I apologize if this question is a bit naive. With the summer approaching I am interested in brewing a mock pilsner (fermented at >60F) and was wondering which yeast strain will be the most successful. Thank you fellow brewers.
I’ve had my best luck making pseudo lagers using WY1007. You need to ferment it as cool as you can and be prepared for a couple months of cold conditioning afterwards. However, that will be true no matter what yeast you use. I find 1007 give a clean crispness that’s very much like a lager yeast.
Denny, how cool do you need to get that yeast? I know I’m pretty close to lager temps with my alts. That kind of defeats the purpose of a mock lager.
How about US05, a clean ale yeast. I’d brew the recipe with hop bitterness on the upper end of the range, and keep the ferm temp down in the low 60’s and the pitch rate up. You’ll need to let it sit for a month to get the yeast dropped well.
Low 60s is fine, but colder is better. I usually run it in the lager range for alts, too, but when I can’t I find that 62-65 works pretty well. But cold conditioning is a definite. You can do that by simply kegging or bottling and ;leaving it in the serving fridge for a month or 2.
With Denny on the WYE1007. (Or, the 2565 Kölsch will do a great job too.)
I just brewed an all grain German ale… and the wife, who is not a beer type and just as happy as a clam with a Yuengling, said it tasted just like the Spaten I had her try a few months ago and she LIKED IT!.. I am smiling.
7.5 pounds of German 2 row pilsner
1 pound German Wheat
.75 pound German Munich
Tettnanger 1.5 oz 60 mins
Spalt .5 oz 15 mins
Spalt .25 oz 5 mins
Czech Saaz .25 oz 5 mins
Wyeyeast 1007 German Ale
OG 1048 FG 1010 5%abv
In the bucket for 20 days at around 64º, cold crashed at 34º for 5 more, and force carbonated. Not quite clear yet, but taste is awesome.
I (and others) greatly enjoyed the mock pilsner I made with Wyeast California Lager 2112, fermented in the very low 60’s.
I believe that would be considered a “Steam Beer”.
Not necessarily. The grainbill is crucial in defining a steam beer also, not just the yeast.
Good point.
[quote]7B. California Common Beer
Aroma: Typically showcases the signature Northern Brewer hops (with woody, rustic or minty qualities) in moderate to high strength. Light fruitiness acceptable. Low to moderate caramel and/or toasty malt aromatics support the hops. No diacetyl.
Appearance: Medium amber to light copper color. Generally clear. Moderate off-white head with good retention.
Flavor: Moderately malty with a pronounced hop bitterness. The malt character is usually toasty (not roasted) and caramelly. Low to moderately high hop flavor, usually showing Northern Brewer qualities (woody, rustic, minty). Finish fairly dry and crisp, with a lingering hop bitterness and a firm, grainy malt flavor. Light fruity esters are acceptable, but otherwise clean. No diacetyl.
Mouthfeel: Medium-bodied. Medium to medium-high carbonation.
Overall Impression: A lightly fruity beer with firm, grainy maltiness, interesting toasty and caramel flavors, and showcasing the signature Northern Brewer varietal hop character.
History: American West Coast original. Large shallow open fermenters (coolships) were traditionally used to compensate for the absence of refrigeration and to take advantage of the cool ambient temperatures in the San Francisco Bay area. Fermented with a lager yeast, but one that was selected to thrive at the cool end of normal ale fermentation temperatures.
Comments: This style is narrowly defined around the prototypical Anchor Steam example. Superficially similar to an American pale or amber ale, yet differs in that the hop flavor/aroma is woody/minty rather than citrusy, malt flavors are toasty and caramelly, the hopping is always assertive, and a warm-fermented lager yeast is used.
Ingredients: Pale ale malt, American hops (usually Northern Brewer, rather than citrusy varieties), small amounts of toasted malt and/or crystal malts. Lager yeast, however some strains (often with the mention of “California” in the name) work better than others at the warmer fermentation temperatures (55 to 60°F) used. Note that some German yeast strains produce inappropriate sulfury character. Water should have relatively low sulfate and low to moderate carbonate levels.
Vital Statistics: OG: 1.048 – 1.054
IBUs: 30 – 45 FG: 1.011 – 1.014
SRM: 10 – 14 ABV: 4.5 – 5.5%
Commercial Examples: Anchor Steam, Southampton Steem Beer, Flying Dog Old Scratch Amber Lager
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Yup. I love that yeast and have used it for a few very un-steam beers. For the pils (the recipe is around here somewhere), I used mostly pilsner malt an saaz hops. If I had to enter it in a competition, I might have called it a kolsch, but I called it a pilsner. j
If you’re open to using an ale yeast instead of a lager you could do a Blonde with a lower ale fermentation.
I agree with the US-05 suggestion, as you probably want a clean fermenting yeast. Also, I’ve never used it, but Cry Havoc is supposed to be good for both ales and lagers, and ferments clean.
IME, neither Cry Havoc nor 2112 makes as clean a pseudo lager as 1007.