Need your help on choosing a dry yeast

[Romex2121]

I’m wanting to try my hand at brewing a Kolsch, the flavor profile sounds like a beer that I would enjoy.
from my research on the style it appears liquid yeast is the way to go but living in a smallish town in NM (Carlsbad) where’s there’s no shops Liquid yeast is not gonna be an option due to shipping times and the hot weather.
Is there a dry yeast available that’ll do the Kolsch style justice ??
I’ve seen the K97 but I’ve also seen that a majority of people don’t like it for a few different reasons I also read that Koln yeast was a good option but as luck would have it it’s no longer available and yes I’ve tried to find it online, a few shops say they have it but when you go to order you find out they don’t have it to start with.
I’ve never had a true authentic Kolsch so me trying to pick a yeast to use is kinda pointless.
I’d really like to do the style justice by getting as close as possible with a dry yeast , if possible…..

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

Google says "Kölsch is a German-style beer that's a hybrid of ale and lager, and has qualities of both. It's fermented with ale yeast at warm temperatures, then finished at cold temperatures like a lager. This brewing process gives Kölsch some lager-like qualities, but the different yeasts used in the process make it technically an ale. Kölsch is crisp, golden, and slightly hoppy, with fruity esters like red apple and pear, and a floral hop aroma."

thinking you can use any yeast you want just brew similar, personally I just use dry lager such as 34/70 and ferment warm then cold crash

 

[Romex2121]

I did read where 34/70 had been used with ok results

 

[CascadesBrewer]

I’m wanting to try my hand at brewing a Kolsch, the flavor profile sounds like a beer that I would enjoy.

What do you have for fermentation temperature control? I do think the yeast character of Kolsch yeast is an important contributor to the style, but there is a lot of overlap between Kolsch and other clean lagers and ales (such as Helles, or Cream Ale). If you are just looking for a light and easy drinking beer, there are other options outside of Kolsch.

I have only make a Kolsch once and I used Koln. I have seen plenty of people that don't like that strain either (I liked the batch I made). I would say to give K97 a try and see how it works for you. NovaLager is a dry yeast that might produce a Kolsch-like beer. I have been curious about Mangrove Jack's California Lager strain as well.

 

[MaxStout]

Lalbrew Koln has been my favorite dry Kolsch yeast. Unfortunately, they have discontinued that strain. If you can get your hands on some, snap it up.

K-97 does an OK Kolsch, and that strain is readily available. I have noticed some tart notes from it, but if you have good temp control and ferm at its lower range you can make a decent Kolsch.

 

[Romex2121]

As far as fermentation goes I have a small fridge that works perfect for my needs

 

[Rish]

One of the best beers I've made imo was a Kölsch using K-79 so I'd say give it a try.

 

[dmtaylor]

I wouldn't use K-97. Koln would be great if you could get it but probably no longer available (discontinued just a few months ago).

I would use a lager yeast and go ahead and ferment it warm. Any lager yeast will do, most of them are very closely related. S-189, Diamond, and W-34/70 will all make decent Kolsch-style beer.

 

[Willy]

What do you have for fermentation temperature control? I do think the yeast character of Kolsch yeast is an important contributor to the style, but there is a lot of overlap between Kolsch and other clean lagers and ales (such as Helles, or Cream Ale). If you are just looking for a light and easy drinking beer, there are other options outside of Kolsch.

I have only make a Kolsch once and I used Koln. I have seen plenty of people that don't like that strain either (I liked the batch I made). I would say to give K97 a try and see how it works for you. NovaLager is a dry yeast that might produce a Kolsch-like beer. I have been curious about Mangrove Jack's California Lager strain as well.

I was going to suggest Novalager as an option too. Having used it on many lagers and semi hybrid lager/ale types... It does a nice clean up, neutral flavor for the most part and fast compared to traditional lager strains.

 

[jdauria]

As others have mentioned, 34/70 will work, it will give you a nice clean beer. However, saying that, a guy in my club made a big batch of Kolsch and split it into two fermenters and fermented one with K97 and the other with 34/70. At a recent club meeting, he poured both samples to us blind...and all 8 of us at at meeting easily picked out which was which. The 34/70 was too clean and more blonde ale/pilsner like, the K97 version just had enough fruitiness that a Kolsch can have to easily tell the two apart.

Where you live can definitely be tough for getting liquid yeast shipped this time of the year, but consider ordering directly from White Labs. You can get fresh liquid yeast shipped to you with overnight shipping or two day shipping. They ship in Styrofoam cooler with ice packs. Shipping can be pricy, but if you buy a few different yeasts to stock up, it makes it worth it. White Labs 029 is a very gold Kolsch yeast, and though I have not used it, they also sell what used to be Yeast Bay strains, and one of them WLP4061 Rhine Kolsch is supposed to be decent too.

The White Labs online store is at their yeastman.com site.