Yeast question.......

I've recently got hold of a couple of old books.......

For making meads, both suggest using "maury" yeast, and one also says about using vierka yeast (though which one, I don't know).

So does anyone know were "maury" yeast can be obtained from ?

Mauri is an Australian yeast manufacturing company, so I'd say whoever supplied the recipe is using "maury" as a generic term for yeast.

Mauri Yeast Australia is part of AB Mauri, the global yeast division of the international food, ingredients and retail group Associated British Foods

summersolstice said:

Mauri is an Australian yeast manufacturing company, so I'd say whoever supplied the recipe is using "maury" as a generic term for yeast.

Mauri Yeast Australia is part of AB Mauri, the global yeast division of the international food, ingredients and retail group Associated British Foods

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Erm, no. It would seem that you'd be somewhere like about 12000 or so miles out...... (the first few hits on google aren't always what they seem)

The nearest I've managed to pin down, would probably be the Maury region in SW France. It has AOC recognition. I'm guessing that the yeast is probably a strain that would originate there.......

Plus I've also managed to find out that the nearest type that Lalvin produce would be their D21 product - which does seem to be available in small packs........

I just don't have the time or motivation to do the 400 mile round trip to Buckfast Abbey to see if any there might tell me what the yeast is that they use i.e. a retained culture of some kind or a commercial equivalent......

I've failed, thus far, to find anyone that seems to have access to vierka products.......

I read a little about the vierka yeast since I was unfamiliar with them, other than the name. Apparently, according to Jack Keller's website, the yeast aren't active dry yeasts like what we're accustomed to here but instead are "cultures dried on a media of dried grape skins, seeds and pulp". Interesting.

I see a couple of online retailers here in the states that claim to carry a little. Here are a couple of places in Washington that carries Vierka mead yeast and Vierka mead, port, and sherry yeast.

summersolstice said:

I read a little about the vierka yeast since I was unfamiliar with them, other than the name. Apparently, according to Jack Keller's website, the yeast aren't active dry yeasts like what we're accustomed to here but instead are "cultures dried on a media of dried grape skins, seeds and pulp". Interesting.

I see a couple of online retailers here in the states that claim to carry a little. Here are a couple of places in Washington that carries Vierka mead yeast and Vierka mead, port, and sherry yeast.

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Damn, that's just unbelievable. It seemed, thus far, that vierka yeasts were no longer available, as virtually no-one seems to stock them anymore.

Yes, I know (also from Jack Kellers site, amongst others) that if they can be obtained, vierka yeasts need to be cultured in some way to be usable, but I'm quite happy to try them if I can obtain some. I've just emailed the first of the two links to ask about shipping, because last time I looked at "morewine", their website defaulted to UPS for shipping and it quoted me something like 66$ to ship 5 sachets of Lalvin D21 - at that price, it'd have to be in recyclable solid gold packets!

I actually emailed Buckfast Abbey this morning to see if they have any further info/detail on the "maury" yeast that the late Brother Adam quoted in his writings (it's part of why I know it's nothing to do with the "mauri" company in Australia, his writing pre-date most of anything Australian ). I also got the "do you mean mauri" query from google, but as soon as I saw what "mauri" was about I just went looking elsewhere.

Again, thankyou very much for those links. If I get any reply, then I'll post back.

regards

fatbloke

p.s. it's rather ironic that it seems that vierka yeasts are German products, damn I could drive to Germany in about 5 hours (including the "Chunnel" trip). Fortunately, I know someone who home brews and happens to have a German girlfriend - who also homebrews.............

Let me know if you can't find a way to get it and I might be able to help.

FB, if you do find a source for Vierka yeasts I'd certainly like to use them again. Early in my meadmaking adventures (back in the 80's) I routinely used Vierka Tokay yeast, and would love to get my hands on some again. Yes, it requires culturing a starter, but that in itself is a throwback to a more "natural" kind of fermentation. It appeals to me when I'm in my more retro moods!

BTW, summersolstice, we did at least find one of the yeasts that Brother Adam was experimenting with along with the Maury, as he apparently left an empty sachet from a British yeast mfr. in his effects, according to communication that FB received from the abbey. Gervin's type E is something that we've all used without knowing it - it is more familiarly known by the Lalvin brand here in No America - and it is none other than K1V-1116 -- the old standby!

wayneb said:

Gervin's type E is something that we've all used without knowing it - it is more familiarly known by the Lalvin brand here in No America - and it is none other than K1V-1116 -- the old standby!

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Who'dathunk? Thanks for the bit of trivia. Now that I know its history, maybe I'll appreciate more the pyment I just started three days ago using KIV-1116.