I wanted to report on a recent “experiment“. I brewed an American Wheat with Fermentis K-97 German Ale yeast. It turned out really well. The beer is light and clean with a hint of citrus. There is a slight tartness that I like and recognize from many American Wheat beers. The beer is staying cloudy 2 weeks after kegging and immediately refrigerating, though, I think it is flocculating more than Wyeast 1010 would.
Why did I do this:
+Supposedly K-97 is derived from Zum Uerige.
+ Wyeast 1010 was supposedly sourced from Widmer and is a mutated derivation of the Zum Uerige yeast.
+ Fermentis advertises K-97 for Wit beers. I don’t get any Belgian type flavors though.
+ K-97 throws a tart flavor that I recognize from Wyeast 1010 and many wheat beers.
Recipe Simple Summer Wheat:
50/50 Wheat and 2-row Pale malts
19 IBU Chinook at 60
5 IBU Chinook at 15
K-97 Ale Yeast (11.5g)
Yellow Balanced water
1043 OG
I fermented at 65F. Fermentation was active for 3 gallons within 12 hours and the beer reached final gravity in 3-5 days (I went out of town so am not sure exactly).