Help, very picky wife.. need yeast substitute

[GreenDragon]

I'm making my wife her Blueberry wheat she likes, the full recipe is below if you need it. Here's the trouble, I live in Wichita, KS and neither homebrew store here has my Wyeast 1010 - American Wheat in stock. I'm brewing this Sunday so ordering online isn't an option.

Here's some more requirements. She hates banana esters and German yeasts in general. I also need something that will finish pretty clear.

Think if I used good ole west coast yeast in it things would work out? My only fear is west coast yeast is really good at making hops shine and this thing is almost void of hops.

Thoughts?

La Blue Girl Blueberry Wheat (wife still hasn't figured out the joke with the name)

Batch Size - 10 gal
OG - 1.049
Est FG - 1.013
IBU - 13 (she HATES hops lol)
SRM - 3.5
Yeast - WYeast 1010 - American Wheat
Fermentation - 17-21 days @ 62-64f, then 2 weeks in the secondary with one bottle of blueberry extract for brewers


Grain Bill - single infusion mash @ 155f for 80mins then Fly Sparge at 168F for an hour-ish

8# - 2 Row
7.5# - German Wheat Malt
1# - Flaked Wheat
1# - Rice Hulls
1# - Flaked Oats
.5# - DME if needed (to get it to 4.7% so it's a legal Witbier)


Boil - 90min


1oz Cluster @ 60 mins
Yeast Fuel Capsule @ 15 mins
Irish Moss @ 5 mins

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

It will be different but you can probably get away with a clean dry yeast like US05 or Notty. I've used both for hoppy and malty beers and it really just stays out of the way if you ferment cool. At the temps you have there I think they'd be fine.

 

[stpug]

Nottingham for clear beer; us05 for hazy beer.

 

[sandyeggoxj]

I read the subject and thought why don't you buy yeast from the lhbs instead of harvesting... oh wait, that wasn't the question. HA!

I can't help you, but your subject is funny so here is a bump.

 

[Gameface]

This is not a definitive answer but I'd give 3333 a shot. It is a German yeast, but it's pretty neutral (if treated right) and it flocs out pretty hard.

 

[bschot]

I think American ale 1056 or S-05 or WLP001 would be acceptable substitute for an American wheat yeast. As long as you ferment in the temperature range you should get a nice neutral flavor.

 

[solbes]

I like the German Wheat WY3333. It finishes dry and tart, very little banana if any. And drops totally clear like a krystalweizen. I usually ramp fermentation from 63 up to 68/69 over 5-6 days.

I brewed this again using the Saflager WB-06 wheat dry yeast, 62-65F temps. Also worked well: not as tart, not quite as clear. That keg kicked first at the beach house last spring.

I also have a blueberry wheat that I brew and its semi-similar to yours. Coincidentally its my wifes favorite brew. Sort of a Leinie's Sunset Wheat clone. 17 IBU (also cluster). I use 2 oz of the blueberry extract at bottling for the aroma and some taste. And add 20 oz of frozen blueberries to secondary and let ferment out (for making it taste like real blueberry). And a little crushed corriander at flameout. She bugged me to make it again, but maybe it'll wait till July or so.

 

[Denny]

1010 is Widmer yeast...it has no German hef character at all. You could use WY1056 or 1007 and you'd never know the difference.

 

[GreenDragon]

Thanks for all the tips!

I can ferment at whatever temp needed. The fermentation chamber is mostly empty right now, I have an Irish Wee Heavy in a secondary in there but it won't care what temp I set stuff at

I actually have Notty on-hand, I harvest it for my Pale Ale I keep on tap 24/7. I'll probably just go with that unless the WY3333 is really that superior?

Side note: I think the blueberry extract is at bottling, I'd need to check my notes, it's been a year since I made this stuff. I just follow the instructions on the bottle.

 

[KeyWestBrewing]

Nottingham for clear beer; us05 for hazy beer.

I love US05 so I can't call it hazy lol. I agree though Notty flocs out much better. One of the few yeasts Ive used that settles so well I don't have to leave out the last part of the bottle when I pour a beer.

To the OP.... looks like you've got a few good options here. Happy brewing!

 

[Gameface]

Since there's now some reinforcement in the 3333 camp, I used to make a Kristallweisen with it and it was a pretty big crowd pleaser. Clear as a BL and an in-law once told me it tasted "as good as a Michelob" (you decide if that's a good endorsement or not) but I can tell you that if fermented on the low side and not under-pitched, this is a very neutral yeast that comes out very very clear.

 

[solbes]

3...3...3...3 FTW! It's an authentic wheat yeast, and then you can tell your wife she's drinking her beer fermented with German yeast. Hold the banana. Be forewarned though that it leaves a tart note to the beer.

Always good to try out new yeasts. I like to try 3 or 4 new strains a year. I was an all liquid kinda brewer, then switched to dry yeast strains, now back on other liquid strains.

 

[cjgenever]

Us-05 will handle it. It is a good size cell that Flocculates well, so I find that it pulls hops out no less than most others. The sharpness of the hop profile is more determined by the water chemistry while flavor/aroma are more affected by yeast, I'm not sure which you are referring to when you say us-05 lets it shine. Pitch healthy in quantity and ferment@65 ish. It will be clean.

The cal ale strain can handle a lot more styles than most people give it credit for.

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[stewart194]

1010 is Widmer yeast...it has no German hef character at all. You could use WY1056 or 1007 and you'd never know the difference.

This is interesting Denny. What is the difference then between 1010 and 1056? I use 1056 for probably 80% of my beers. I always use 1010 for the one single batch of Wheat beer that I do per year. If there's no difference flavor wise I'll probably just stick to 1056.

Thanks!

 

[cjgenever]

Nottingham for clear beer; us05 for hazy beer.

Suppose it depends on how long it conditions. Us-05 certainly doesn't Flocculate like a rock, but I can get clear beer with it. I'll use gelatin and a cold crash if I'm really concerned with (fast) clarity (I'm not

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[Denny]

This is interesting Denny. What is the difference then between 1010 and 1056? I use 1056 for probably 80% of my beers. I always use 1010 for the one single batch of Wheat beer that I do per year. If there's no difference flavor wise I'll probably just stick to 1056.

Thanks!

The only difference you might notice, and it's very slight, is that 1010 has a little tartness to it. But you'd be hard pressed to pick it out. If you've ever had a Widmer hef (it's really American wheat, not hef), you'd see that the yeast really gives no character to the beer. Try it with 1056 and see for yourself.

 

[kombat]

I'm actually brewing an American Wheat this weekend. I'm using a Kolsch yeast. Does your LHBS have any of that in stock?

 

[CadiBrewer]

Have you thought about subbing the wife for one that is less picky instead of subbing the yeast?

 

[GreenDragon]

Have you thought about subbing the wife for one that is less picky instead of subbing the yeast?

Yeah but I already have this one trained

I swung by the LHBS and picked up the WY3333. I'm not going to tell her it's German yeast until she tries the beer and tells me how much she likes it

 

[JordanKnudson]

I typically agree with the US-05/wlp001/wy1056 substitution, but you specifically mentioned being concerned with it accentuating the hops too much. In that case I'd consider wlp051/wy1272 (California V & American Ale II, respectively). While they are generally similar in character to us-05/001/1056, they don't accentuate the hops as much, and they are a bit fruitier, which would seem to complement your recipe.

EDIT: Just saw that you already picked up WY3333, so disregard!