Vienna Lager Yeast

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Whch yeast for Vienna Lager

  • Saflager S-23

  • Saflager S-34/70

  • WLP830

  • WLP850

  • WLP920

  • WLP940

  • WY2124

  • WY2278

  • WY2308

  • WY2633


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botigol

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Hi everybody,

I am planning to make a Vienna Lager in the near future and have been looking at the different yeasts. I found 14 different ones listed across different recipes and discussions! As this will be my first lager, I am hoping for some direction as to which yeast to use. I can only list ten of them in the poll, so feel free to list any others that you really like as well.

Thanks!
 
2124, 830 & 34/70 are all similar. i've had very good results with those, 833 & 838 (similar to 2308). being your first lager i'd probably go with 34/70 unless you're comfortable with making large starters
 
dcp27, that is a darn fine point about the starter that I had not fully considered. I just plugged my numbers into Mr Malty and it returns that I will need two vials/packs of liquid yeast in a starter up to 1.7 liters (1.1 liters if I build a stir plate), which is doable if a bit pricey, or a 4.4 liter starter with one vial/pack, which is a much larger starter than I could accommodate. Conversely, 19 grams of dry yeast. I will definitely have to consider this further.
 
You could do a two step starter which would accommodate your container size. It will add a few days, but save you some coins.
 
pelipen: Would you explain that a little more? From what I have read it seems like a two-step starter would require one large 1.5 gallon or so container; the largest I have is one gallon.
 
pelipen: Would you explain that a little more? From what I have read it seems like a two-step starter would require one large 1.5 gallon or so container; the largest I have is one gallon.

Sure. It seems like most of us crash cool and decant between steps, so if you do 1 liter, then 2 liters, and crash between, you'll only have a little over two liters in the second step, but you'll get a lot more yeast.

You could crash, decant and step up again to 3, 3.5 or 4 if you are daring. If you didn't decant, you'd exceed the container volume.

Yeastcalc.com has a good calculator for stepped starters. Wyeast has one too, and assumes you don't decant. I very rarely don't decant, but it adds a solid day or more if it's a low flocc'ing yeast.
 
Decanting is the part that I was missing. I plugged 1 liter and then 2 liters into yeastcalc and the cell count is just about exactly what I need. Thanks!
 
Here's some food for thought. Cold crashing a starter shocks the yeast culture. Waiting until a starter ferments out ensures that the yeast culture has low sterol and unsaturated fatty acid reserves. A yeast culture should be pitched at high krausen. The boiled kettle wort gravity should be adjusted upwards to allow for dilution (i.e., gravity readings should be take after the culture has been pitched).
 
Here's some food for thought. Cold crashing a starter shocks the yeast culture. Waiting until a starter ferments out ensures that the yeast culture has low sterol and unsaturated fatty acid reserves. A yeast culture should be pitched at high krausen. The boiled kettle wort gravity should be adjusted upwards to allow for dilution (i.e., gravity readings should be take after the culture has been pitched).

That only makes sense if one is using a relatively small starter...say 5% of the batch volume
 
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