Wyeast 2575-PC Kölsch II

[Upthewazzu]

I plan on using this yeast to make a pilsner-like ale (will be using 95% pilsner malt and 100% Saaz hops). Anyone have experience with this "special" yeast fermenting at around 55°-56°? I'm curious what off-flavors it might produce that low, even though it is within range. I will be making a starter (my first ever), but I don't think it will be exactly what I need per the yeast calculator (better than nothing I suppose).

 

[Upthewazzu]

so she's bubbling away at an ambient temp of 56.3 degrees F. Any recommendations on how long i should hold it there before diacytel rest?

 

[rupert130]

No experience with this yeast, but just bought a pack a few days ago. I plan on harvesting from my starter so I always have this one around. Kolsch is one of my favorite styles and it is apparently a versatile yeast, so I look forward to reading of your experiences when the brew is done.

 

[GuldTuborg]

Bah, nevermind. I read this as 2565. Sorry. Carry on.

 

[Howhownow]

Never gone that low with it, but generally this yeast is a beast. I actually just brewed a stout with it that is aging, but tasted fantastic when it went in the keg.

 

[Upthewazzu]

I used fermcap-S during the boil, so would it be bad for me to harvest the yeast from the trub? Fermcap is silicone if I remember correctly and the lit says it settles out during fermentation/conditioning.

 

[rupert130]

OP, any update on the finished beer?

I just brewed with this strain on 8/19 for the first time. Used a 2L starter because the smack pack was 4 months old. I had activity within 8 hrs of pitch at 64 F and the airlock bubbled furiously for 48+ hrs before starting to settle down. With 1.5 gallons of head space in the fermentor, the krausen came to within an inch of the top. Ferm temps ranged between 59-66 F. I used the swamp cooler method of controlling temps with the addition of ice bottles as needed.

I will update with flavor notes when it's time to sample.

 

[hottpeper13]

I have been using this yeast for IPA, DIPA,honey kolsch, bitter kolsch,amber,oktoberfest,ect. Used different temps from 55 to 68f and found that 59*f was the sweet spot. The 2 at 55*f took 4 weeks to get within 2 plato for a secondary transfer, the same for the ones at 66*,but the higher ones took longer to settle out and are still cloudy after 2 weeks in the keg. I tried to make as many styles as I could think of and make this my house yeast. These beers can't be rushed, here is the procedure I have the best tasting beers with (can you say killed the pin in 1.5 hrs, that's good beer) Pitch at 55*f let rise to 59*f for 3-5 days, when the temp comes down to 58* the activity is slowing and you want to ramp it up to 62*. At this point mine have gone up to 64* on there own, leave there until the temp drops back to 62*. This takes about 3 weeks,I don't check until 3weeks. then it's into secondary at 55* for 2 weeks and 40* for 2 weeks, keg and enjoy. I did a Founders all day IPA clone with this and did a side by side from a growler gallery near by and was told mine had more fruit flavor and not just the grapefruit. I love this yeast and could talk about it all day, but my typing skills suck.

 

[rupert130]

hottpeper13, I am having a slightly different experience with this yeast. I had activity quickly and after 3 days most of the activity has settled down. Today is 6 days from brewing and SG is 1.013 down from 1.052. 75% attenuation which is right in the reported attenuation from Wyeast's website. I will check again in 2 days and in 4 days to ensure a stable FG before bottling.

As far as taste: Light, clean, slightly malty, and a touch of bitter noticeable on the back of the tongue.
Just for everyone's info I brewed Edwort's Bee Cave Brewery Kolsch recipe with this.

 

[hottpeper13]

Perfect time for an experiment, hide a 6 pack for 4-6 months and see if they aren't very fizzy at that time. i think that yeast just keeps slowly chewing on on stuff ,kinda like bret does very slowly. I have made anywhere from 1.050 to 1.088 with the different Kolsch strains and all of them have gone down to 1.008 - 1.010 and after 4 weeks bottle conditioning they have perfect carbonation, and a creamy head. Click ahead 4-6 weeks and they foam up half the glass and when hydroed, have gone down another .002 points. This has happened with all my Kolsch bottled beers. I like the flavor so much I converted to kegs and am slappen the back of my head(Gibbs style) for waiting so long.
Will be waiting for your up date

 

[rupert130]

hottpeper13, will do on the experiment.

As an update, the SG stabilized at 1.013. Bottled on 8/28, had to bottle before leaving for the weekend. Carbed to 2.5 vols. Will update around 10 September with an early tasting.

Taste on bottling day was lighty fruity (chardonay-like), clean, and pleasant malty-ness at the end.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Sorry, totally forgot about this thread.

I must have screwed it up somehow, because it still isn't 100% drinkable. I primaried it for 2 weeks (1.044 --> 1.008), then kegged. Waited three weeks and it smelled + tasted like vomit. Waited another 3 weeks and it was drinkable but still not good. Just tried it again about a week ago and it's slowly but surely getting there. Hopefully, will be all ready to go in another couple of weeks.

I guess my biggest mistake was not secondary-ing it for a month to drop the yeast. Way too much yeast ended up in the keg.

 

[hottpeper13]

I tried to make an ordinary bitter, which when fermented with almost any English yeast is drinkable in about 28days, kegged it in 21 days, that was july 8th, and it is still cloudy and just now drinkable, and not tasty at all but not bad enough to toss. Maybe blend it or use it for slug patrol.
I'll walk you thru my latest Kolsch, 7 lbs Bohemian pils, 1 lb red wheat,8 oz Vienna malt, 8 oz flaked barley, 2 oz acidulated malt, 39 gr. Perle FWH, 1 oz Hallertau at 10 and 0 min. stayed between 59 and 61* f for 1 week then 2 weeks at 64* then secondary at 64* for 3weeks, tasting the hydro sample I said,........Dude you made a pilsner, can't wait for room in the kegerator, have it on gas at 64* and 20 psi. If the house warming on the 6th works out there should be room on Monday. I'll update when tasted, but I expect this to be my house beer, only been looking for 3 years, but what a tasty 3 years.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Had another pint last night (first in 2 weeks) and it's definitely getting better. The aroma is no longer vomit, just smells like a lager mostly. The taste is very very close to what I was hoping for, still ever so slightly on the yeasty side of the spectrum. I basically just wanted a lager-like beer that was easy to drink. I think another couple weeks and it'll be finished.

For those interested, the recipe was 9.5lb 2-row, 1lb white wheat. 1oz us saaz @ 60min and 1oz czech saaz @ 30min.

 

[Quaker]

I used this for the small beer portion of a partigyle: approximately 4 gallon final beer volume, 7.5% Simpsons Golden Naked Oats with a Belgian Pils base, 19 IBU (40g) Crystal hops at 60 minutes and 8 IBU from a 10 minute whirlpool (73g) Crystal. Brewed on August 1st. OG 1.052, Pitched straight from the smack pack at 60F and let free rise in a 68F ambient basement. FG 1.011 on August 16th upon kegging. Keg sat at room temp for 1 week then chilled to 38F and carbonated.

Love it thus far. The floral and malt aroma takes back to countless little glasses during a six month stint in Cologne. It is quite cloudy still, and it has a bitter, grassy edge from the heavy flameout addition. I only tapped to taste. I'm confident it will eventually clear and the extra hop aspects will drop with more time. It will likely be another month before it'll be tapped for serving.

FYI - the bigger half of this partigyle was a tripel at 1.080 gravity with a 2lb home honey addition. Saaz and Goldings flavored that one with WLP530 (Westmalle) yeast pitched, taking it down to 1.014 at kegging on 8/25. Kegged a full 5 gallons of it. 21lbs of grain total was used. I haven't carbonated, chilled, or sampled it yet.

 

[Quaker]

Photo with current state of clarity

It's got a ways to go.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Thought I'd give another update. As of yesterday (10/05/2014) it was perfect. Clear and lager-like, exactly what I was originally aiming for. This yeast takes for-ev-er to clear and finish. Grain to glass is something like 3 months for this stuff. I'll post a pic next time I pull a pint from the keg. This would be a good yeast to use in March to have on tap for June-July-Aug.

 

[rupert130]

**UPDATE**
I forgot to update before but here it goes. After 2 weeks of bottle conditioning this beer was perfect. It dropped clear and had a very pilsner-y taste with a light malt backbone that complimented it perfectly. Love this yeast and will likely employ it in the making of an Alt and of course more Kolsch.

 

[Upthewazzu]

Here she be

 

[rupert130]

This yeast takes for-ev-er to clear and finish. Grain to glass is something like 3 months for this stuff.

Do you use any fining agents in your beer? I used only whirfloc (with a good hot and cold break) and had clear beer in under a month. I bottled, maybe it acts differently in a keg.

 

[Upthewazzu]

yep, used whirlfloc with 5 minutes remaining in the boil.

I chalk it up to mostly the yeast, but the process I used on this particular beer was probably at least a little at fault. I did 2 weeks primary and then straight to the keg. With Kolsch, you're supposed to secondary for a month, which I skipped. I assumed that sticking it straight in the keg and refrigerating would essentially be the same thing. Well, it's not (at least in this case).

Anywho, it's so good at this point that I'll definitely be making it again. Will change up my process and see if that helps any.

 

[Quaker]

Just poured a glass. Finally cleared beautifully.

 

[rupert130]

I have finally made my second beer with this yeast, an APA. Dry hopped at at rate of 3oz per 5 gallons with Cascade hops. I absolutely love this beer. The yeast lets both hops and malt shine. FG was reached in 7 days, dry hopped for 6 days, and bottled. After only 12 hrs in the fridge for my first sample I poured a clear beer. It may be a combination of my equipment, process, and water; but I am having no clearing issues with this strain. I will post the recipe in the near future.

 

[rupert130]

Made a Maibock with the yeast. Fermented at 54°F like a champ. Maibock tastes dead on for the style.

 

[JediJoel]

I know this is an old thread, but anyone have this in their vault?

I'm thinking about a festbeir-style ale and this strain seems to clear up better than Kolsch.

 

[hottpeper13]

The 2565 and 2575 are both low floculating yeasts and take about 3 weeks to clear. I split a batch of my honey kolsch between 2565 and 34/70 and fermented both the same and the 34/70 was clearer much sooner. I would use the 34/70 for a festbeir.

 

[JediJoel]

Thanks for the input. I was specifically looking into 2565 or 2575 since I don't have the ability to lager. I can get to 60* or high 50s and pseudo-lager but I am still looking for a malt forward yeast rather than a neutral ale yeast and I have found that WY1007 is a little lacking.