White Labs Yeast – 351 Bavarian Weizen White Labs

I just made a 12 gal German Weizen with 10 lb white wheat/10 lb pilsner and SG 1.054, mashed at 152 with a single Mittelfrue hop addition at 75 minutes (90 minute boil). Grew one vial of WLP351 in a 1L 1.040 Bavarian Wheat starter for 24 hrs @ 68deg w stir plate, pitched into 2.5L Bavarian Wheat media (1.040) for another 18 hours (total volume 3.5L). Poured off 3 L media from flask and pitched 500ml settled yeast at 59 degrees…let rise to 62 overnight. More flocculant than WLP300 but still leaving some yeast in suspension. Airlock bubbling within 2 hours of pitching at 62 degrees! Brought up to 64 over first 6 days. Second week brought up to 68 degrees. Krausened very fast and kicks a ton of sulfur, similar to the WLP838 Southern German Lager strain. After 12 days FG down to 1.007 or 1.008, transferred off the trub and crashed to 34 degrees and kegged or bottled…I did not do a secondary for this beer. Very attentuative (>85%) even with a mash temp at 152 leaving a fairly dry beer.

Final beer in the keg has fairly low ester profile but still contains hints of red apple even fermenting at low temps. Medium clove dominant, low left over low sulfur (or DMS from pilsner grain) and some Belgian-like peppery phenolics mix with the spicy wheat and cracker-like pilsner grain. Bottled version consumed all the sulfur and the yeast is very flocculant, pouring extremely clear with a sediment that can be roused. Ended dry and seems more like a wit or Belgian pale in many respects. Side by side with a Weihenstephaner, it is drier and noticeably more Belgian in character with subdued clove and very low banana aftertaste, possibly from my low fermentation temps. The way I brewed, I think this would be better suited for a Wit or Belgian Pale yeast than a German Weizen. It’s an excellent lightly fruity yeast that loves to eat, but WLP300 is really the strain you want for a traditional weizen, in my opinion. Using this yeast with a mash at 154 using mostly pils and wheat, with a little aromatic malt, you could make a your own version of a delicious Leffe Blonde Ale. I may enter this one as a Belgian Pale in an upcoming event as get feedback.