[erockrph]

I've been chasing my white whale for a while now - a hoppy lager that has the malt and fermentation character of a lager but the hop character of an APA. I've never quite been able to nail the balance I've been shooting for, but I think I found the missing piece in Wyeast 2278.

I recently brewed a lager using mainly Red X malt with a splash of Pils, with Mandarina Bavaria and Apollo as my hops, and using 2278 for my yeast. The beer finished crisp and dry, with a nice snap to the bitterness, but the malt flavor still came through and it left some richness in the mouthfeel. As a bonus, it had dropped quite clear on its own after 3 weeks in primary.

Hop flavor isn't as much as I had hoped for, but that might just be from my hop selection (which was primarily Mandarina), and quantities. I'm looking forward to trying this again with some more potent hops and a 80:20 Pils/Munich malt bill.

If you're looking for something different than Chico for an APA, this yeast would probably make a nice choice. Using an accelerated lager fermentation schedule you could have something ready in close to the amount of time needed for an ale yeast. It's probably the best option of all the lager yeasts I've tried for an IPL as well.

[HydraulicSammich]

I have a two gallons of a Pilsner left in a keg.  Fully lagered and serving.  What do you think about an aggresive dry hopping?  In particular, the introduction of O2 to a lagered beer.  I have another lagering keg of the wonderful Pils so I am not concerned if it doesn't work.  I have been wanting to try out a hoppy lager for a long time.

[Iliff Ave]

Thanks for the information. I would like to try something like this soon. My current project is an APA with German malts and US05.

I am relatively new to lagers but have had great success with W34/70 (WY2124?) and the accelerated fermentation schedule. My temp control is such that it is difficult to brew lagers in the summer but it is starting to cool down and I will hopefully get to a few over the fall/winter.

[erockrph]

I have a two gallons of a Pilsner left in a keg.  Fully lagered and serving.  What do you think about an aggresive dry hopping?  In particular, the introduction of O2 to a lagered beer.  I have another lagering keg of the wonderful Pils so I am not concerned if it doesn't work.  I have been wanting to try out a hoppy lager for a long time.

I don't see an issue at all with dry-hopping a lager post-lagering. Plus, if it's in a keg you can purge with CO2 to keep O2 exposure to a minimum.

[HoosierBrew]

I don't see an issue at all with dry-hopping a lager post-lagering. Plus, if it's in a keg you can purge with CO2 to keep O2 exposure to a minimum.

Been there done it. No issues.

[beersk]

I had fantastic success with a hoppy lager (IPL just sounds silly, like CDA) using about 80/20 2-row/vienna and Saflager 34/70. Fruity American hops... very tasty beer. 2278 seems like it'd be a good choice, but I'd think something like 2124 would be a very good choice as well.

[HoosierBrew]

I had fantastic success with a hoppy lager (IPL just sounds silly, like CDA) using about 80/20 2-row/vienna and Saflager 34/70. Fruity American hops... very tasty beer. 2278 seems like it'd be a good choice, but I'd think something like 2124 would be a very good choice as well.

2124 and WLP 940 are my favorites for IPL. Both work really well. Might give 2278 a shot sometime though.

[hopfenundmalz]

Mandarins Bavaria is one of my favorites, but the oil content is about 1%, much less than one like Citra and Mosiac. Use more to get the aroma.

[erockrph]

Mandarins Bavaria is one of my favorites, but the oil content is about 1%, much less than one like Citra and Mosiac. Use more to get the aroma.

This was my first time using Mandarina in this quantity, so I wasn't quite sure what I'd get out of it. I guess my point was that I'd reserve judgement on whether this yeast pulled out some hop flavor until I brewed with more potent hops.

I did like the hop character I got from this brew, but I think I got as much black tea as citrus. I used about 1oz/gallon of MB and 0.5oz/gallon of Apollo in the whirlpool.

[S. cerevisiae]

Have you tried Wyeast 2272?  Wyeast 2272 is the Christian Schmidt strain.  It was one of my "go to" strains for a number of years.

[erockrph]

Have you tried Wyeast 2272?  Wyeast 2272 is the Christian Schmidt strain.  It was one of my "go to" strains for a number of years.

I don't think they've put that one out since I started getting serious about lager brewing. I'll definitely give it a try the next time it gets released.

[majorvices]

I don't have the answer to the question you seek but I can tell you what has worked well for me for my "hop lager" and Imperial pils has been S-189. Super easy to use and really showcases the hops.