Bry 97 or 05 for Kama Citra

[eadavis80]

Ordered up 3 of those NB all-grain kits on their recent promo: Caribou Slobber, the saison and Kama Citra, a kit that I've always been interested in, but have never tried. I have harvested 05 and 97. I've used both strains (obviously since I have them harvested). I used the 97 in NB's Smash and AIH's Cornerstone IPA clone. Both beers are good. 05 is pretty darn consistent too. Just wondered if anyone would make a suggestion of one yeast strain over the other for this kit and if so, why you'd prefer one over the other. NB said they might roll with the 97 as they think it attenuates more.

 

[modifier]

In my experience BRY97 doesn't attenuate any more than 05, maybe a point or two less if anything, but altho 05 seems to be the obvious choice for most, i'd recommend BRY97. At least you won't get the generic peachy flavour.. I've experienced 97 to be bit more clean, let's the malt thru a bit more but might give a little acidic result in some cases, which (i believe) can be adressed by managing pH accordingly.
Oh, also 97 flocculates better than 05 in case you're not cold crashing or fining with anything!

 

[eadavis80]

Yeah, I can't cold crash nor do I use any fining agents. I just throw in some Irish Moss and my beer clears up to my satisfaction. Thanks for the feedback.

 

[singybrue]

Split the batch and use both! See which you prefer.
Personally, I prefer 97 over 05

 

[eadavis80]

Going to try 97. Just made the starter from harvested 97 yesterday. Will do a 2-step starter as the yeast was from February, but after a day (no stir plate, just shaking) it starting foaming up so I know the yeast in there is viable. I'll just add another step to be safe as I'd rather overpitch than under.

 

[mattdee1]

Not sure what "Kama Citra" is, but based on the name, sounds like a hop-centric beer. If it's going to be heavy in the flavor/aroma hop additions I would think the differences between 05 and 97 in the finished beer would be very small, but who knows. As mentioned, I'd split that beer up and use both.

 

[eadavis80]

Not sure what "Kama Citra" is, but based on the name, sounds like a hop-centric beer. If it's going to be heavy in the flavor/aroma hop additions I would think the differences between 05 and 97 in the finished beer would be very small, but who knows. As mentioned, I'd split that beer up and use both.

It's this: http://www.northernbrewer.com/kama-citra-session-ipa-all-grain-recipe-kit

 

[eadavis80]

Made up a 2-step starter for Bry 97 for the Kama Citra as the yeast was harvested in February. Pitched around 4 p.m. yesterday. Airlock is chugging away nicely 12 hours later. I've noticed with Bry-97 that on its first pitch - even when rehydrated - it takes a long time to get going. However, if you have it harvested and make a starter, it will take off as quickly, if not more quickly, than 05. The beer was at 1.052 OG so I was pretty happy with my BIAB efficiency this time around.

 

[jpakstis]

I haven't made Kama Citra but I did use BRY-97 for an IPA I made that everyone seemed to like. I also made a one-step starter and it took off like a rocket. It seems the consensus on BRY-97 is that it's slow starting but mine was going strong within 6 hours. In fact it's the only yeast I've used to blow the fermenter's lid off!

 

[brewbama]

I've yet to use Bry-97 but bought a pack for a SMaSH for next weekend's brew day. I am hoping to eliminate the fruity-ness of US-05

 

[eadavis80]

I've made NB's Smash Pale Ale with it a few times and I also used it to make AIH's Cornerstone IPA. I'm very happy with those beers, so we'll see how it does with the Kama Citra. The healthy harvested starter I used was chugging along nicely within - at most - 12 hours of being pitched.

 

[eadavis80]

Still some mild krausen atop the bucket one week after pitching, but the gravity is down to 1.012. I'll let it sit one more week in the primary before racking. Tasted good so far and had an amazing nose and that's before any dry hopping. I think that 2-ounce citra hopstand addition really helped!

 

[eadavis80]

Well, my Kama Citra is carbonated after only a week in the bottle and I've gotta' say that I'm very happy with the beer. So, my conclusion is that the Bry-97 worked out just fine and I'll probably use it again on a forthcoming pale ale I'll do here in July. Looking forward to that one as I'll be using my brother-in-law's home grown cascade leaf hops! Never used leaf hops before so we'll see what - if any - difference they make.