Why I Love Dry Yeast

I am looking forward to brewing something Thursday night. Not exactly sure what. I was going to pick a style today. Should I make a starter with this new smack pack? Mercifully use an aging smack pack. Or, use this Saison yeast I harvested? Tonight was going to be starter night.

Then at 3pm I got a call from daycare. "Pick up your daughter. She has a fever and has thrown up." Great. So after leaving work early, a doctor visit, a trip to the pharmacy, and getting the kids fed and to bed (mom is a night nurse so I'm flying solo) I am just sitting down to dinner and a home brew. A Starter ain't gonna happen. Maybe not tomorrow either.

But, no fear! I have Safale 0-5 on hand. Brewing will happen. It always makes great beer and is ready in a pinch.

I love dry yeast.

If only Fermentis would release the myriad varieties the other 2 "big guys" offer...

I always keep a pack or 2 of dry yeast on hand, for just such a situation. Really, the only thing you need liquid yeast for is if you really want the beer to conform to a specific style, since there are so many more strains to choose from. But if you just need to brew a good tasting beer, dry yeast works great.

Yo. I have three boys, the oldest being a little over 3 1/2. So lets say someone is always sick and crying. Lol. They all go to daycare so were about ready to hunker down for the cold season even though we never really got a break this summer from colds. So I hear what your saying. Now my extract brew day starts at 10:00pm. I love brewing though so ill stay up late. I just took about 7 months off because of the new baby but now I'm in full swing with a amber ale, hard cider, and Melamel raspberry. Starting a pumpkin ale next week. Well peace out. Check out my YouTube channel hymiesbrew.

Hogarthe said:

I always keep a pack or 2 of dry yeast on hand, for just such a situation. Really, the only thing you need liquid yeast for is if you really want the beer to conform to a specific style, since there are so many more strains to choose from. But if you just need to brew a good tasting beer, dry yeast works great.

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This.

But I will use liquid yeast to style if I plan ahead and have the time. I also freeze yeast vials so I have 8-9 styles but it takes a week to get them going.

I keep SO4, SO5, and a Nottingham ale or two lying around and really value the convenience as you say. I actually used an S33 on a whim a while back on a session bitter where the yeast didn't take (OK, I sat on the yeast for way too long and didn't do a starter, my fault) but the point being it is a nice, light belgian yeast! Quite tasty. When I say light, I mean yeast flavor, some belgian yeasts are a little strong flavor-wise for me. I was on another thread asking about the BRY-97 which is the Danstar west coast yeast, a new one. Sounds like a slow starter though. So there are a few out there but more would be good.

Wayneh said:

Yo. I have three boys, the oldest being a little over 3 1/2. So lets say someone is always sick and crying. Lol. They all go to daycare so were about ready to hunker down for the cold season even though we never really got a break this summer from colds. So I hear what your saying. Now my extract brew day starts at 10:00pm. I love brewing though so ill stay up late. I just took about 7 months off because of the new baby but now I'm in full swing with a amber ale, hard cider, and Melamel raspberry. Starting a pumpkin ale next week. Well peace out. Check out my YouTube channel hymiesbrew.

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I hear ya. My girl is 10 mos and the boy 2 1/2 yrs. Someone is always sick. It goes in waves. Luckily I have a day off each week when the kids are in daycare so I can brew and get stuff done around the house.

Can't go wrong with a pack of S-04 or US-05 to save a brew day. I keep both on hand at all times.

US-05 is my work horse, I love the stuff. Ferments quick, clean, attenuates really well, high abv tolerance, cheaper than liquid yeast, higher cell count per pack, comes with yeast nutrient already in the pack, and every LHBS or big name supplier always has it in stock... It's got my vote everytime.

I keep 04, 05, and notty around just in case but propagate liquid yeast for strain flexibility and savings.

FastAndy said:

Can't go wrong with a pack of S-04 or US-05 to save a brew day. I keep both on hand at all times.

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Amen, and I use them on 90+% of my brews anyways.

How long do those dry packs keep in a fridge or freezer? My very first brew kit came with 05 however all the others ive brewed with exception to my cider I went with Wyeasts because they were pretty style specific. I'd like to keep a few for times like this, just in case.

The longer I brew the more I like dry yeast. Fresh yeast is obviously much more nuanced for many styles, but neutral yeast is appropriate for about 75% of my beer, so it is perfect

FastAndy said:

Can't go wrong with a pack of S-04 or US-05 to save a brew day. I keep both on hand at all times.

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Amen. You never know when something out of the blue will happen. I have both those as well as Nottingham. They've saved me a number of times.

I primarily use liquid yeast, but have been conducting experiments now that I have been brewing 10gal batches. However, when it comes to specialty styles, liquid wins.

I feel very lucky that my favorite yeast strain happens to come in dry form (S-04). It's so much easier to handle, and I don't need to plan ahead for most of my brew days. Most of the liquid yeast I buy is Belgian strains. Maybe some day somebody will start selling a dry Belgian strain I like.

dbrewski said:

I actually used an S33 on a whim a while back on a session bitter where the yeast didn't take (OK, I sat on the yeast for way too long and didn't do a starter, my fault) but the point being it is a nice, light belgian yeast! Quite tasty. When I say light, I mean yeast flavor, some belgian yeasts are a little strong flavor-wise for me. I was on another thread asking about the BRY-97 which is the Danstar west coast yeast, a new one. Sounds like a slow starter though. So there are a few out there but more would be good.

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The S-33 is actually British not Belgian. It's only in the last few years that fermentis started marketing it for trappist beers and Belgian wheats, they used to proudly market the fact that it's the Edme strain. AFAIK the only dry Belgian strain is T-58, which I'm not very fond of.

I was also reading about the BRY-97 recently. Might need to give that one a try soon.

I use US-05 for the majority of the beers I make. If I'm making an English style I'll go with S04 or Nottingham. The only time I use liquid yeast is if I'm making a specific yeast-forward style like a Wit or a Saison. I'll have to look at trying out BRY-97 at some point.

JuanMoore said:

The S-33 is actually British not Belgian. It's only in the last few years that fermentis started marketing it for trappist beers and Belgian wheats, they used to proudly market the fact that it's the Edme strain. AFAIK the only dry Belgian strain is T-58, which I'm not very fond of.

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I did not know that sir. Thanks for the info.

I have 3 kids ages 0 to 4 and yeast starters are not my thing either! Brew day is always a go the week before and then iffy the day before and then 50/50 chance day of. I like the tip of starting at 10:00 PM - I could probably be going by 8:30 its just too exhausting to begin that late sometimes.

I have an American wheat beer on tap made with S05 and just made a Belgian strong ale last weekend with T-58. I've never used it before and was disappointed to hear that its not up to the same standards as the liquid strains or as highly recommended as 04 & 05 dry strains. I'd read nothing but good things about s04 and us05 so I thought I'd try the T58 it in a Belgian --- oh well, I'll be waiting till Christmas for that one to age out hopefully I will have forgotten that T-58 is sub par! Once I discovered the safale / fermentis yeasts I have never looked back to liquid yeasts.

For the T58 does the large pitch amount perhaps make it less Belgian like? I was reading how the Belgian flavors are presented when the yeast is strained (lower pitch quantities) and ferments at higher temps 75 - 80 F.

I agree with all.
I used to use primarily liquid yeast... then figured on saving $5 or more a brew. Now I use liquid for special styles only (Kolsch, for one... I'm also doing a Belgian Golden Strong soon........need to make that starter ASAP).

US-05 is my favorite. I actually liked the Dry Irish Stout I made with that better than with WLP-004 (same mash, different boils with same schedule, different fermentations).

Now at 138 batches finished ( all bottled btw), I am done forever with liquid yeast, starters, slurrys, harvesting and the like. From now on it's US05 or Notty for all my homebrews. They work perfectly for me every time. They're easy and make very clean tasting ales with no off flavors. No more dickin' around with lagers for me anymore either.