How to pick a lager yeast?

[brownni5]

I've never brewed a true lager before - some lager-like ales, sure, but not a real lager - one with a true lager yeast. I want to brew a Schwartzbier this fall, but would like a yeast that I can slant to use for future Lagers like pilsners, bocks, and the like, should I get the urge. Picking an ale yeast, to me, is simple - do I want esters or phenols? What type of ester or phenols? But the descriptions of lager yeasts are more subtle.

So, what should I consider in a lager yeast? I'm somewhat tempted to just get 34/70 and be done with it - avoiding the starter and all. I know everyone has their opinions on which is the best, so if you can explain why it's the best, that would be helpful.

 

[Steveruch]

W-34/70 for schwartz and pils. S-189 for bock.

 

[Dland]

I agree with 189 & 34/70, have used interchangeably in different types of lagers. Both good, 189 usually cleaner, 34/70 may be more forgiving if your temp control is not that great.

 

[brownni5]

W-34/70 for schwartz and pils. S-189 for bock.

Ok...why?

 

[ehk089]

Imperial harvest...pretty wide temp range, low diacrtyl and sulphur.

 

[Jako]

i have used Imperial Cable Car fermented at 72F and scored really well on a German pils.

 

[RishoBrew]

i have used Imperial Cable Car fermented at 72F and scored really well on a German pils.

I wandered about the temp myself. Tomorrow I'll be brewing a California Common using Cable Car and the temp on the package says to ferm at 60F. My basement currently is at constant 70. So your came our without fruitiness or other off flavors?

 

[RishoBrew]

So someone who is on a quest to duplicate Pisner Urquell, probability the world's best lager, I recently discovered Imperial Urkel yeast and it made best P/U clone to date.

https://www.imperialyeast.com/organic-yeast-strains/yeast-types/lagers/urkel/

 

[Jako]

I wandered about the temp myself. Tomorrow I'll be brewing a California Common using Cable Car and the temp on the package says to ferm at 60F. My basement currently is at constant 70. So your came our without fruitiness or other off flavors?

Yep no off flavors. I made a common with it as well and that fermented at 75. Just have a massive pitch lots of oxygen if you can. I have even warm open fermented a common and it was so dam good! Cable car is one of my favorite yeast and pub.

On a side note esters in a common isn't a bad thing. I love it. It's like having a lager with a hint of esters adds to the beer imo.

 

[Steveruch]

Ok...why?

In my experience I prefer the S-189 for maltier style beers.

 

[SanPancho]

In my experience I prefer the S-189 for maltier style beers.

189 is better for maltier styles, and 3470 for lighter lagers and pils. Schwartz is a toss up. True to style as a thin black beer id do 3470. But i make em malty and medium body/rich/smooth so 189 better there.

Both can ferment in the 60s no problem.

 

[Pappers_]

I always pay attention to the flocculation rating when choosing lager yeast - I want my lager yeast to flocculate well.

 

[jfolks]

Lager strains are pretty versatile/generic - any strain is fine and will floc well. 34/70 is a fine choice

 

[Steveruch]

189 is better for maltier styles, and 3470 for lighter lagers and pils. Schwartz is a toss up. True to style as a thin black beer id do 3470. But i make em malty and medium body/rich/smooth so 189 better there.

Both can ferment in the 60s no problem.

I use 34/70 for schwartz as I approach it like a black pils.

 

[Pappers_]

From the White Labs site:

Yeast flocculation can be classified as high, medium, or low. Ale yeast strains are found in each category, while lager yeast are predominantly medium flocculators. An English/London Ale strain would be a high flocculator, while an California/American Ale strain a medium flocculator. A Hefeweizen strain is an example of a low flocculator. It is difficult to tell which category of flocculator is used to produce individual commercial beers, because most commercial beers are filtered before being bottled or kegged.
​

 

[jcav]

If you are brewing a nice malty style lager, like a Munich Dunkle or any dark malty lager I like to use White Labs WLP833 German Bock yeast. It really brings out the malty-ness and does not produce sulfur, so it is very clean and no rotten egg smell to age off. You can use this yeast even for malty lighter styles as well and it performs wonderfully.

John

 

[SanPancho]

Lager strains are pretty versatile/generic - any strain is fine and will floc well. 34/70 is a fine choice

I STRENUOUSLY disagree. the ester component of lager strains can vary widely. pilsner urquel, American light (bud), some of the bocks, southern German, Mexican, etc. all have ester profiles so prominent you could easily pick them out. the only one I could say I wouldn't necessarily be able to identify is danish, as its so clean its almost too clean, if that's a thing.

obviously it would be a bit harder to identify the strains as the beer gets darker or super hoppy, but in general I would not call them generic by any means. especially in the traditional/lighter versions, yeast is going to be the most prominent flavor. I would not say they're just all interchangeable by any means.