Dry yeast questions

I've made several batches lately using dry yeast and have been pretty happy with the results. Now I'd like to learn what other types of dry yeasts are available and what each is best suited for. I've listed some varieties I've used and what I used them for. What other applications will these yeasts work well in? Are there other strains of yeast available that I haven't listed? If so, what are they and what are they well suited to?

Safale US-05 - Pale Ale, American Amber
Safale S-04 - English Ales, Porters
Munton & Fissons - Irish red ale
Nottingham - Enlish Ales

What about Belgian Wits? Are there dry yeasts suited to them?

Thanks for sharing your knowlege on this topic.

Windsor (which I have never had any luck with and will probably never use again)

there is a lot out there. Some foreign brands too. Check out the major homebrew shop websites.

BigFloyd said:

I haven't tried it yet, but I do believe that others on the forum have.

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So this variety might be interchangeable with US05?

BigFloyd said:

There are a bunch of dry brewing yeasts listed on this site mixed in amongst the wine and liquid yeasts - http://brewstock.enstore.com/browse/yeast/1[/FONT]

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Thanks for the link and yes, I can see there are a ton of dry yeasts available for sale. The problem is, the manufacturers and retailers give each one almost the same descriptions. Although they give a general use (i.e. English ales, etc.) the same manufacturer may say almost the same thing about another strain.

I guess what I was hoping for was input from other brewers who have actually used these yeasts in their beer. What kind of beer did you make and were the results what you expected? Were they satisfactory?

GenIke said:

Windsor (which I have never had any luck with and will probably never use again)

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I have heard similar things about Windsor. I read one post where the user said he felt that Nottingham is pretty close in flavor and is more reliable.

What were you making when you used the Windsor?

Puddlethumper said:

I have heard similar things about Windsor. I read one post where the user said he felt that Nottingham is pretty close in flavor and is more reliable.

What were you making when you used the Windsor?

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A porter. The Windsor came with the kit. It only attenuated from 1.060 to 1.030. It was my second brew ever too so that was disappointing.

I had much better luck with the Nottingham in my first brew, a nut brown. I also had good luck with us-05.

That said, I prefer liquid yeast for most beers.

Puddlethumper said:

What about Belgian Wits? Are there dry yeasts suited to them?

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Safbrew T-58 is my favorite inexpensive dry Belgian yeast. Good fruit/spice when fermented in the upper 60s to low 70s.

K-97 German Ale Yeast is interesting. It leaves flavors reminiscent of a hef but not overpowering. It is not generally sold in small packages, but you can get it from http://www.brewbrothers.biz/ (they buy the larger packages and then repackage for homebrewers).

Safale s33 is a yeast they advertise as good for wit and other Belgians but I have heard it is English in origin. It is tasty and more forgiving of high temps than S04. Meaning less esters. I've only used it once but liked it and want to use it again.

Fantastic info! Just what I was looking for. I appreciate all who have shared their experiences. I'm making notes and will try each over the coming months. If anyone is interested I may see if the moderator will allow me to post a sticky with the outcome of my experiments.

Anyone else used dry yeast in the past? Which dry yeast did you use? What kind of beer were you making and were you happy with the results?

dbrewski said:

Safale s33 is a yeast they advertise as good for wit and other Belgians but I have heard it is English in origin. It is tasty and more forgiving of high temps than S04. Meaning less esters. I've only used it once but liked it and want to use it again.

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I've never used this yeast strain (heck, I haven't heard of it!). I have had good results with other Safale products so am totally open to giving it a try. I'm thinking of using it in a ShockTop/Blue Moon clone. Think it would work well there?

rklinck said:

K-97 German Ale Yeast is interesting. It leaves flavors reminiscent of a hef but not overpowering. It is not generally sold in small packages, but you can get it from http://www.brewbrothers.biz/ (they buy the larger packages and then repackage for homebrewers).

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When ever I use German ingredients I use K-97 yeast. I like it although I can't say anything about flavors it adds. You can buy it from Austin Home Brew as they buy in bulk and then repackage it in one ounce packs.

I"m a simple guy
1-if I make an american ale I use 05
2-english ales get o4
3-geman ingredient ales of any style get k-97
Oh I don't make wheat beers.

s-23 made a good schwarzbier lager that had 3 "i don't like beer" people refilling mugs several times. people either hate or like wb-06 for hefeweizens

C-Rider said:

When ever I use German ingredients I use K-97 yeast. I like it although I can't say anything about flavors it adds. You can buy it from Austin Home Brew as they buy in bulk and then repackage it in one ounce packs.

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I noticed that you currently have a German IPA in production. Would you choose the K-97 for that beer?

C-Rider said:

I"m a simple guy
1-if I make an american ale I use 05
2-english ales get o4
3-geman ingredient ales of any style get k-97
Oh I don't make wheat beers.

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Sounds like a workable rule of thumb. Do you use dry yeast most of the time? Some of the time? Occasionally?

If you were making an Ameican IPA would you use US-05 because it is an American IPA or would you choose S-04 because IPA's are originally an Englsh stye?

Puddlethumper said:

If you were making an Ameican IPA would you use US-05 because it is an American IPA or would you choose S-04 because IPA's are originally an Englsh stye?

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The answer is in your question, do you want to make an American IPA or an English one? US 05 should be a little cleaner/crisper allowing the bold citrus and pine resiny goodness of American hops shine through. For the more restrained English version, there's typically more fruitiness from the yeast making 04 the better fit. The beauty of home brewing though is it's always up to you!

Demus said:

The answer is in your question, do you want to make an American IPA or an English one? The beauty of home brewing though is it's always up to you!

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Very nicely phrased reply. Thanks for your input.

If I follow your thinking: When making a amber ale with domestic two row malts, and Cascade or Willamette hops then go with the US-05. Using Maris Otter and Goldings, go with the S-04 because ti is a more English style yeast??

GenIke said:

A porter.

I had much better luck with the Nottingham in my first brew, a nut brown. I also had good luck with us-05.

That said, I prefer liquid yeast for most beers.

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Why do you prefer liquid yeast?

PerryS said:

Safbrew T-58 is my favorite inexpensive dry Belgian yeast. Good fruit/spice when fermented in the upper 60s to low 70s.

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Great suggestion. Use it with Belgian wits?

I'm very lucky to have a well stocked LHBS close by, so I've been able to try several dry and liquid yeasts. I like the T58 for wheats and saisons. It's great for the price and has nice peppery notes, but I've picked up a packet of the Belle Saison that I'll try on my next batch. It's supposed to hold up Better at higher temps.
Otherwise, I agree with CRider's list. Keep it simple, but if you can try other strains, go for it. I'll be doing up a Belgian strong this weekend with Wyeast Belgian Trappist ale. I really like the White Labs 080 cream ale blend too.

The thing with liquids is there are vastly more strains to choose from, but the downside is they're usually more expensive and are more fragile than dry strains, so they don't travel as well. Liquid strains more often require a starter , too.

Pastorken said:

I like the T58 for wheats and saisons. It's great for the price and has nice peppery notes, but I've picked up a packet of the Belle Saison that I'll try on my next batch. It's supposed to hold up Better at higher temps.

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Thank you for your input. I am planning to make a batch of Shocktop clone soon and will probably try the T58 for that batch. I have yet to be convinced that the liquid yeasts are all that superior to a properly prepared and pitched dry yeast, but then, that is the point of this thread. I am trying to learn.

I appreciate your suggestion re: the Belle Saison. As the summer comes on and I need to adapt to higher fermentation temps I have already decided to try making a Saison or two. I noticed that yeast strain can tolerate fermentation temps approaching 90F! To me that is significant.

Pastorken said:

The thing with liquids is there are vastly more strains to choose from, but the downside is they're usually more expensive and are more fragile than dry strains, so they don't travel as well. Liquid strains more often require a starter , too.

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Exactly why I am trying to work my way through the process of learning about the various dry yeasts available. I know they work, and the beer I have made with dry yeast has ranged from very good to excellent.

Been brewing for about a year and a half and only used dry yeast until now. Probably up to about 55 to 60 batches by now. Only really had two disappointing batches so far and don't think the yeast was to blame.

S-04 for most of my stouts, porters, British Pale ales, bitters, ESBs and IPAs, but have also used Nottingham a couple of times in the 2 AG ESBs made this last month.

US-05 for American PAs and IPAs

S-33 used in an attempt at a Belgian wit last Autumn and it's been really enjoyable. Added some Yuzu (Japanese citrus) tea mix and some ginger extract, fermented up around 70-72 for the initial few days then let temps go up a bit more, 74-76 or so from there onwards, and the outcome was pretty enjoyable. Hint of banana, slight citrus and tinge of spice from the ginger, tart in a nice, refreshing way. That carb-ed up and was ready to drink in a week to 10 days from bottling.

Also just did a sort of, very rough, attempt at a Belgian ale/dubbel using two packs of S-33. OG of 1.073/FG 1.018. Started at 58 to 60 for first two days, ramped up to 66 to 68 from third day and then 72 to 74 from day 6 'til a week before bottling when I crashed it to 52. Has been in bottles for about a month and a half. The bottle I drank last night tasted quite good and has definitely come along nicely compared to the first one I drank a couple of weeks ago.

Both times using S-33 I've started at a lower temp, ramped up as initial fermentation slowed down and for conditioning as I'd heard it's quite common for this yeast to crap out with the slightest of drop in temp but it'll keep soldiering on pretty well if warm enough. Also heard that too high in the first few days will lead to it promoting enough banana esters to flag down a troop of monkeys.

It goes off with a bang from the get go, dynamic krausen, then definitely loses momentum, visually.

Tried T-58 once but can't remember what I used it for and I think it was back around one of my 5th to 8th brews. Haven't managed to find any here since then, which is a shame because I definitely want to try it again.

Have a pack of WB-06 that I'm going to try doing a Heffeweissen with soon.

Sorry, got a bit carried away on the S-33:fro:

Puddlethumper said:

Very nicely phrased reply. Thanks for your input.

If I follow your thinking: When making a amber ale with domestic two row malts, and Cascade or Willamette hops then go with the US-05. Using Maris Otter and Goldings, go with the S-04 because ti is a more English style yeast??

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I go more by the flavors I'm after rather than style constraints. Tell someone from Chicago I put ketchup on my hotdog and they'll cringe, but I like the flavor and it's my hotdog!!! Honestly, in a hop forward style like IPA I doubt you'd taste much difference between 04 and 05. Maybe just a slight tang with the 04, and a bit more crisp with the 05. I think of the malt as the main ingredient, the hops as seasoning and the yeast/fermentation as the cooking method...

Demus said:

I go more by the flavors I'm after rather than style constraints. Tell someone from Chicago I put ketchup on my hotdog and they'll cringe, but I like the flavor and it's my hotdog!!! Honestly, in a hop forward style like IPA I doubt you'd taste much difference between 04 and 05. Maybe just a slight tang with the 04, and a bit more crisp with the 05. I think of the malt as the main ingredient, the hops as seasoning and the yeast/fermentation as the cooking method...

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I agree with Demus. My go to rule is that if I am after a "clean" flavor, I stick with US-05. I don't worry about what type of grain I am using, what matters is the end flavor I want. So, if I am brewing a German inspired beer but want it to have a clear flavor, I will use US-05 rather than the K-97.

I am going to be brewing a Lemon Wheat with the WB-06 soon, and when it gets warmer, a Saison with T-58, so I'll update when they are done (this post will simply let me find this thread later).

I also am bottling an experiment of a brew this week, its a 2.5 gal all grain (BIAB) frankenbrew of 2 Row, Flaked Corn, Crystal 10, and Carapils. Fuggles @ 60, Amarillo @ 8, but I used WB-06 as my yeast.

So Im calling this (possible monstrosity) Cream'o'wheat , and will update on its flavor / how fast I turned it into weed killer (kidding, Im hopeful it will be flavorful in a good way)

Ogri said:

Sorry, got a bit carried away on the S-33:fro:

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Please don't apologize! Heck, you were giving me exactly the kind of input I was looking for. I've brewed just over a dozen batches of beer so far, the last half dozen or so have been AG. I'm still in the process of sorting out the various styles and what ingredients are usually associated with each.

I'm not planning on entering anything in a competition other than an occasional blind tasting between friends and family members at my house. Just want the beer to taste good, be consistent with the general style, and not spend a ton of money making it.

Beergazzi said:

I am going to be brewing a Lemon Wheat with the WB-06 soon, and when it gets warmer, a Saison with T-58, so I'll update when they are done (this post will simply let me find this thread later).

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By all means, please post your results here. I'm going to continue to monitor this thread for some time, and, from the views count, it looks like others are interested in the topic as well.

Demus said:

I go more by the flavors I'm after rather than style constraints. ...

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That is helpful. I didn't realize the difference between US-05 and S-04 was so subtle.

I'm sort of zeroing in on American Ambers as my everyday drinking beer so will keep making various recipes until I get one perfected to my taste. I'll try one batch substituting the S-04 to see what difference it makes.

A great thing to do if you have 2 fermenters is split a batch and use 2 different yeasts. I did a 10 gallon batch of basic pale ale last year and fermented 5 with US-05 and 5 with WL-565(saison). No one could guess the beers were identical except for yeast strain. The clean 05 let the hops shine and tasted like an American pale, the saison yeast muted the hops with bubblegum peppery goodness for a nice funky saison. Man, I love yeast!!!

Puddlethumper said:

I noticed that you currently have a German IPA in production. Would you choose the K-97 for that beer?

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Yup, came out pretty good. 8.6 ABV

Puddlethumper said:

Sounds like a workable rule of thumb. Do you use dry yeast most of the time? Some of the time? Occasionally?

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Only Dry.

Puddlethumper said:

If you were making an Ameican IPA would you use US-05 because it is an American IPA or would you choose S-04 because IPA's are originally an Englsh stye?

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US-05 for American ales

Puddlethumper said:

Why do you prefer liquid yeast?

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Wow, this thread took off!

More variety is one reason I like liquid. The big reason is I like to make a starter.

Demus said:

A great thing to do if you have 2 fermenters is split a batch and use 2 different yeasts. I did a 10 gallon batch of basic pale ale last year and fermented 5 with US-05 and 5 with WL-565(saison). No one could guess the beers were identical except for yeast strain. The clean 05 let the hops shine and tasted like an American pale, the saison yeast muted the hops with bubblegum peppery goodness for a nice funky saison. Man, I love yeast!!!

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Great idea! Did you pitch a full packet of yeast in each half?

C-Rider said:

US-05 for American ales

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I take it you believe the yeast strain is part of what makes a beer fit a particular style? In other words, you would normally keep the yeast strain consistent with the style you are going for rather that tweaking the yeast to chase a particular flavor profile?

GenIke said:

More variety is one reason I like liquid. The big reason is I like to make a starter.

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Completely agree. But I, for one, find it fascinating just how versatile the various dry yeast strains are. I'm sure there are plenty of beers out there that can only be made correctly with a particular liquid yeast strain. However, I'd like to know where the limits are on what dry yeasts can do for us.