I love Kolsch yeast

[Brocster]

I also love the WLP029 and I want to try and make an IPA with soon. I was going to use it in my Nugget Nectar clone but I have a 2000ml of washed PacMan I am throwing at it.

Yep, this is a great yeast, especially if you want a crisp profile to your beers. I use this yeast quite often, and here are my thoughts on how to maximize the WLP029 impact.

First, use a nice starter at full krausen. This is not so much about the benefits of a starter, which is very important, but more about the benefits of pitching WLP029 when the starter is at full krausen. I have notice significantly better results when pitching WLP029 this way than with a starter slurry.

Second, stay with the White Labs recommended fermentation temp and do not be tempted to ferment at a lower (sub 58 ambient air) temp. If you can get the wort to ferment at 64 - 68 (temp of the wort), this will allow for the best yeast performance.

Third, do not even THINK of pulling the beer off the yeast until a minimum of 16 days have passed. This yeast is one of those that does work best with a little more time than other ale yeasts. In fact, I just pulled a Kolsch off of a trub after 6 weeks in the primary. The beer was outstanding and the yeast cake so compact that I barely had any sediment pull through the racking cane and tube into the secondary. Clear as a bell.

Fourth, this yeast benefits from secondary conditioning. Even if it is just a week, it does make a difference. WLP029 can have some yeast bite if not careful, so it is good to let the little yeasties really clean up. Secondary conditioning works very well in the 50's for a temp.

Overall, let this yeast work 2 times as long as you would a 'typical' ale yeast you you will be rewarded. Keep grains simple, even for stouts, and if you want to have a highly attenuated beer, mash in the lower end of the conversion range, say 148, and this yeast will take the FG a good ways down.

Recent 1.053 Kolsch SG's have finished out at 1.007 - a high 80's attenuation rate.

Here is a link to a recent Kolsch recipe I had success with.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/cricket-mountain-kolsch-180852/


Cheers!

 

[permo]

Yep, this is a great yeast, especially if you want a crisp profile to your beers. I use this yeast quite often, and here are my thoughts on how to maximize the WLP029 impact.

First, use a nice starter at full krausen. This is not so much about the benefits of a starter, which is very important, but more about the benefits of pitching WLP029 when the starter is at full krausen. I have notice significantly better results when pitching WLP029 this way than with a starter slurry.

Second, stay with the White Labs recommended fermentation temp and do not be tempted to ferment at a lower (sub 58 ambient air) temp. If you can get the wort to ferment at 64 - 68 (temp of the wort), this will allow for the best yeast performance.

Third, do not even THINK of pulling the beer off the yeast until a minimum of 16 days have passed. This yeast is one of those that does work best with a little more time than other ale yeasts. In fact, I just pulled a Kolsch off of a trub after 6 weeks in the primary. The beer was outstanding and the yeast cake so compact that I barely had any sediment pull through the racking cane and tube into the secondary. Clear as a bell.

Fourth, this yeast benefits from secondary conditioning. Even if it is just a week, it does make a difference. WLP029 can have some yeast bite if not careful, so it is good to let the little yeasties really clean up. Secondary conditioning works very well in the 50's for a temp.

Overall, let this yeast work 2 times as long as you would a 'typical' ale yeast you you will be rewarded. Keep grains simple, even for stouts, and if you want to have a highly attenuated beer, mash in the lower end of the conversion range, say 148, and this yeast will take the FG a good ways down.

Recent 1.053 Kolsch SG's have finished out at 1.007 - a high 80's attenuation rate.

Here is a link to a recent Kolsch recipe I had success with.

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f62/cricket-mountain-kolsch-180852/


Cheers!

I agree %100 with all of your sentiments. Ferment between 64 and 68, and let it sit for at least 4 weeks. Your beer will be crisp, clean, and clear. I always get amazing attenuation from this yeast. Recent 1.055 APA ended at 1.010, mash temp was 154....this yeast just does it's thing....

There is no doubt in my mind that if you fermented between 64-68 degrees for 4 weeks, then lagered the results, you would have a beer that could easily be mistaken for a german style lager.

 

[Craigvu]

just took a hydro reading on an American Wheat I did with WLP029. 86% attenuation in 2 weeks (1.053-1.007). Will take another on sunday when i'm planning on bottling, but i'd say it's done at that point. kept temp between 63-65, with the exception of the 2nd day of ferm when it got up to 68ish. on to an Oktoberfest with the yeast cake.

 

[Enpitsu]

recently used this for a brown ale. 1 week @ ~70 deg F. out of pure laziness i didn't feel like bottling, so it sat in the basement at 60 deg F for 3 months. moved to secondary with a starter of the same strain for 3 days, then bottled.

1. crystal clear. i've never made a beer this clear.
2. delicious. i made this recipe twice before with the white labs trappist ale yeast. all other things equal, this yeast produced the best testing of the three. i usually don't let it sit for that long in the primary so that might've had something to do with it.

i would echo these sentiments:

Third, do not even THINK of pulling the beer off the yeast until a minimum of 16 days have passed. This yeast is one of those that does work best with a little more time than other ale yeasts. In fact, I just pulled a Kolsch off of a trub after 6 weeks in the primary. The beer was outstanding and the yeast cake so compact that I barely had any sediment pull through the racking cane and tube into the secondary. Clear as a bell.

Fourth, this yeast benefits from secondary conditioning. Even if it is just a week, it does make a difference. WLP029 can have some yeast bite if not careful, so it is good to let the little yeasties really clean up. Secondary conditioning works very well in the 50's for a temp.

 

[ghpeel]

This is a great strain. Got a Hoppy German Blonde Ale fermenting right now ith the WLP029. I made a Negra Modela clone with it and it was fantastic. Way better than real Negra actually, but not quite as crisp.

 

[Lou]

moved to secondary with a starter of the same strain for 3 days, then bottled.

Do this mean you added yeast to the secondary? Why?

 

[Enpitsu]

Do this mean you added yeast to the secondary? Why?

The primary sat in my basement/garage for 3 months. most of that time it was probably ~60deg F, but for sure there more than a handful of days it was probably closer to 50. i was worried that all the yeast had settled out and there wouldn't be enough to carbonate the bottles appropriately.

so 4 days before bottling, i got another vial of the same yeast and made a starter for 1day. the next day i moved the beer from the primary (which it had been in for 3 months) into a secondary and added the yeast starter in that. 3 days later i bottled.

not a heck of a lot of science behind it, but i had read a couple times people who cold crash their ales bring them back to room temp and add some more yeast just to make sure. i don't think 50deg is really cold crashing but i didn't want to take any chances.

also, i don't want to turn it into a conversation about primary vs. secondary, but there are no off-flavors in my beer and it sat in a primary for months.