Vierka Dark Munich Beer Yeast?

I picked up a few packets of "Dark-Munich-Beer (Strong) Vierka-Yeast" yesterday at my LHBS. I hadn't heard of it before, but it was cheap ($1.40), and I thought it might be something interesting to try. I figured a quick search would reveal some ideas.

Unfortunately, a search of the forums reveals nothing on Vierka yeast at all except for a mead yeast reference, and even Google has very little for beer yeast by Vierka (other than listing a "Dark Munich Lager" that ought not be fermented below 55*F, so I assume this is the one I have).

I throw the question out there: anyone used this yeast? What did you brew, can you share the recipe? And is this yeast actually for ales, or lagers? What's the optimal fermentation temp?

bumpity bump bump...

30 views and nothing? No one has used Vierka Dark Munich yeast?

I've seen a thread or two on Vierka dry lager yeast on here before. I don't recall any bad reports. I do recall being able to find their handling/pitching instructions on the internet, but it was in German. Since the yeast is from a German company, that is why it might be difficult to find on google. Try vierka.de and look for Untergärige Bierhefe... use Google to translate.

There are a few of us on here always on the lookout for good dry lager yeast. Keep us posted on the flavor profile of your beer from this yeast.

Here's the back of the packet in full:

Malt-Extract, hops, and water are brought to a boil and strained when cooled into a crock. Add VIERKA-Beer Yeast and let stand for 5-7 days at room temperature until heavy foam is apparent.

When heavy foam recedes rack off from sediment cautiously and fill into the clean carboy. Keep carboy closed and let the beer age for about 4 weeks. Temperature of room should be about 50-55*F.

When beer is clear it is ready for consumption direct from carboy, or it may be filled into clean bottles.

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So from this, it sounds like I ferment like an ale (low 60's in my brewery), then lager in the low 50's. Notice that the rehydration process isn't described at all, so should I make a starter?

On the other hand, here's the Google translation of the description of this particular strain on the Vierka.de site:

E033020 Bottom yeast
A proven recipe for safe {Heferassen} various fermentation of beer approach. What is important is the exact observance of the low temperature during the fermentation. Bottom yeast works at 6-8 ° C. If the temperature is higher, the more top-fermentation! Bottom, depending on the results of yeast-malt and hops for extra careful {Gärführung} a beer-type bearings, Märzen, export or Pils. Sufficient for a 25 Ltr. approach.

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This description sounds like I need to keep the temp into the 43-47*F range for optimal fermentation, and one packet should do fine for a 5-gallon batch.

I see two options:
1) ferment at my regular low 60's, then lager at 50*F for a month, keg, and serve.

2) ferment at 45*F and let it lager (for four to six weeks) at the same temp, keg, and serve

If it were me, I'd treat it like any dry lager yeast regardless of what the directions state. I.e., if it is a 10-12 gram packet, I'd use 2 packets per ~5 gallons... rehydrated by pitching it into 10 times it's own weight of water (1 ml of water = 1 gram, so 22 grams (two 11-gram packets) would be pitched in 220 ml water) at ~73°F, and then cooled to fermentation temps before pitching.

I'd ferment at or slightly below 50°F (pitched at that temp too), then lagered near freezing for ~7 days for every 8 points of gravity (so, if OG = 1.048, lager for 6 weeks).

Last night I took 4 gallons of the second-runnings of a stout I brewed, gave it a 90-minute boil, 1/2 oz of Chinook at 60mins and 1/2 oz of Tettnang at 10min, then pitched a packet of the Munich Dry Lager yeast (rehydrated at 73*F per menschmaschine's suggestion). I got 3.5gal of boiled wort.

I forgot to take a hydro reading, so I'll of course never be able to reproduce this precise recipe. I let the carboy sit at room temperature overnight, and now it's in my fermentation fridge at ~48*F. We'll see how it comes out.

Just an update on this experiment with the Vierka Dry Munich. The beer I made turned out horrible, the first beer I've had to dump (out of 15 batches). It had no body, and the yeast didn't drop out of suspension, even after an extended cold crash. Of course, if it was a lager yeast, then the likelihood of cold crashing making a difference was pretty low, and perhaps I should've tried polyclar or isinglass, but given the awfulness of the beer itself, I didn't see the point. Plus, it was just over 3 gallons of second runnings, so it's not like I was wasting a bunch of quality beer to start.

Anyhow, the jury is still out on the Vierka. I'll have to try again with a simple, known recipe and report back.

khiddy - I wonder, did you happen to keep any of your batch?

I'm using at least what I think is the same yeast for a doppelbock. Took a reading today after racking to secondary and after 3 weeks it hardly fermented at all, though I know it was bubbling. I'm bringing it to room temp for a while to get the gravity down.

I ask if you kept any because I came across this link here:

http://pc.blogspot.com/2009_08_30_archive.html

Ctrl+F "Vierka Munich" and have a read.

Good beer takes time, great beer takes patience I guess.

For what it's worth, last night I did a minimash to make about a liter of yeast starter, and pitched a packet of this Vierka dry yeast. Twelve hours later (at about 60F) there was an inch of krausen on the beer, and it smells quite good. I'm going to use it to inoculate a ten gallon batch of aussie draft. So far my experience with this yeast has been positive, but the proof is in the glass.