Ok, what is your favorite go to wheat yeast? Specifically for European wheat beer recipes.
What do you like about it?
What do you dislike about it?
Dry or liquid, why?
Do you stress the fermentation by under pitching?
What temp do you ferment?
I use either WB-06 or WLP300.
I have no desire to make a lot of wheat beer, but when I have made a German Hefeweizen, I used WLP 300, pitched (no starter) at about 58-60F and let it slow rise into the 68F range during the first few days of fermentation. It is a POF+ yeast strain so the clove came through nicely, with some bubble gum and a little banana (warmer fermentation pushes more banana from increased isoamyl acetate I have been told).
The first time I made it I won a club contest, so I make it that way now. But, like I said, I am not a huge wheat beer guy (I am overly clove sensitive - so the POF+ stuff isn’t preferred by my palate…though I am fighting to overcome it and appreciate it through Belgians styles).
By “Wheat Beer” you must mean Hefeweizen or Dunkleweizen? If you include Belgium Wheat beers my answer is different.
My preference is Omega OYL-021, however since the only LHBS within 2 hours of me closed, I now prefer to use WB-06. This is a summertime beer to me, and it gets too hot here to have liquid yeast shipped this time of year. The WB-06 works well.
Mash-in is at 112 for a short acid rest. This is the only style where I do a single decoction. Others will disagree, but I can tell the difference.
I pitch at 55 degrees and ferment at 62 degrees. Just my personal preference based on trial and error. The right blend of clove and banana for me. I pitch the entire pack, trusting the supplier to provide me the right amount. (blind trust?) Anyway it seems to work. I do not repitch, due to concerns with over-pitching. Must admit, this is 100% paranoia, not based on experience.
I like WLP351, mainly because it doesn’t make beers that taste exactly like all the other wheat beers out there. There is a bit of vanilla in addition to the clove phenolics.
Wlp300 gets my vote. Balanced and hits the classic Hefeweizen notes!
I used Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen yeast in a recent hefeweizen that I thought turned out really good. I fermented it at 64 degrees until it started to slow and then brought it up slowly to finish it out I think I finished with it at like 68 or something.
Thats what I decided to go with. Just made it yesterday. Pitched at 70* and then set glycol chiller to 68* so the jury is out until a few weeks.