Finally trying my hand at a Helles Lager

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redrocker652002

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Now that I have fermentation control I am going to try a Helles Lager. The yeast in the recipe was not available, and I saw one of the options was a dry yeast White Labs WLP860. It is labeled as a Munich Helles Lager yeast so I thought I would give it a try. It is a dry strain that helps as my success with liquid yeasts has not been all that great. I might try and save some in a mason jar when I am done as the sachet costs 10 bucks from Morebeer which I thought was kinda high, but what the heck. So, I guess my question is, has anybody tried this yeast? If so, what were your thoughts? I was going to go with 34/70 but thought I would try something different. Any input, including that I was an idiot for buying this yeast is welcomed. LOL.
 
I tried to make one a few months ago with no temp control. I used 34/70. It was ok. I am in the process of building a cooling system so I can do it right. I love a good Helles.
I’d like to hear your thoughts on that yeast when it’s done. 🍻
 
WLP860 is a great yeast. It comes from the Augustiner brewery, I believe. It’s a little fruitier than 34/70 in my experience but perfect for a Helles.

I’ve only ever used the liquid version, but with that I make a big starter and ferment at 10c/50f with a slow ramp to 15c/60f. Fermentation is generally complete within 7 days for my 1.05ish brews and then I will leave it for another 3-7 days.
 
you will love temp controlled beer. lager or ale it makes beer better imo. smaller temp swings result in cleaner fermentations from my experience. i ferment everything now in a ferm chamber.

i havent tried 860 but dry yeast these days seems better than its ever been,. i think cell count and storage may be improved because most dry yeasts i have been trying lately seem to really take off like a rocket.

liquid yeast is just so much more involved. in the past there were so few dry yeasts that liquid was a way to really make a beer better because you could actually get a strain that would work better with the type of beer you were trying to brew. i certainly could never get a dry kolsch yeast in the 90's. lately it is hard for me to see the benefit of buying liquid except for a few beers i try to make. some of the liquids have also increased cell count and you can just pitch 2 packs without a starter if its fresh but i cant tell the difference in my beers over dry. for me dry is too convenient and has a big enough variety now.

34/70 is rediculous. its so so clean. even up to like 69 degrees, to me it really helps my lagers taste clean and crisp.
it even makes a clean ale yeast. its almost too clean for an ale.

other super clean yeast i have found:

bry 97 - super neutral ale yeast. at 64 degrees
cellascience baja. so clean its tasteless. lol too clean i feel it doesnt really impart anything to the beer .

so5 cold like 62 degrees can be very clean


you can repitch slurry up to 5 times if its less than 2 weeks old.
 
You can ferment wlp860 at room temperature, but the esters are much higher than 34/70. You may enjoy it. I have used the yeast in Joe Dragon's Augustiner Helles recipe with good results, but I did temperature control.

I have also used it in an Octoberfest and a Festbier. It has fruitier flavors if you underpitch or ferment warm. I would recommend a large starter and ferment under mild pressure if you can.
 
About a year ago I went to the White Labs tasting room here in San Diego. They do a thing with some beers where they split a batch and have a yeast variable and you can get a half pour of each to taste. I had one, I think it was a Helles, but not positive, but the variable was the same yeast, but one made with liquid and the other dry. There was a noticeable difference. I thought it was interesting.
 

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