is there a real substitute for llalemand kolsch yeast

[Draft Master Flash]

Thanks for sharing this -- I'm doing a Kolsch this weekend and was planning on using NovaLager so it's great to know you've had good results with it!

No problem, I think you'll be pleased with the results!


DMF.

 

[HM-2]

2-3 days in a starter to get going!

It's a weird one and a testament to how much variance we see in our hobby. I've done probably a dozen batches with Köln and with the exception of 2 occasions I've got ~83% attenuation instead of the ~77%ish I usually achieve despite having lower fermentability worts, it's been solid as a rock from initial pitch to kegging.


Never had fermentation take more than ~24 hours to start, even when I've accidently cooled down to 15°C pre pitch and not run with any heating.

Never had it throw any esters other than a vague hint of stone fruit or apple/pear, even at 25°C.


As I mentioned it's been my house NEIPA yeast for about 15 months, precisely because it's been exceptionally reliable and predictable for me. Every beer I've made with it has been "great" or better except for one which was oxidised by a CO2 fitting failure, which you can hardly pin on Köln. IMO it's much better than either Verdant or New England in Lallemand 's range for hazies. And I literally dump it straight into the fermenter in dry form during transfer, no rehydration, no starters, no additional oxygen.

 

[fluketamer]

It's a weird one and a testament to how much variance we see in our hobby. I've done probably a dozen batches with Köln and with the exception of 2 occasions I've got ~83% attenuation instead of the ~77%ish I usually achieve despite having lower fermentability worts, it's been solid as a rock from initial pitch to kegging.


Never had fermentation take more than ~24 hours to start, even when I've accidently cooled down to 15°C pre pitch and not run with any heating.

Never had it throw any esters other than a vague hint of stone fruit or apple/pear, even at 25°C.


As I mentioned it's been my house NEIPA yeast for about 15 months, precisely because it's been exceptionally reliable and predictable for me. Every beer I've made with it has been "great" or better except for one which was oxidised by a CO2 fitting failure, which you can hardly pin on Köln. IMO it's much better than either Verdant or New England in Lallemand 's range for hazies. And I literally dump it straight into the fermenter in dry form during transfer, no rehydration, no starters, no additional oxygen.

very similar experiecne for me. this is a really good yeast imo. shame its going going gone. it has made me my best beers in a while much more forgiving than my lager yeasts in similar grain bills. super clean. drops like a rock and repitching it without a problem.

i am afraid i will only get about 5 pitches out of this pack. before its gone for good

 

[beersk]

The problem with 2565 is the white grape ester it creates. I have not once tasted that in any commercial German kolsch, namely Fruh, Reissdorf, Sunner, and Geoffel being the main ones I drink most often. They just don't have that flavor.

So if I were to use a dry yeast for a kolsch or liquid even, I'd probably go with 34/70 or 2124 and ferment it in the 60s. Or maybe ferment US-05 under pressure at a lower temp.

Alright, I admit fault, at least partially. lol I had a Reissdorf on tap at Hessen Haus in Des Moines last week after an Iowa Cubs game and got a very slight, maybe, white grape ester from it. The friend I was with agreed. But it was subtle. Still, I don't think that's an absolute requisite for good Kolsch as I don't taste it in all Kolsch biers I drink.

Either way, let us know how the Novalager turns out. Maybe I'll end up trying it one of these days.

EDIT: Maybe I was looking for that flavor, I don't know. But it had been a while since I'd had that beer too. And, to me, it's the quintessential Kolsch.