Baltic Porter Yeast?

Wyeast Kolsch 2565 does pretty well. I've also had great luck with Wyeast Scottish ale yeast 1728. Ale yeasts work fine too if you can't get down to high 50s or low low 60s. If you go this route I'd go with something British.

 

California Lager, either Wyeast or White Labs does pretty good. Gordon Strong swears by it. (It's Anchor Steam yeast, btw)

 

Eh, I just use us-05 like the rest of the beers I make. Its clean, predictable, and somewhat forgiving. And yeast character doesn't seem to be big influence in the flavor of my favorite Sinebrychoff (I believe they use ale yeast too) that I try to emulate.

 

833 worked very well in the one I made a while back. I need to brew another.

 

I have not brewed a Baltic Porter yet but I would likely use a lager yeast to make this beer style. I took note that East Coast Yeast has a yeast strain of ECY Baltic Lager (ECY22):

“This lager yeast imparts a smooth, rich, almost creamy character emphasizing full malt flavor and clean finish. Well suited for Bocks, Dortmunder export and Baltic porter.

Minimum Attenuation: 75%

Maximum Attenuation: 78%

Minimum Fermentation Temperature: 46°F (8°C)

Maximum Fermentation Temperature: 54°F (12°C)

Alcohol Tolerance: TBD

Has anybody brewed with this yeast?

Cheers!

 

I'm not trying to sound like a dick here but I think it's the recipe that mandates this. I've brewed three baltics with three different yeasts and they are always great. The list of yeasts that shouldn't go into this recipe would be smaller than the ones that will do well. A good low ferm temp and a healthy pitch will provide great results. Traditionally they're done with a lager yeast, but so is rauchbier. I can see why people sneak away from this labor of love.

 

“I'm not trying to sound like a dick here but I think it's the recipe that mandates this.”

You don’t sound like a dick and I understand your point about the importance of a ‘good’ recipe to obtain the characteristics that we desire in a given beer style. Having stated that, yeast selection can indeed have an ‘impact’ on how a given batch of beer turns out; sometimes the yeast selection can make a big impact.

As a point of example last year I brewed a batch of Classic American Pilsner (CAP) using WLP830 since the online store was out of Wyeast 2124 (my preferred lager yeast for making CAP beers). According to many folks, WLP830 is the equivalent of 2124. The WLP830 batch came out significantly different from my 2124 batches; it had a bready malt character that I never got from using 2124. There was absolutely nothing in my grain bill to ‘create’ this bready malt flavor; this was solely a function of the WLP830 yeast.

IMHO, to obtain a beer with a desired flavor profile you need a ‘good’ recipe (and good homebrewing process); part of the ‘good’ recipe is selecting a yeast that will be consistent with the flavors you desire in a given beer style.

Cheers!

 

I have never brewed a baltic porter but i drink quite a few thanks to the Polish market next to where I work. It is more then obvious that a lager yeast is used on the beers I have had. Now I don't want to be beat up by Jack, however I believe that the WLP830 would be one of the better choices for a Baltic Porter.

 

I used the Cal Lager yeast on my first effort, couldn't have been any happier with the results, and have never thought of trying anything different.

 

LOL!

I have only used WLP830 once for my CAP. I was not a big fan of the bready malt flavor that it made for that beer style but I drank all of the bottles from batch and it was not a bad beer; I just prefer 2124 for my CAP beers.

WLP830 may very well be a good yeast strain for a Baltic Porter.

If I were to use a White Labs lager yeast for making a Baltic Porter, I think I would choose WLP833 (like hopfenunmaltz posted above).

Below are the yeast strains that Wyeast suggests for a Baltic Porter:

1084 - Irish Ale™

2124 - Bohemian Lager™

2112 - California Lager™

2633 - Octoberfest Lager Blend™

1728 - Scottish Ale™

Of the above Wyeast suggested strains I would likely use 2633 since the best Oktoberfest I ever homebrewed was with that strain.

But, the ECY22 strain sound very intriguing to me.

Cheers!

 

My only baltic porter was done with an ale yeast, either US-05 or Nottingham, down below 60F. I know that lager yeasts are viewed as more typical of the European take on the style. If the historical origins of the stuff lie in England, than it was historically an ale before it was a lager...

I would think that WLP 833 (bock) would make a good one, and maybe the Zurich lager strain (which is reputedly good for high gravity beers).

 

I sense electrons whizzing across the Atlantic to tell us that top fermented Porters were beers, not ales.

 

Nutz. I will never get these technicalities straight.

 

I guess my thought on it is that if you ask brewers
what makes a good Belgium--yest
what makes a good lager --process
for me: what makes a good BP --recipe

In my experience, you'd have to try to pick a bad yeast.

 

According to MrMalty WLP820 Oktoberfest Lager Yeast is the equivalent for WY2124 Bohemian Lager. You used WLP830 German Lager Yeast which is listed as the equivalent for WY2206 Bavarian Lager. So I'd say the significant difference you observed is a little less surprising than you might have thought.

FWIW, a few years ago I did a couple of side by side brews comparing WY2206 Bavarian Lager with WY2308 Munich Lager. I brewed a Vienna Lager, and then a Traditional Bock. I way way prefered the WY2308 and have used that yeast to brew Traditional Bock two more times since and won my first Gold medal in a competition with it. I wonder why it's not one of the strains that WYeast recommends for Baltic Porter?

 

Another fun fact is that Jack's Abby uses the dry yeast Saflager W-34/70. Their Baltic Porter has received quite a bit of acclaim in MA, maybe you've tried it? The liquid equivalents for that would be WY2124 Bohemian Lager or WLP820 Oktoberfest Lager Yeast.

 

It is my guess that there is ‘confusion’ on the Mr. Malty website list.

If you go to this website:http://www.brewcommune.com/tips-a-tricks/35-ingredients/46-wyeast-vs-white-labs-comparison.html

WLP830 German Lager Weihenstephan 34/70

2124 Bohemian lager Weihenstephan 34/70

And this website:http://www.donosborn.com/homebrew/Yeast_Sources.pdf

2124 Bohemian Lager Weihenstephan 34/70. Possibly also EKU WLP830

At the 2012 NHC Conference the brewers of Chuckanut Brewery stated that 2124 = WLP830.

Cheers!

 

Kristen England changed the table between April 17, 2008 and Janury 6, 2009. Brecommune and Mrmalty are both his.

Why the change? You would have to ask.