Wheat beer harvesting

Share your experiences of using brewing yeast.
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Tensbrewer
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Wheat beer harvesting

Post by Tensbrewer » Tue Sep 03, 2019 9:56 pm

I am going to have a first attempt at a wheat beer and was wondering about harvesting yeast from a commercial bottle. Are there any commonly available wheat beers which don't use a priming yeast and which would be a good option for yeast harvesting? Failing that, any recommendations on a yeast to use - probably have to be a dried option as getting live yeast to my remote location is always a bit touch and go.

ingo
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Re: Wheat beer harvesting

Post by ingo » Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:34 pm

Schneider is one to harvest, quite phenolic / clove, relative little banana. Underpitch @ 18°C and let it rise slowly.
Gutmann an other one, the Weihenstephan yeast or a sibling, nice banana, relative little clove, also underpitch and in relative cool wort.

Dried, Danstar Munich Classic Wheat Yeast, from the Muenchner Doemens Insitute, strain #479. It is closely related to the Weihenstephan Weizen Yeast (W68) and has similar character. More banana than the Schneider one, less clove.

Ingo

Tensbrewer
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Re: Wheat beer harvesting

Post by Tensbrewer » Tue Sep 03, 2019 10:50 pm

Thanks for that Ingo, I'll have a look for those beers locally, I assume I should grow a starter on a wheat DME rather than just pitching from several bottles of the beer?

ingo
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Re: Wheat beer harvesting

Post by ingo » Wed Sep 04, 2019 6:42 am

The residue in bottles is getting less and less compared to a decade ago, so yes make a starter but you can use barley DME if you have it.

Ingo

Tensbrewer
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Re: Wheat beer harvesting

Post by Tensbrewer » Wed Sep 04, 2019 2:09 pm

Excellent, yes I believe I have some barley DME so will give that a go, just need to source the Schneider or Gutmann Wheat Beer and I'll be ready. Thanks for your help.

ingo
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Re: Wheat beer harvesting

Post by ingo » Wed Sep 04, 2019 4:00 pm

Augustiner
König Ludwig
Maisel´s
Tucher

These should work as well. (from the German forum)

Ingo

Tensbrewer
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Re: Wheat beer harvesting

Post by Tensbrewer » Wed Sep 04, 2019 8:35 pm

My cup, or should that be stein, runneth over!

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Hanglow
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Re: Wheat beer harvesting

Post by Hanglow » Fri Sep 06, 2019 7:53 pm

Cheers for the list, I was only sure of Schneider

Big fan of Maisel's too

We had a recent thread about brewing wheat beers here if you have not seen it
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=81822&p=845562#p845562

I used the munich cassic ale yeast last time I brewed it and was very impressed with it. step mashed for more clove and it certainly worked for me,

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