Saflager Yeast

I'm new to homebrewing just bottled my second batch.


For my 3rd attempt i'd like to experiment with a different yeast. Say i was to get a Coopers Lager kit and discard the yeast that comes with it and use a Saflager yeast would i get more body in my lager?

Ive noticed the kits kind of taste bland - Does yeast make that much of a deal to the taste of yer lager?

Some Cooper's lager kits use lager yeast, some ale. I've heard that the lager yeast is in fact S-23. I don't think that has anything to do with blandness. The kits are low on hops and, if you use sugar, malt.

If the Saflager yeast you're considering is S-23, I'd say use ANY other yeast in the world instead.

Denny said:

If the Saflager yeast you're considering is S-23, I'd say use ANY other yeast in the world instead.

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Wondering why you say that? I recently made my first lager with S-23 and I'm very happy with the way the beer turned out.

So if i wanted a nice continental lager.

Some thing with body like Heiniken or Stella - what would yers sugest?

I'd suggest you go buy some Heineken or Stella. Brewing industrial lagers at home requires tight process control. Assuming you have a temperature-controlled, refrigerated fermentation vessel, bottled oxygen, and the patience for a month or more of lagering time, I'd say WLP838 or Wyeast 2308 is the baby for lagers with body. Pitch enough, or make a smaller batch to start and harvest the slurry for a full-scale batch.

DeafSmith said:

Wondering why you say that? I recently made my first lager with S-23 and I'm very happy with the way the beer turned out.

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I made the 2 worst batches of beer I've ever made using that yeast. They were undrinkably, disgustingly fruity even after a year of lagering. So bad that I sent some to John Palmer for his opinion. He said is tastes like Bartles and Jaymes Passion Fruit wine cooler!

Denny said:

I made the 2 worst batches of beer I've ever made using that yeast. They were undrinkably, disgustingly fruity even after a year of lagering. So bad that I sent some to John Palmer for his opinion. He said is tastes like Bartles and Jaymes Passion Fruit wine cooler!

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That's odd - mine didn't taste fruity. I used 2 packs of yeast for a 5 gallon batch - rehydrated @ 72ºF for 30 minutes, fed the yeast a little wort and cooled it to about 48ºF slowly over about a 3-4 hour period, then pitched it to the wort which was at 50ºF. I also aerated the wort with O2 with a .5 micron stone for about 45 seconds. Fermented about 50-51ºF for 8 days until SG was 1.020 (OG was 1.052) then did D-rest @ 62-63ºF, then racked to keg and ramped temperature down about 4ºF per day to lagering temp - so far it has lagered at 32-33ºF for 7 weeks - is clear and tastes good.