WLP011 or WLP029 for more Honey character?

I want to make a Honey Kolsch, and get a good honey character. As I understand it, this would be primarily in the nose, as the sweetness will be fermented out completely.

Can anyone speculate which strain would be better for this? I'm guessing WLP011 since it seems the attenuation is lower, and they say WLP029 will accentuate the hops more, which I would think might hide the honey character a little.

White Labs says:

WLP029 German Ale/ Kölsch Yeast
From a small brewpub in Cologne, Germany, this yeast works great in Kölsch and Alt style beers. Good for light beers like blond and honey. Accentuates hop flavors, similar to WLP001.
Attenuation: 72-78%

WLP011 European Ale Yeast
Malty, Northern European-origin ale yeast. Low ester production, giving a clean profile. Little to no sulfur production. Low attenuation helps to contribute to the malty character. Good for Alt, Kolsch, malty English ales, and fruit beers.
Attenuation: 65-70%

Sent an email to White Labs to ask them about this...when/if I get the answer I'll post it here...

I've never used 011, but do use 029. It definitely leaves a little fruity sweetness. It is very different from 036 (Dusseldorf Alt)

Here's the response from John @WhiteLabs:

Both of the strains you mentioned below will probably work well, but
another one to consider would be the WLP008 East Coast Ale. It has a
similar attenuation rate to the WLP029 but with a more malty profile. If
you are going to add honey you will probably have a higher attenuation
anyway, but you will want some residual sweetness to complement the honey.

To get some honey flavor in the beer, you may want to consider using some
honey malt as well. I did this in a brown ale and it came out great.

If you do a 10 or 15 gallon batch, you could use different yeast strains
on separate 5 gallon fermenters and see which one you prefer. It could be a
fun experiment to do.

Good luck and happy brewing!

John Carroll
White Labs, Inc.
Sales & Customer Service
Tel: (888) 593-2785 - U.S. & Canada
(303) 530-0469 - International

Click to expand...

Honey malt adds a wonderful sweetness in small quantities. If you do use honey, add it at flameout or just pasteurize it seperately and add it to the carboy.

I would recommend WLP029. Great yeast and will definitely leave some fruity sweetness which will compliment the honey.