What dry yeast to keep on hand?

So far, I've only used Wyeast activiators, but would like to keep a packet or two of dry yeast on hand in case of a brewing emergency.

What is a good all-around dry yeast? Was thinking Notty at first, but.....

I brew mostly Ales with 0Gs of 1.05 or less. Pales Ales, Irish reds, browns, etc. Just looking for a good, if unspectacular, all-around safe bet.

Thanks! Pez.

I think Nottingham is pretty popular, I've had good success with US-05 it has a really clean profile. S-04 is good as well.

Personally, I keep at least 2 packets of US-05 in my fridge and rotate them out. I do the same with at least one packet of S-04.

I'll go +++ on rck. You might also want to keep a while wine yeast around.

I've come full-circle. Started with dry, went nuts with the White Labs vials, including harvesting and washing until I had a fridge shelf full of little mason jars, and now I just keep a stocks of Safale S-04, S-05, WB-06 and W-34/70. Only time I venture into liquids any more is for Belgian strongs.

Oh, and Red Star Pasteur for ciders.

How is W-34/70 compared to the Safale brands?

RC0032 said:

How is W-34/70 compared to the Safale brands?

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Well, it's Saflager - both are Fermentis. Fermentis does another dry lager - S-23 - that I didn't care for. Lots of esters. W-34/70 has been a very reliable clean yeast for me. I did all of this year's lagers with it.

My one experience with Nottingham was a very bad one. Lots of threads here. It was not an isolated incident, but maybe that problem is fixed now. I'll never know.

Thanks for all the replies. I'm going with the S-05. Doesn't look like I can go wrong with that strain and with what I brew.

What is the shelf life of dry yeast - and how do you guys store it? One of the posters stores his in the fridge, is that the best way?

Thanks again! Pez.

passedpawn said:

My one experience with Nottingham was a very bad one. Lots of threads here. It was not an isolated incident, but maybe that problem is fixed now. I'll never know.

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It WAS an isolated incident as it was an isolated batch.

I have a pack of Notty (from the post-problem lot that has been reported as working fine by many people) and US-05 in my fridge, although right now I'm experimenting with some propagated Pacman and have 2 more brews planned for it.

The way to store back up yeast is to have a pack or two in the fridge, when you buy your ingredients to brew, buy another pack of the yeast, and throw that in the fridge and take out the OLDEST one from the fridge. If you cycle them properly like this, you will not have any old yeast sitting in the fridge. This is the way (properly run) stores that sell perishable goods (food) stock the shelves.

Every time I make an order I add some dry yeast.

I have five sachets of 04 and four of the 05,six Notty , four of the munich don't know why never used it, two of the s23, three of the w34-70, one t-58 , one s-33 . And a butt load of washed/frozen yeast for my Hefe and Wits and about 10 lbs of various hops.... Jeeze I need to slow down.

springer said:

Every time I make an order I add some dry yeast.

I have five sachets of 04 and four of the 05,six Notty , four of the munich don't know why never used it, two of the s23, three of the w34-70, one t-58 , one s-33 . And a butt load of washed/frozen yeast for my Hefe and Wits and about 10 lbs of various hops.... Jeeze I need to slow down.

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Sounds like enough to last me a year!! :rockin:

I think the appropriate answer to the original question is "Whatever you use."