WHC Lab Saturated
WHC Lab (Ireland)
"The juicy NEIPA workhorse — saturate your IPA with stone fruit"
Ferment Temp
19-22°C
18-24°C
Attenuation
73-77%
medium
Flocculation
Medium to High
ABV Tolerance
13% ABV
Used in Project X-04
Sinless (Cryo Fresh Citra) — Thong Pradit × Repentless
4.3 packages pitched into 50L NEIPA. Active brewday timeline →
🍑 Flavor Profile
Dominant Notes
Secondary Notes
Character
Rich, full-bodied, creamy mouthfeel
🧬 Biotransformation
Thiol Release
GOODCysteine-bound thiols → free thiols during ferment
- • Cys-3MH → 3MH (passion fruit, grapefruit)
- • Cys-4MMP → 4MMP (blackcurrant, boxwood)
- • Best with thiol-rich hops (Citra, Mosaic, Nelson)
- • Active during 19-22°C primary ferment
Ester Production
FRUITYStone-fruit ester signature
- • Ethyl hexanoate — peach/pineapple
- • Isoamyl acetate — banana/mango (low)
- • Ethyl octanoate — vanilla hints
- • Higher temp (22°C) = more punch
Key Insight: WHC Saturated complements aromatic hop varieties — pairs perfectly with Citra, Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin, El Dorado for stacked tropical/stone-fruit profile.
🌫️ Why for NEIPA
- ✓ Haze stability — keeps NEIPA cloudy without artificial haze agents
- ✓ Medium attenuation (73-77%) — leaves residual sweetness for body, not bone-dry
- ✓ Med-High flocculation — drops well during cold crash but stays suspended during dry hop
- ✓ Stone fruit esters stack with hop tropical notes (mango, peach, pineapple)
- ✓ Cool/temperate ferment 19-22°C — practical for Thai climate with simple cooling
📋 Best Practices
🚀 Saturated Protocol
Pitch temp: 19°C
Pitch rate: 50-150 g/hL
Primary: 19°C × 5-7d
Free rise: 22°C diacetyl rest
Dry hop: 14-19°C, day 5-7
Cold crash: 1°C × 3-5d
Nutrients: Medium FAN
Total time: ~14-21 days
⚠️ Hop Creep Risk
Med-high flocculation but yeast stays viable during dry hop:
- • Hop diastatic enzymes break dextrins
- • Yeast ferments newly available sugars
- • FG drops -2 to -4 pts after dry hop
- ✓ Use Cryo hops to minimize (less amylase)
🍯 Pairing Tips
- • Mash 64-66°C — high fermentability, balances residual sweetness
- • Chloride-forward water (Cl/SO₄ > 1) — mouthfeel boost
- • Stack with Citra, Mosaic, Nelson, El Dorado
- • Pitch fresh — dry yeast within 6 months for full vitality
🎯 Recommended Styles
Versatile workhorse — performs well across hop-forward and malt-forward styles
📊 vs Other NEIPA Yeasts
| Strain | Att% | Floc | Temp | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| WHC Saturated ⭐ | 73-77% | Med-High | 19-22°C | Stone fruit, vanilla |
| Lallemand Verdant IPA | 75-79% | Med | 18-23°C | Stone fruit, citrus |
| Imperial A04 Barbarian | 77-81% | Med | 18-22°C | Tropical, juicy |
| Lallemand Pomona | 74-78% | Med | 18-22°C | Tropical, biotransform |
| Mango Madness (Kveik) | 76-80% | Low | 31-37°C | Heavy mango/guava |
Source: whclab.com/products/saturated