the beer produced. The higher the gravity, the more winey the result. Beers over 16% ABV begin to taste less like beer, and more like fortified wines.

With low gravity beers, this yeast produces a nice, subtle English ale-like ester profile. As the gravity increases, some phenolic character is evident, followed by the winey-ness of beers over 16% ABV. Most fermentations will stop between 12-16% ABV unless these high gravity tips are performed:

Aerate very heavily, 4 times as much as with a normal gravity beer. Less oxygen dissolves into solution at high gravity.

Pitch 3-4 times as much yeast as normal.

Consider aerating intermittently during the first 5 days of fermentation. This will help yeast cells during a very difficult fermentation. Aerate with oxygen for 30 seconds or air for 5-10 minutes.

Higher nutrient levels can allow yeast to tolerate higher alcohol levels. Use 2 times the normal nutrient level. This is especially important when using WLP099 to make wine and mead, which have almost no nutrient level to begin with.Do not start with the entire wort sugar at once.

Begin fermentation with a wort that would produce a 6-8% beer, and add wort (it can be concentrated) each day during the first 5 days. This can be done together with aeration. This is mandatory if the reported 25% ABV is to be achieved.

[john mills]

I made a starter with a 3 month outdated vial. I used a log gravity 1.020 starter. I didn't get a high krausen from very active fermentation an the stir plate. I just thought the yeast may have been slow due to age. Ferment did consume all the sugar, and tasted rather tart. I wasn't sure the starter became infected, so I didn't use it. I did save it though with plans to grow up again and taste it again to confirm if it is bad or not. It just might be the way this culture tastes in concentration.
I had thought of pitching this into my Belgian Golden Strong to dry it out more than it's 11.3% ABV.
My original intent with the WLP 099 was to make an 120 minute style beer approaching the 25% ABV mark. The 2x a day feedings for two weeks sounds challenging for both time and sanitization.