Newest Threads

**Bernie Brewer** · 08-08-2009, 06:51 PM

Dry yeast is great if you like your beer to taste the same every time. Yeast has such an impact on the flavor of your beer, I can't imagine using the same kind for every style. I keep a pack or two of Notty around, but I can't remember the last time I've actually used it. And I can't remember the last time I've actually bought yeast, so I have to think that liquid yeast is actually cheaper, unless you are actually washing dry yeast, which I doubt.

Joos · 08-08-2009, 06:58 PM

I think it also has A LOT to do with which styles your brewing.Personally I do a lot of IPAs and APAs so I like to taste the malt/hops more than the yeasts.If your doing belgians,kolsch,saison,wits, or anything that the yeast is a major part of the flavor profile than yeah go liquid.

SisterThelonious · 08-08-2009, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Revvy

With Liquid, If you've underpitched or not made a starter which the yeast has come out of a dormant period, then when it find it self surrounded by 5 gallons of food, before it starts truly diving in the yeastit has start growing an army to best eat it, so they have a wild orgy and then make a bunch of yeast babies. Then they get to work.

So that is why it can take up to three days before the really get going..the first part of it is called lag time, the waking up part, lag time, then the sex part is obviously called the reproductive phase....

With dry yeasts with an already high cell count, when they are confronted with the food they just wake up and go to work....they are still getting it on...but they seem to be doing it all a bit faster.

How can yeast chemistry be a turn on...?

sundowner · 08-08-2009, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denny

The reason is not because liquid yeast is better, it's because there's more variety.

Every year I read the NHC winning recipes and rarely do I see one that uses dry yeast, even in the 'neutral' styles. We had 12 entries make it to the final round this year and not one used a dry yeast. That's not a 'statistic' but I think it's a pretty good cross section of America. I believe the ratio could actually be higher.

If a homebrewer wants to limit the styles to APA's, CACA's, A CAP or two, that's fine.

As to dry yeast being less expensive, that's just not true.

ghpeel · 08-08-2009, 11:54 PM

Safale S-04 seems to be turning into my go-to yeast. It hits the wort like a champ, and is usually done in just a few days. Sometimes, as little as 2.

There are 3 basic flavors in beer: malt, hops and yeast. If you are brewing any style that needs a clean yeast flavor (any pale ale, porter, stout, American wheat, etc) then you can use a dry yeast like Nottingham, US-05, S-04, Windsor, Coopers, etc.

If you are making any style that accentuates the yeast (Wit, Belgian, Hefe, etc) then you'll need that appropriate liquid strain.

I don't personally do it (out of laziness), but you can wash and re-use yeast collected from a batch of dry yeast just as you would from liquid, so there's no real cost difference in the long term if you are washing yeast and saving slurries and such. But I don't fool with it, as I'm too afraid my technique would suck and I'd infect a batch.

The best thing for new brewers is to eliminate as many variables as possible when starting. So if you want to explore 20 diff kinds of hops in your first couple batches, then stick to 1 kind of yeast. Using the same dry yeast (no starter) fermented at the same temps every time will allow you to taste the different flavors imparted by the other ingredients, without having to wonder if a particular flavor was coming from a certain grain, or from the yeast .

jschaf · 08-09-2009, 05:38 PM

How is liquid yeast not more expensive? $8 > $2. I guess you'd have to reuse the yeast four to five times to be economical about it.

FuelshopMcgee · 08-09-2009, 10:32 PM

Its true if you have the time/resources to start a yeast bank and wash your yeast....You finish a batch do your yeast wash and split your yeast into two vials or jars....next time you brew you get a starter and only use one of those reserves...you can then use that one again and split and so on and so on.....not even touching the 2nd reserve from the beginning...

That being said I'm too noobie to be trying that and I've been using liquid yeast everytime throwing them away and buying new vials because I'm afraid of infection...I'd rather spend 8 more bux then tossing in potentially infected yeast slurries.

**Revvy** · 08-10-2009, 12:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denny

"Award winning homebrewers use liquid yeast 10-1 over dry. There's a reason for that."....source of the statistic, please?

The reason is not because liquid yeast is better, it's because there's more variety.

I'd like to know where you got this statistic from as well?

It's really funny but on every bjcp sponsored homebrew contest I have ever entered I have never noticed a spot where it asked what type of yeast was used, just like I have never come across a spot on the entry applications where it asks whether or not the beer was all grain or extract.

Nor have I ever after the fact been asked to fill out a survey asking whether or not I brew with liquid or dry yeast or ag or extract.

So I call shenanigans on the above as anything other than another brewing urban legend or marketing ploy....

And I won't even get into the economics of dry yeast over liquid. I already addressed it in the above post...It can be economical if you wash it and re-use it or repitch on it, but honestly how many new brewers do that?

**Revvy** · 08-10-2009, 12:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Denny

Not so.....Wyeast produces GF yeasts.

Not from what I heard on the basic brewing podcast a couple years back that was all about gluten free brewing and yeasts (I have posted the link to the discussion in various gluten free threads.) The discussion seemed to stress that fermentis was the only one.

The links to the info I use to back up my claim can be found here.

http://www.homebrewtalk.com/985103-post7.html

But hey if they are and you can show me the info, then I will include that whenever I get asked about gluten free brewing.....I'll even go back and revise that old post to include the links so anyone who searches for the info in the future will find it.

but until I see a reference or come upon the info myself...I am still going to stick by my original answer and source material....But I hope I'm wrong because that means more variety for zgf brewers to choose from.

**budbo** · 08-10-2009, 01:13 AM

Quote:

How is liquid yeast not more expensive? $8 > $2. I guess you'd have to reuse the yeast four to five times to be economical about it.

I do that but it is a PITA, Since I am now 1.5 hours each way to the LHBS and don't want to pay for overnight shipping, I use dry more often than liquid and seems every year there are more varieties of dry.

As far as GF, Yeast itself is GF, the Gluten you get is from what it ate in the culture, since most yeast is cultured in a gluten environment it gets contaminated