White Labs v. WYeast

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Fenster

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Assuming the same strain (in this case Irish Ale) is there any preference for one over the other? I will be making a starter.
 
I've never heard anyone say anything about one being better than the other. I've been a White Labs guy, I just prefer the vials since I'm making a starter anyway. And hell, if you save up 5,000 vials, you can get Chris Colby to fly out and brew with you! ;)
 
Not that it is wyeats' fault necessarily, but the only two yeasts I have ever received that were dead, were both Wyeast. Because of this I am pretty much all White Labs, but I am sure I was just unlucky and Wyeast is fine.
 
I think in many cases the strains are actually the same
I'm sure you're right about that.

Thanks for the quick replies, I've never used White Labs before so I'm going to give 'em a try this time.
 
Usually Wyeast has a fresh product since they make the yeast when the store orders them. White Labs makes thiers and waits till an order to ship them out.
 
I think it's a matter of personal preference. I use White Labs and Nottingham exclusively. I did use a Smack Pack once and it turned out ok, I just started out using White Labs vials and stuck with it.

I'm sure that their similar strains aren't exactly the same when you break it down to a cellular level, but the only way to answer your question is to brew with as many of them as you can and make your own decisions about what you think works better.
 
bradsul said:
I think in many cases the strains are actually the same. I've used both but I primarily use WhiteLabs just because it's what I have access to.

I do know that Wyeast Kolsch 2565 is not the same strain as White Labs. I've seen a few threads and the Wyeast is the definite winner between the two in terms of producing a correct style, when all other ingredients were consistent.
 
I prefer White Labs for two reasons.

#1. I culture yeast. You can't store yeast in a cut smack-pack but you CAN in a sanitized vial.

#2. White Lab's Seasonal and Platinum strains tend to be more towards what I like brewing. Granted, that could flip flop next year.

That said, both brands produce great, viable yeast that will make great beer. Where the differences may come in is in repeat attempts. Clone recipes might call for a specific strain, use that strain. Sure, you could use a "comparable" one but it might be the difference between a close clone and a dead-on clone.

Some strains don't have counterparts in the other brand. I'm sure that everyone here would be willing to use either brand if it met their needs.

Now, liquid versus dry... :D
 
Actually I use yeast from both labs, depending on the style and flavor profile I'm looking for. For example I have tried hefe strains from both Wyeast and White Labs and have settled on WLP300, but I prefer the Kolsch strain from Wyeast.
 
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