Cold ale yeasts: Wyeast-1007 vs 2565 vs 2112 (for altbiers, kolsch, & cream ales)

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gregdech

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I was hoping some of you whom have used these yeasts could give me some insight into their respective properties. The room in my basement where I usually ferment stays very cool year round (13-16C, 55-60F) which is not necessarily a huge problem, except for certain yeasts. I was looking to experiment with brewing an Altbier (Wyeast 1007 - German Ale) and a Kolsch (Wyeast 2565 - Kolsch) and using the recommended yeast for each, both of which are ideally suited for the temperature range of my cold room. As I pondered this situation, the following questions came up:

1) Why do I need to use the 2 different yeasts? Could I get away with using one of them for both styles? The assumption/corollary is that the yeast has little impact on the character of these 2 beers and they are interchangeable. Is this way off base? Are both of these yeasts distinctly unique and critical to these beer styles?

2) As I pondered the concept of the 2 cold fermenting ale yeasts above, the logical extension of the above point was that the san fran lager yeast (Wyeast-2112) could also be used under similar conditions. Would this yeast be completely inappropriate for altbier and kolsch?

3) Finally, I like to brew cream ales, and in the past I have used US-05 as my yeast. However, at the low temperatures in my cellar I find that US-05 is throwing some significant fruity notes (my brother described it as hoegaarden-esque). So I was contemplating using the yeasts mentioned above as my yeast for my next cream ale. Are any of these inappropriate for a cream ale? I would think that the 2112 (san fran lager) would be excellent for a cream ale, but what about the others?

I should note that part of the reason for my inquiry is that if possible, I would like to reduce the number of different yeast strains I need to keep on hand, so if one strain can multitask for me that would be great. Also, the 2112 and 2565 are available locally at my LHBS but the 1007 is a custom order item so that is one more knock against the 1007.

Thanks for reading and I look forward to your comments/input.

Cheers,

Greg
 
1.) The flavor profiles of alt and kolsch are very different. IMO, 2565 is a great kolsch yeast and not at all appropriate for alt. And vice versa.

2.) 2112 IMO would not work well for either kolsch or alt

3.) I'd pick 1007 for a cream ale over 2112 any day. To me, 2112 throws too many esters.
 
1007 is IMO the ideal cream ale yeast. Very clean, very cold-tolerant (55-60 degree fermentation temperature is perfect), works well when lagered after fermentation - it will develop some lager-like characteristics, and it conditions rapidly. It definitely has a 'hybrid ale/lager' quality to it; perfect for a cream ale.

It's also my preference for kolsch as well - I'm not really into the whole 'fruity' kolsch thing. To me, a kolsch is a German cream ale: 100% german pils malt german noble hops with no unmalted adjuncts, compared to a cream ale with American 2-row and flaked corn, with (perhaps) a small touch of light crystal and a hybrid american noble-esque hop (american-grown hallertauer, or a veriety such as mt. hood).

Next to 1007, I'd try 1272 - it's less lager-like, but I think it could produce very good results with some cold conditioning post-fermentation. US-05 and 1056 might be acceptable choices, but I find them to be a little 'sharp' body-wise, and they're not my favourites.
 
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