Dry German Ale yeast

Anybody out there been using a dry yeast that they like for german ales? I have been using Wyeast and White labs for my alts and kolsch and am happy with the yeasts but want to see if there is a dry alternative that is used and recomended.

K-97 is the only dry yeast I know of. It's kinda hard to find, only a few places sell it to homebrewers. I haven't used it, but it's supposed to be a Koelsch yeast. They mainly sell it to probrewers in 500g bricks. From the probrewer board I've gathered that it's most similar to WY2565 and WLP029.

http://www.americanbrewmaster.com/product_info.php?products_id=1846

Nateo said:

K-97 is the only dry yeast I know of. It's kinda hard to find, only a few places sell it to homebrewers. I haven't used it, but it's supposed to be a Koelsch yeast. They mainly sell it to probrewers in 500g bricks. From the probrewer board I've gathered that it's most similar to WY2565 and WLP029.

http://www.americanbrewmaster.com/product_info.php?products_id=1846

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I have used it, Very Neutral yeast, Works well. But I agree finding it is hard, i got it from midwest but i do believe they have discontinued carrying it.

whats the reason a lot of places dont carry it?

bill42 said:

whats the reason a lot of places dont carry it?

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Fermentis only packages it in 500g bricks.

American brewmaster carries K-97 @3.50 a pack

Problem is $9.00 shipping on one pack of yeast

Fermentationtrap also has it, for $2.50, but they have $9 shipping too. It's flat rate, so you could buy some other stuff too to make it worthwhile.

At my tackle store we mail little packages of jigs and weights for people all the time via USPS. The price is usually $1.50-$2.50. I think it's ridiculous how much most homebrew stores charge to ship small items. Flat rate is really only good if you're buying a bunch of heavy stuff.

Austin Home Brew also has it although it's not listed on there online cataloge. They will ship by US MAIL if you ask. Must be "good stuff" if most is going to the pros in 500g blocks.

FWIW I've brewed a few batches with K-97. It's a pretty clean ale yeast, similar to US-05, but doesn't have the distinctive taste that US-05 does.

I fermented the K-97 beers at 56* and it didn't really get much "lager-like" flavor. I had one back-to-back with a Reissdorf Koelsch, and they don't seem like similar yeast strains at all. I don't think the Reissdorf strain tastes like the Wyeast Koelsch strain either. 2565 seems to have a more exaggerated "winy" flavor. In Eric Warner's book Koelsch he has a chart with the results from a four yeast experiment. The levels of ethyls caproate, caprylate, and caprate (fruity/winy) are all higher in the Alt and Lager strains than the Koelsch strain, though the Weizen yeast had slightly lower levels. So I'm not really sure what's going on there.

The Reissdorf had a much more distinct "German lager flavor" than mine. I used 100% Weyermann Floor-malted Bopils, so I don't think it was the grist.

I make a Dampfbier fairly regularly with WB-06. I actually think it's fairly neutral if you ferment it around 60* in a 100% barley grist. It seems to need wheat to make the "typical" strong weizen phenolics.

I only use dry yeast as shipping to Hawaii a cold liquid is questionable. When I do a German style ale I want a German yeast. I don't care for wheats only barley beers. I have used K-97 in the past and like it. I'm trying now to find some. Waiting for a response from Mid West, already found that Austin has some as well as American Brewmaster in N.C.