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IXVolt · 05-17-2010, 09:03 PM

So in general.. is bakers yeast Top fermenting?? Did anyone try lager temps during the fermenting?

**Reno_eNVy** · 05-17-2010, 10:03 PM

Hmm, so this is an interesting thread considering what I just read in Radical Brewing.

It has a recipe for a traditional Finnish brew called Sahti which calls for bread yeast... actually it calls for a lot of things... and I really find myself wanting to make it! OG ~1.062, 71% pils, 9% aromatic/dark munich, 9% malted rye, 7% dark crystal/special B, 4% malted rye smoked over pine, spruce and juniper berries. Crushed juniper berries also added to the boil.

Sounds absolutely delicious... but is it really a good idea to use bread yeast? Recipe says to use no more than 1/4 small cake (whatever that is) but I just worry I would be terribly disappointed when it tastes like liquid juniper sourdough.

Captain Damage · 05-17-2010, 10:43 PM

Quote:

So in general.. is bakers yeast Top fermenting?? Did anyone try lager temps during the fermenting?

It's top fermenting. On the August 31, 2006 Basic Brewing Radio podcast someone who knows more than me said baker's yeast is a strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae; i.e., ale yeast. I just let it ferment at room temperature - 65F-70F.

KyleWolf · 05-17-2010, 11:09 PM

So I had an thought when seeing this thread. I know you can make beer with bread yeast, but I was told the breadiness can be very overpowering as I am sure plenty of people have already said. However, what if you used this with a nice simple semi-dark grain bill (SRM finishing around 18-20), and mixed in plenty of ginger, honey, and cinnamon. Would it produce a nice pronounced gingerbread flavor for a christmas gingerbread ale? Me wonders....

Captain Damage · 05-17-2010, 11:30 PM

I didn't taste any overpowering bread flavor at all. There is no strong flavor - off or otherwise - that I associate with coming from the yeast. My recipe was just pilsen DME for OG 1.056, and fuggles and ekg hops to 35 ibu. This was a 1/2 gallon batch. I used one packet of the Fleishman's Rapid Rise bread yeast. I'm sure if I used a different yeast with the same recipe I'd be able to identify the yeast's flavors. But this beer came out more or less how you might expect from the recipe.

**Mermaid** · 05-18-2010, 12:01 AM

When I've made bread from beer yeast, I've made a starter culture from the ale yeast. As I recall, I used the goodies at the bottom of a 22 oz. size bottle of one of the Unibroue, or perhaps it was Allagash Belgians (about 1/2c of liquid as I recall), with a pinch or two of sugar and warm (70-80F) water, put it all in a sterilized mason jar with enough bread flour to make a batter, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm kitchen until it starts to show signs of life. It's a similar process used to get a sourdough culture restarted. You have to tend to it over the course of a few days, until you've got about 2 c. of "starter" (which sort of resembles a paste). It should smell sour, but with a good fruity / yeasty smell to it.

Unfortunately I'm so used to doing sourdough starters now that I just do it by habit more than recipe. Oddly enough, breadmaking seems very similar to homebrewing - patience and experimentation go a long way towards making edible happiness.

Freezeblade · 05-18-2010, 05:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mermaid

When I've made bread from beer yeast, I've made a starter culture from the ale yeast. As I recall, I used the goodies at the bottom of a 22 oz. size bottle of one of the Unibroue, or perhaps it was Allagash Belgians (about 1/2c of liquid as I recall), with a pinch or two of sugar and warm (70-80F) water, put it all in a sterilized mason jar with enough bread flour to make a batter, cover loosely with plastic wrap, and let it sit in a warm kitchen until it starts to show signs of life. It's a similar process used to get a sourdough culture restarted. You have to tend to it over the course of a few days, until you've got about 2 c. of "starter" (which sort of resembles a paste). It should smell sour, but with a good fruity / yeasty smell to it.

Unfortunately I'm so used to doing sourdough starters now that I just do it by habit more than recipe. Oddly enough, breadmaking seems very similar to homebrewing - patience and experimentation go a long way towards making edible happiness.

This is pretty much what I do. preferments = starters. needed for proper bread, imho. sourdough included. I use it for everything that's not a sweet bread (unless I'm doing a really special occasion one, and I convert my sourdough starter to a sweet italian starter for them). who needs commercial yeast anyway?

chickenwort · 02-05-2013, 02:13 PM

I just brewed up a new 5 gal batch, kind of a hodge podge of ingredients including 9 lbs of lme, 2 lbs of chocolate malt, 3 cups of smoked cherry malt and 1 lb of blackberry pie filling, yumm. I got to use my new 8 gal brewpot.
Anyway, so the Wymans tube of yeast I bought was dead and against my better judgement I am going to go into my pantry and dip into the yeast! Yes I know I will probably wreck all of my hard work but I have to try.

I will post and let you all know how it turns out!!

**NordeastBrewer77** · 02-05-2013, 02:19 PM

There's a reason this thread has been dead for almost 3 years. Out of curiosity, I'll bite though.... how did you know that your vial of yeast was dead? And what exactly is wymans yeast? (I did a search and the only thing I got was a 1988 yeast study by a guy named Wyman.)