Fermentis K-97 German Ale Yeast

[BigPapaG]

Stopped by the LHBS today and grabbed a few supplies...

In addition to some SafLager S-189, Red X, Pale Chocolate and Chocolate malts, Mosaic, EKG and Fuggels...

I picked up a pack of SafAle K-97.

I have not used that particular dry yeast before but I understand it is similar to, if not the same strain as Wyeast 1007 German Ale.

An online description that I found on design2brew.com says:

" Safale K-97 is a German ale yeast selected for its ability to form a large firm head when fermenting. This product is suitable for brewing ales with low esters and can be used for Belgian type wheat beers. Its lower attenuation profile produces beers with a good length on the palate.

==l> Has anyone used this before and if so, can you provide some feedback?

If it's truly like 1007, I'll probably use it to ferment out my next Berliner Weiss... Or maybe a nice Alt beer.

Else... Anybody's guess! Ha! That's the fun of it!

[monsteroyd]

I have used it. I heard it was a Kolsch-ish yeast. I do not know. It made a nice Blonde ale for me. I bought it repackaged into 11 g packs from some where. Like they bought 500G and then split it up.

Monty

[MadBrewer]

I have 2 packets of it myself. Im brew8ng a Kolsch with it this weekend and then an Altbier at some point soon. I have researched it a lot and have heard some good things. All except it doesnt flocc well but most Kolsch or Altbier doesnt so sounds about right. Best results I have read about are around 60-62* used like a true German Ale yeast.

I never even had a true to style Kolsch yet alone an Altbier but the styles sound really good. Im a dry yeast user so this is an exciting addition to my yeast line up.

[The_Professor]

I've just read about it.

I have been interested in making a Berliner Weisse with wheat malt and homemade sour malt from raw barley using a German Ale yeast to ferment it.

The Safale German Ale yeast seemed to be pretty hard to come by. I'm surprised your LHBS had it.

I haven't bought any K-97 yet to try that brew. I'll be interested to hear how it works for you.

EDIT: You made me check. Rebel has it now. I ordered a few.

[MadBrewer]

Proff, you are in Cali you ever check out Wiiams brewing? Great online source and they always have something new. They carry it as well as the Mangrove Jack yeasts. So does Austin homebrew...that is where I bought my K-97 and some Muntons Gold. I had a bad experience with Rebel Brewer. They sent me two packets of expired yeast and when I emailed them they checked their inventory and found more. They said they would send me new yeast and never did and then quit responding. It wasnt the yeast that was a problem it was the 2nd half of the deal. Plus they are always out of stock on things. Sorry, rant over.

[The_Professor]

...you ever check out Wiiams brewing?...I had a bad experience with Rebel Brewer...

I have bought a few things from William's Brewing (and didn't realize how "local" they were).
I had the opposite experience with Rebel. Once I ordered some whole hops, since they were out they offered to send me twice as much pellet hops "if I could use it". I usually use Rebel when I want to take advantage of their huge selection of malt. This time they were one of the first to come up in a Google search.

[BigPapaG]

I have used it. I heard it was a Kolsch-ish yeast. I do not know. It made a nice Blonde ale for me. I bought it repackaged into 11 g packs from some where. Like they bought 500G and then split it up.

Monty

I also heard, Kolsch-like... But not really Kolsh...

But folks are using it for same...

I might also...

The ones I have are Fermentis branded 11g packs, a.k.a. Factory, not re-packs.

[BigPapaG]

I have 2 packets of it myself. Im brew8ng a Kolsch with it this weekend and then an Altbier at some point soon. I have researched it a lot and have heard some good things. All except it doesnt flocc well but most Kolsch or Altbier doesnt so sounds about right. Best results I have read about are around 60-62* used like a true German Ale yeast.

I never even had a true to style Kolsch yet alone an Altbier but the styles sound really good. Im a dry yeast user so this is an exciting addition to my yeast line up.

I also feel it could be a great addition to my 'fridge stash' of dry packs...

I like them because I buy them and then decide to brew something else, but they store a long time so no worries...

As far as temps, I can hold 58-62°F right now... Lower starting tomorrow as we are in the path of some polar vortex temps that will plunge the outside temps to below zero with -20-40° wind chills...

So, my unheated hallway will be pretty cold!

That should help it flock as well...

Maybe I will delay my coffee stout and use this tomorrow or Saturday...

[mashani]

Fermentis seems to have just started selling homebrew sized packs of S-189, and K-97 again. For a while all you could do is get re-packaged commercial bricks.

I am using S-189 in a batch going now (Swiss on Rye IPL) and will make something else with the other pack soon.

K-97 can be a blowoff machine like Wyeast German Ale/Wyeast Kolsch. Don't know if it's the same yeast as either of them or not for sure, but it made good beer last time I used it - in re-packaged commercial brick form. I think you can make good Kolsch or Alt bier with it. Just leave some headspace... or *boom*

[BigPapaG]

Fermentis seems to have just started selling homebrew sized packs of S-189, and K-97 again. For a while all you could do is get re-packaged commercial bricks.

I am using S-189 in a batch going now (Swiss on Rye IPL) and will make something else with the other pack soon.

K-97 can be a blowoff machine like Wyeast German Ale/Wyeast Kolsch. Don't know if it's the same yeast as either of them or not for sure, but it made good beer last time I used it - in re-packaged commercial brick form. I think you can make good Kolsch or Alt bier with it. Just leave some headspace... or *boom*

Yup, I figured it was a top cropper given the description of the 'large firm head'...

Edit: Might have been a choice for open fermentations back in the day in Germany...

Good thing I'm classically trained in 3787 et al...

Gonna give this a try soon...

Also picked up an S-189 which will need to be done soon... Prolly make a session pils with that one...

[MadBrewer]

I have heard good things about the S-189 as well. I heard it was nice for bigger, malty lagers in particular but good for any lager overall. I will be trying it maybe come late spring. I have a hoppy Lager in mind like a Czech/Bohemian Pils. Only other lager yeast I have used is the Bohemian lager, so to try something else would be good. Having a couple good DRY lager yeasts is awesome.

[Jon]

So it's been a while since I used K-97, and I'm pretty sure my notes on it were lost when that other site deleted us and all of our history (don't worry--I'm not bitter. Go Brew Demon, go!)...but, from what I remember K-97 was actually a pretty phenolic yeast.

I don't think it'd make a great Kolsch, it wasn't really clean enough from what I remember...though it did have some of the right characteristics.

Honestly, it was a slightly phenolic but not very estery ale yeast...but not the right phenolics for a Kolsch or pseudo-lager...it I'm remembering correctly.

Yeah, sorry folks--I realize that wasn't very helpful.

[BigPapaG]

Thanks Jon,

I'll give it a try and we'll see how it turns out.

Being fond of and brewing lots of Belgians, I can accept the phenolics without issue but point taken on not expecting a real kölsch like result.

[bpgreen]

Jon, if you want to find posts from mbf, you can go to archive. org. It didn't crawl the site often, so more recent posts won't be there, but it might have some of your notes.

[MadBrewer]

I just used K-97 again in an Altbier that is cold crashing now. It seems to have performed just as it did with the Kolsch I brewed with the other packet I had. I fermented both beers around 60-62* I didn't oxygenate with either batch, only rehydrated. Both batches got to work without extended lag time. Very vigorous fermentation with high Krausen on day 3 and a long lasting krausen after fermentation. You need to cold crash it to get it to fall, even after 2 weeks in the fermentor. The Kolsch I made came out great and sample from the Altbier before I cold crashed tasted promising. I'm really looking forward to trying the Altbier.

Anyone else been using this lately?