Berliner Weisse with Kolsch

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steinsato

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I'm planning on brewing a Berliner Weisse this weekend using some ingredients I have in stock. I am not shooting for a true to style beer but I think this will get the job done. Just curious to see what people think.

4 lbs American 2-row
2.5 lbs White Wheat (American)
.6 oz Tettnanger 5.1% aa (15 min)
Mash at 149F for about 75 min
Collect 5.5 gallons of wort and only boil for 15 min total
Chill to about 90F
Add a pack of Wyeast 4335 (Lacto) and let sit at 85-90 for 24 hours

Here is where I have questions. I kind of want to use Wyeast Kolsch II because I have a lot of it on hand. I know that this yeast works quite well fermenting at 60F but am wondering if I can get away with fermenting it at 70F. Will this give me too much sulfur? Will 70F be too cool for the Lacto? Should I forget about the Kolsch yeast and go with Wyeast 1338 (considering LHBS has it)? Should I add some Brett to secondary?
 
This is a really yeast- (and lacto) dependent style. A Kolsch yeast just seems bizarre and I don't really think it's going to give you the flavors expected from the style... at least not without some heavily present off-flavors. This seems to be an obvious subpar batch in the making to me, in my experience, and not worth cheaping out on the yeast for, but anyone with more experience please feel free to chime in.
 
Anyone brew a Berliner Weisse with kolsch? I've seen it mentioned a few times before including the Jamil show but have never heard any results from it. Seems a lot of people consider it but never actually do it. Like I said, I'm not shooting for a true to style beer, nor am I wanting to use Kolsch because I'm too cheap to buy a different strain. Just want to use up some ingredients I have in house.

Edit: The main thing that put using Kolsch into my head was that it is 1 of only 2 strains that wyeast recommends to use for a Berliner Weisse.
http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_styledetails.cfm?ID=179
 
So I decided since noone really has an experienced opinion on this and I keep seeing kolsch as a viable yeast option for Berliner Weisse, I'm going to do an experiment tomorrow. I decided to brew 10 gallons of Berliner Weisse with Pilsner malt, White wheat malt, and Tettnang hops. I'll split the beer into two 6 gallon carboys and add a .5 liter starter of lacto to each carboy for 48 hours. I will then innoculate one carboy with German Ale yeast 1007 and the other with Kolsch II (I think it's 2575PC). We'll see how they turn out compared side by side.
 
Well, given I'm finalizing my thoughts on my first go at a BW I'm subscribed
 
It will be nothing like berliner weisse with Kolsh yeast. I just finished a keg with near identical recipe using 2565 fermented at 60. It will be a nice smooth beer but not the weisse
 
It will be nothing like berliner weisse with Kolsh yeast. I just finished a keg with near identical recipe using 2565 fermented at 60. It will be a nice smooth beer but not the weisse

Did the lacto come through pretty well with the kolsch yeast? It's ok if isn't exactly to style. I like the idea of getting two different tasting beers out of one brew day though.
 
A side-by-side comparison with WLP630 (White Labs Berliner Weisse Blend) would probably be cool. I just made one last weekend with it. As similar as all BW recipes are, mine was pretty different.

4lbs German pale wheat malt
2lbs Briess Pilsner malt
1oz 4% AA hallertauer

I kept it a bit traditional with a decoction mash
Sacc rest @ 149° for 90 min
15 minute boil
 
After comparing the two beers I made, one with a lacto/2575 kolsch blend and the other with a lacto/1007 german ale blend, I found no major differences in the two beers at all. If I were to set up a blind taste taste there is no way I'd be able to tell one from the other. So my conclusion is that kolsch yeast can safely be used for Berliner Weisse. I think the lacto pretty much overpowers any characteristics the yeast may have imparted.
 
I can see that, kolsch is fairly subtle. My BW came out the same, the lacto character is dominant. Thanks for remembering to post results.
 
What temperature did you ferment at with the Kolsch yeast? My LHBS only had German Ale/Kolsch WLP029 in stock and I'm planning on brewing tomorrow.... I'm planning on fermenting at 67 degrees after a two day sour mash then 15 minute boil.

I'm making a 10 gallon batch and using a homemade lacto starter from crushed grain on half, and the other half of the batch will get a starter using Wyeast's 5335 Lacto. These will be added to a sour mash for two days, and then boiled for 15 minutes. That is when I'll add the Kolsch yeast.... I really don't want to get any sulfur flavors either.

Thanks!
 
I ended up pitching both the yeasts at 72F. I did not drop the kolsch yeast to the lower temps like I usually do. This was definitely used at the upper extremes of kolsch II. I'm sure it fermented in mid 70s. Didn't really detect any sulfur notes. I'm sure getting it down to 67F would be better than where I fermented it at.
 
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