Liquid yeast worth the fuss?

I've made a few batches from kits (Brewer's Best) with good results. I'm planning on buying my next extract kits from Austin Homebrew Supply. They have some good selections for clones. Is it really worth $6 - $7 for liquid yeast? I'm a long way from Texas and I've heard that in the summer the ice pack that comes with the liquid yeast is usually melted and/or hot when delivered. What is the advantage of the liquid yeast anyway? I'm a novice so will I notice any difference if I get the dry yeast?

BTW, I'm planning on getting the Belgian White and Fat Tire clone.
Thanks for your input, the members of this forum have already helped me a ton.

the two things that have made the most monumental improvements in my beer brewing have been (a) strict temperature control and (b) liquid yeasts.

there are more varieties available in liquid form, so when you (for example) make a stout, you can use an irish ale yeast and not some generic "any ale" yeast.

once you start to try different yeasts you will see that the yeast is an actual perceptible ingredient in your beer and not just a means to an end.

Now... as for having it shipped from TX... that might be asking for trouble. I'd search for a more local source for your yeast if possible. I'm sure there are some brew shops in Indy.

-walker

If the beer you are making is a particulat style that takes it's characteristics from a specific kind of yeast, for example, as a hefeweizen, then the liquid yeast is just about mandatory. If it is a simple pale ale or amber ale then dry yeast will do fine as most dry yeast carries neutral flavor characteristics.

The liquid packs often overheat in the summer months. They are usually viable but that is a bit of a gamble even if the pack does inflate in the case of a smackpack. If you get an icepack and 1 day shipping you should be fine, but then we are talking over $15 for the yeast alone!

Definitely go with the liquid if you can get it in good shape. Then harvest it and wash it so you can reuse it and save$$$

I like the regular old ales that come out just great from Nottingham's dry yeast, and I use it for most variants I make also. Nice, simple, reliable. For me, it would be too much bother for too little value to try to harvest yeast (even liquid yeast) to reuse.

But as noted above, there are some beers for which you simply have to use a liquid yeast. Hefe is a good example, there are many others.

For a Belgian White you will have to use a liquid yeast, no dried yeast will give you the right esters. For a Fat Tire clone, I've seen such a broad (NPI) range of yeasts used that I wonder if it matters.
In this article, http://byo.com/recipe/685.html 1056 is recommended & that isn't very different from Whitbread's dried British ale yeast or Nottingham.