New Munich lager yeast strains available

Ok, Ok - I'm trying not to let my excitement get the best of me, but does anyone have any information on either of these strains (besides what is posted below)?:

Wyeast 2352 Munich Lager II
From a famous brewery in Munich, this strain is a low diacetyl and low sulfur aroma producer. An excellent choice for malt driven lagers.
Alc. Tolerance 10% ABV
Flocculation Medium
Attenuation 72-74%
Temp. Range 52-62°F (11-16°C)

White Labs WLP860 Munich Helles
This yeast helps to produce a malty, but balanced traditional Munich-style lager.Clean and strong fermentor, it's great for a variety of lager styles ranging from Helles to Rauchbier.
Optimal Temp: 48-52F
Flocculation: Medium
Attenuation: 68-72%
Alcohol Tolerance: Medium

Like I said, I'm trying not to get too far ahead of myself: I want to learn/brew more with just one lager yeast strain (the Ayinger strain, WLP833)...but these new developments might have me cheating on my conscience

I'm doubting that anyone here has experience with either of these - searches on the interwebs show them to be very new creatures in homebrewing circles - but would anyone happen to have any further back story on one of these? The 'famous brewery in Munich', the interesting temp range listed for 2352 (I'll admit these can be a bit specious), or where White Labs possibly picked up their strain from? That 860 attenuation range looks odd/interesting too.

I'm like a kid who just found out what he wanted for Christmas here!

 

Bad news is that I see each of these yeasts is limited release I may have to order both soon and freeze some of it until I decide what to brew.

 

Well - yes, I did. But I'm not sure if this would completely kill the yeast or not. I suppose it might be safer to simply refrigerate for up to several months, but...I dunno what the best yeast storage advice would be for the longer term. I could have sworn that I've heard of people freezing yeast before (or at least slurries) without bad effects.

 

So it looks like glycerin would probably be the only safe option for freezing. No thanks. I suppose if I get some of each I will just have to refrigerate some of it for a month or so.

Back to topic - does anyone out there have an idea on the story behind these yeasts? I'm helle curious.

 

Well, my initial reaction for not wanting to do it was actually due to the process behind all the different write-ups I reviewed. It seemed like a lot less a pain-in-the-ass to refrigerate for up to a few months and then make a stepped starter when I get ready to brew.

 

Does anybody have any more info on either of the yeasts from the OP? I doubt I'd be lucky enough to find anyone that's used either - but I'm still curious to find out more of a backstory. Currently, I've got the WLP860 on-hand and I'm thinking about making a helles with it soon. But I have a couple of questions due to the lower levels of expected attenuation:

1) Normally one might see a helles in the 1.047-1.051 range for OG. FG is typically between 1.010-1.012 for all the great ones - obviously, I can't reliably expect to do that here with 68-72% ADF - but I'm not a stickler for staying within the style. Would it be a better idea to stick with something in the normal OG range, and finish out at ~1.013-1.015? Or just brew a slightly bigger beer and figure on something of an Export/Spezial strength/body, which I love as well?

2) I know from limited experience that pitching a ton of healthy yeast and aerating the hell out of the wort can give results above and beyond the printed attenuation levels - does anyone else have any insight on trying to outperform expected results here?

Many thanks in advance.

 

Nope...guess not