Lager yeast: 2206 vs 2308

[Andre3000]

To the experienced lager brewers:

I want to have two lager yeasts on hand, one for malty lagers and one for crisp lagers. Right now I'm trying to narrow down my malty lager strain.

Unfortunately I just missed the window on Hella Bock 2487-PC at my local shop! So I did two batches with 2308, one Helles and one Oktoberfest. Honestly they were both great beers, but almost too malty. I believe I can correct this with mash temp/time and pH. I then decided to try 2206. I tried this yeast, and man is it ever a pain in the ass. I found it to be incredibly slow / unpredictable. I gotta say I'm not exactly a fan of the two beers I made with it either. One is a Dunkel, which is bizarre in its own right so that could be a factor. But given my observations, I'd lean way more towards 2308.

Anyone else have any opinions?

 

[Abrayton]

I’ve used 2206 once on a dunkel snd thought it turned out great. I can’t help but wonder if I could have gotten the same results using wlp001 instead of lager yeast. I guess only one way to find out

 

[Andre3000]

I’ve used 2206 once on a dunkel snd thought it turned out great. I can’t help but wonder if I could have gotten the same results using wlp001 instead of lager yeast. I guess only one way to find out

After researching that's what I found with 2206, I've noticed brewers are quite divided; it's a love it or hate it thing.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

2206 is a weak attenuator, really likes to be worked cold, and generates mega butter bombs (gotta do a d-rest while there is still a little active fermentation happening). When i've tried it, my thoughts were "meh... nothing to write home about". There's too many better options.

 

[Andre3000]

2206 is a weak attenuator, really likes to be worked cold, and generates mega butter bombs (gotta do a d-rest while there is still a little active fermentation happening). When i've tried it, my thoughts were "meh... nothing to write home about". There's too many better options.

Which would you consider better options?

 

[SoCal-Doug]

For a clean and crispy, maybe 850 or S-23. Consider also 029 in the mid to high 50's (don't laugh, it's actually super clean). One of my favorites is 2001 (but I don't believe its actually the authentic H strain).

For a more malty compliment, possibly 2007, 2308, 838, or maybe 920 (920 can be a bit estery)

 

[dmtaylor]

I love both 2206 and 2308. I have also had great success with the dried yeast S-189. And 1007 altbier yeast makes a great mock lager.

 

[Andre3000]

I love both 2206 and 2308. I have also had great success with the dried yeast S-189. And 1007 altbier yeast makes a great mock lager.

I've heard great things about 1007. I'll have to give it a whirl some time. You might think I'm nuts, but I used my Helles recipe with 1968 and fermented it quite cool with a decent ramp up at the end and it produced a great malty mock lager.

Can you comment then on the differences between 2206 and 2308? I'm wondering if I should give it another shot or just go with trusty 2308.

 

[Jayjay1976]

This is an interesting discussion.

 

[dmtaylor]

Can you comment then on the differences between 2206 and 2308? I'm wondering if I should give it another shot or just go with trusty 2308.

To be honest, I haven't used them enough to tell them apart. Both made great lagers for me and won me awards. If anything I like 2206 a little more, just something about it seemed a little closer to some favorite continental imported lagers.

 

[SoCal-Doug]

This is an interesting discussion.

It's level 15 nerd for sure. I've got my notes out and getting some ideas of things to try

 

[couchsending]

It’s interesting that the lodo guy loves 2206 so much. He says he can get it to ferment out in 7 days and it floccs well and conditions really fast. Maybe try his pitch rate and aeration process?

I’ve had great luck with the Wyeast octoberfest blend as of late. It’s quick, drops bright rather quickly, and conditions surprisingly fast. It’s a little sulfury but that will fade with ample lagering.

Also really enjoying the German Lager X vault strain. Supposedly it’s the Andechs yeast. It’s a little slow to get started regardless of pitch rate but the ferments are always nice and clean and it produces a nice soft Helles/pils. I’m not a big fan of the really dry really bitter beers that the 34/70 strain tends to produce. 145/162/68 always gets me to around 1.010 with 1.048 wort. It needs to be lagered for longer than the Octoberfest blend but at this point I’ve pretty much committed to 6-8 weeks of lagering regardless.

 

[stevehaun]

I am a big fan of 2206. I pitch big and ferment at 48-50F. I rarely do diacetyl rests. I have never had diacetyl issues with this yeast. I have not used 2308.