I didn't do my homework before visiting a NSLHBS (Not So Local...) and buying yeast for a tripel. The proprietor suggested WLP500. I later discovered this is not the Westmalle, but the Chimay strain.

What have you brewed with WLP500 that turned out great?

Westmalle, Chimay, and Achel all use the same yeast. They each handle it a bit differently.

I brewed a mead with the wlp500 that turned out fantastic after about two years. By that time, there was very little of it left.
I've brewed a number of beers with it, but I can't remember what right off-hand.
My own rule of thumb is to pitch any Belgian yeast about 5 degrees (or thereabouts) cooler than any other yeast.

sorry rex, thats not correct. chimay's strain is wlp500 (trappist), westmalle is wlp530 (abbey ale). they may have begun as the same strain, but they are very different now...http://www.mrmalty.com/yeast.htm

i really like the 500 though...you should be able to make a damn good triple with that yeast. start it out cool, and then let the temp ramp up to mid-upper-70's.

You're right, Jeff. It's Westvleteren, Achel, and Westmalle that are the same.
Personally, I wouldn't let any Belgian yeast go higher than 72. Too much nail polish remover taste.
The yeast will produce enough of the spicy flavors on its own given time.
I tried that a couple of years ago with a saison yeast in an alt.
It tasted nice and alty for awhile, but even in cold storage (40F), the spiciness of the yeast started taking over.
I had to drink it up quick.

Then again, that mead had a lot of that nail polish remover taste that faded out after awhile.
It took well over a year though.

I'd have to disagree with Rex about allowing belgian yeast rise about 72. As long as you pitch cool, enough yeast, keep the beer from temp swings, and control the temp (paying attention to the temp of the fermenting beer as opposed to just the ambient temperature of the room, then your beer can ferment above 72 later into the fermentation without the nail polish remover. Depends one how estery you like your belgians. I like my belgians to have substantial ester presence.

I agree that wlp500 will turn out a great trippel. Just used this in a dubbel. I've been brewing belgians exclusively now for the last 5 batches or so, and have done quite a bit of research on many belgian strains lately. The 500 is going to give you more fruit flavor than if you had pitched the 530. (my favorite strain so far,) but you can control these fruity esters with your fermentation temperatures. I would advise you to start low, maybe around 64, and then ramp it to 70-72 after the primary fermentation is done, or in the last week or two. This will give you the desired amount of esters without going overboard. If you stay on the cooler side throughout fermentation, your beer will be more clean, neutral, and have more earthy, lighter yeast flavors than if you had ramped it up. I'm doing a trippel next too, and am definately using 530, which I have only used for a quad but really loved it.

500 makes a nice triple. It's on the fruity side for sure, bananas if the temp gets up. 530 is one of my favorites much more spice and less fruit. With any of the Belgian strains I start fermentation around 62-64f. When the krausen starts to drop I'll let the beer warm a few degrees over a few days. I don't know that it makes any difference but thats what I've been doing. Does seem to gives a good quick complete attenuation.