I have a real simple blonde recipe that I've been working on since I started brewing. The recipe is: 2-row to OG of ~1.045 0.5 Carapils 0.5 Crystal 10 .75 lbs honey .25 oz Magnum 60 min 1 oz Hallertau at 5 mins 1 oz Hallertau at flameout. I've brewed it many times with WLP001 and it's a real nice beer and my friends really enjoys it. On my last trip to the LHBS, I found WLP072 French Ale on sale. It is a seasonal May-June. I brewed the above recipe with it and it was an amazing beer! It had what I would say, as a very, very slight ester profile and both the hops and the malt were accentuated more than the 001. Unfortunately, I did not have the foresight to subculture the yeast and it can be found nowhere until May! The LHBS proprietor recommended using WLP007 as he thought it would be similar to 072. I've never used 007 before. Can anyone tell me if it is a good choice and if so, what type of results can I expect using it at 66F?
The English have been using WLP007 (or something very close to it) to make blonde colored ales for hundreds of years. I think it's a great choice.
Using this yeast at 66 is perfect in my opinion. This yeast does not throw a lot of esters. If esters are what you want try WLP 002 or 005 or the dry Windsor ale yeast. Good luck.
I'm not looking for a whole lot of ester character. Especially given the simple grain bill. I was just very pleasantly surprised at the 072 and the subtle esters it provided. For lack of a better phrase, it gave it a "European" flavor not typically found in a lot of American styles.
