Yeast for Schlafly Kolsch Clone (other than Wyeast 2565)

[fknizner]

I'm trying to brew a Schlafly Kolsch clone this weekend.

Schlafly's website lists the following ingredients:

• Grains: Pale, Wheat, Munich, Carapils
• Hops: Hallertau Tradition, Perle
• Yeast: Koln brewery yeast strain (fermented at 62 deg. F.)

Also, it lists the beer's profile: 6 SRM, 25 IBU's, 4.8% ABV.

I've brewed several Kolsch-style ales in the past, and have always used Wyeast 2565, fermenting between 52 and 54 deg. F. In my experience, Wyeast 2565 creates a great beer, but not one tastes anything like Schlafly Kolsch. I have never, however, fermented Wyeast 2565 as high as 62 deg. F. Accordingly, I was considering either (a) using Wyeast 2656 and fermenting at 62 deg. F., or (b) using a different strain of yeast and fermenting at 62 deg. F.

So here are my wo questions:

1. If I ferment Wyeast 2565 around 62 deg. F., will it give me something Schlafly Kolsch-esque?

2. Are there any other yeast strains that, when fermented at 62 deg. F., produce a more Schlafly Kolsch-esque flavor? The beer itself is pretty yeast-neutral, so I was considering Wyeast 1056 (American Ale) which I have had good luck with in the past fermenting at 62 and imparting a pretty neutral flavor that allows the grains to come through.

By the way, I plan on mashing around 148, boiling for 90 mins (boiling all necessary hops for 60 minutes, no flavoring/aroma), fermenting at Schlafly's suggested 62 deg. F., allowing the beer to fully ferment in the primary, adding gelatin after fermentation, and lagering in the keg for at least a month. A beer that requires much patience.

Thanks!!

Frank

 

[porterpounder]

1007 German Ale. Great Kolsch/Alt strain at 62 F. More lager-like than some of the other Kolsch strains that can be a bit more estery. Very active fermentation, so use a blow-off.

 

[dmtaylor]

The other big Kolsch yeast available is WLP029 from White Labs. It's NOT the same as 2565.

There's another dry yeast available known as K-97. I've never tried that one yet and it might be harder to find.

 

[fknizner]

Thank you both for the quick responses and suggestions.

dmtaylor--do you find that WLP029 produces noticeable esters at 62? In your experience, what are the main ways in which WLP029 and Wyeast 2565 differ?

porterpounder--I had not considered Wyeast 1007, but your recommendation + the information on Wyeast's website make me think that it's a good option. It sounds like 1007 stays in suspension for a while (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Have you noticed that? I find that, especially with light/colder ferm'd beers, yeasts that stay in suspension longer are actually beneficial at metabolizing diacetyl and lessening any other off flavors. Nothing a little gelatin can't solve when it comes time to keg.

Thank you both again.

Frank

 

[dmtaylor]

WLP029 is super clean at any temperature, and is much faster to finish and clear than 2565. It is my Kolsch yeast of choice from now on. I liked 2565 for a long time but recently decided that it is too much of a pain to deal with, taking 5-6 weeks to clear, etc. Brulosophy has run fermentation temperature experiments using WLP029, you may want to look it up. If memory serves, they basically found no significant flavor differences between WLP029 fermented at like 60 F versus 70 F or something like that.

1007 is a wonderful tasting yeast that gives a very bready lager-like character to any beer. However it does take a little longer to clear as well, but not as bad as the 2565. I think it's great and I will be using it a lot in the future. It's an altbier yeast, not really intended for Kolsches, but would make a tasty lager-like beer anyway.

 

[fknizner]

Thanks for the information on both of those yeasts, Dave.

I think I will probably go with WLP029, as I've been meaning to try that out for a while and it sounds like its pretty different from Wyeast 2565. For the next Alt I brew, I'll definitely use 1007.

I plan on making a ~600 mL starter on my stir plate, 20 or so hours before pitching. I'll probably use extra light DME, and will pitch the whole starter into the wort. It appears that White Labs vials contain 75-150 billion yeast cells per vial, but I'm guessing those are liberal estimates, and the actual live yeast count is somewhere towards the lower end of that range. I'm hoping, with a starter, to get to close to an appropriate pitching rate so as to not strain the yeast. Thoughts?

Frank

 

[dmtaylor]

You're spot on, Frank. You seem to be a pretty sharp dude. :rockin:

 

[porterpounder]

porterpounder--I had not considered Wyeast 1007, but your recommendation + the information on Wyeast's website make me think that it's a good option. It sounds like 1007 stays in suspension for a while (which is not necessarily a bad thing). Have you noticed that? I find that, especially with light/colder ferm'd beers, yeasts that stay in suspension longer are actually beneficial at metabolizing diacetyl and lessening any other off flavors. Nothing a little gelatin can't solve when it comes time to keg.

The 1007 is not a great floculator in the fermenter, but with a little bit of biofine or gelatin int he keg the my beers with it are always crystal clear.

 

[OnanSalad]

Hi Frank - I'm curious how close your Schlafly Kölsch clone came and what recipe you used. Based on the low abv and Schlafly's declared ingredients, I'm considering the following build:

5# German Pale
2# Wheat
1# Munich
0.5# carapils
1 oz Hal Tradition
1 oz Perle
WLP029

I'm not sure about the Munich ratio.