Liquid v dry yeast

I tried my fitst Hefeweizen a few weeks ago and decided it try liquid yeast for the first time too (whitelabs 300). It turned out great with a strong banana and glove flavor. With shipping times and ambient temperature, liquid yeast is hard to work with in the summer. Any suggestions for getting comparable results from dry yeast compared to liquid yeast?

Lallemand Danstar Munich German Wheat yeast or Safbrew WB-06 would probably be your best substitutes for WLP300/WL3068

I've used both and they are comparable to WLP300. Perhaps not quite as phenolic/clovey but really good.

IMO dry yeast are just as good as liquid yeasts. They will be a little different, the same as a White Labs yeast will be a little different than Wyeast of the same strain.

Where liquid yeast really has the edge is in different styles. There are many more. Though new dry yeast styles are being added at a fast pace. You just have to find one that will give the results, flavor and fermentation that you are looking for. I don't know without looking at descriptions which dry yeasts are comparable to liquid for a given style.

As far as shipping is concerned, liquid yeast is a little problematic during the summer. (hot trucks) But once you have a well handled liquid yeast it should be no different using it in the summer as opposed to during the winter.

kh54s10 said:

IMO dry yeast are just as good as liquid yeasts. They will be a little different, the same as a White Labs yeast will be a little different than Wyeast of the same strain.

As far as shipping is concerned, liquid yeast is a little problematic during the summer. (hot trucks) But once you have a well handled liquid yeast it should be no different using it in the summer as opposed to during the winter.

Click to expand...

I have seen many recommendations to use dry yeast in the summer and wondered why. Thank you for clearing this up. So it seems that if I take a small cooler full of ice to my local HBS (1.5 hour round-trip), I can still use liquid in the summer as long as my ferm chamber is temp controlled.

If you are brewing semi-regularly you should be saving yeast from previous batches in jars in the fridge. Aside from being a really huge cost saver, this completely negates the issue of yeast shipping issues over summer.

It also means there's a lot less difference in cost between liquid and dry when you are getting 5 or 10 or 20 batches out of yeast. I have 4 yeast strains in my fridge (American ale, English ale, Hefe, Lager) which covers a lot of beer types. I'll brew with those until I get bored, which could take a while, then try some interesting liquid yeast.

I disagree with saving yeast. $4 is too cheap to gamble on issues with saving it and jeopardizing $30 worth of beer. Besides, I prefer to brew different beers that require different yeasts so it could be a while before I get back to needing that strain. YMMV

OP might try M20 Bavarian Wheat Yeast by Mangrove Jack's. I've heard good things about it.

As mentioned above dry yeast is just as good at making beer as liquid. The major difference is variety and character.

A good example is Belle Saison dry yeast which is the only Saison specific dry yeast i know of. It ferments like a champ but has a pretty tame saison character. On the other hand there are probably more than a dozen different liquid strains that have a dozen different flavor/aroma profiles.

As for the difficulty getting yeast strains you should really consider saving yeast from your starters. I collect yeast and have about 10-15 strains I keep in my beer fridge. I have a starter going right now that is my 5th generation of wlp500 that is a big money saver overtime and in your situation it would save trips to the lhbs.

this is the method i use http://brulosophy.com/methods/yeast-harvesting/

brewbama said:

I disagree with saving yeast. $4 is too cheap to gamble on issues with saving it and jeopardizing $30 worth of beer. Besides, I prefer to brew different beers that require different yeasts so it could be a while before I get back to needing that strain. YMMV

OP might try M20 Bavarian Wheat Yeast by Mangrove Jack's. I've heard good things about it.

Click to expand...

I'm going to have to disagree.I basically only use reused yeast.My LHBS sells dry yeast for $6 I think.I do double batches so that's a $12 savings per brew day.May not sound like much but every 2 batches equals a free pound of hops.Even more so if using liquid.Plus theres no need to make a starter as the slurry has more than enough yeast on its own.Ive never had a single issue and always have yeast on hand...Who doesn't like free stuff?

Wow! I bought an extra packet of SafeBrew T-58 just to have on hand in case I have to re-pitch at my LHBS for $2.50 in Roanoke, Va. It's not really that local, I have to drive about 45 minutes or so down out of the mountains, so I only visit when I HAVE to go to the city.

I think I will try saving some yeast next batch, but for $2.50 I'll have a packet for backup in case it stalls. Thanks to jekeane for posting the method for harvesting!

brewbama said:

I disagree with saving yeast. $4 is too cheap to gamble on issues with saving it and jeopardizing $30 worth of beer. Besides, I prefer to brew different beers that require different yeasts so it could be a while before I get back to needing that strain. YMMV

Click to expand...

Depends where you live I guess. For me a pack of liquid yeast + DME makes up maybe 30-50% of the recipe cost. Take away that cost and beer starts getting pretty cheap.

If you pitch using yeast harvested same-day from a previous healthy batch there are no concerns whatsoever about viability. Normally I'll arrange my brew days to take advantage of this. But if it's been in the fridge a while you can make a starter. For the cost of a pack of dry yeast I can make a 1.5 gallon starter which is way more than enough to kick-start stored yeast.

Each to their own I guess, I thought I'd suggest it to the OP since they were concerned about yeast getting damaged in transit, harvested yeast negates that problem.

Great points. Over the years I've done starters, I've harvested yeast, and all that, etc, etc. I guess I've come to the point that it's just too easy to snip open a fresh pack I guess. ...and with all the options on the market today I think the gap is closing. I guess that's what makes this hobby so great -- many paths to the destination.

The problem I experienced with yeast harvesting was that I passed on an infection that wasn't noticeable until after the batch had been bottled for several weeks. Since then I changed from harvesting the yeast after fermentation, to harvesting a small portion BEFORE pitching.

Basically, I increase the size of the starter I use by about 0.5L, and prior to pitching, I decant that amount into a sanitized mason jar and store in the beer fridge. I then use that in a starter when prepping for the next batch.

I brew all-grain, and I have recently started taking the runnings from the end of the sparge (after I get the desired amount in the boil kettle), and keeping that in a 64 oz. sanitized mason jar in the fridge. SG is usually around 1.020-1.025, so I use that as the base of my next starter (add some water and DME to get the desired starter volume). It reduces the amount of DME I need to add for the starter.

I agree on saving yeast. Learn to do it carefully. You'll have a yeast you like and can use, not a second choice.

For what it's worth, WB-06 has been nothing but disappointing. It's bland with no hefe qualities.

I believe that when a strain is available that will do the job, dry yeast is always a better option. It's healthy, lasts forever, stores and ships well, and is usually cheaper. Not sure why so many homebrewers are hung up on using liquid strains.

I use dry yeast unless i'm brewing hefe, kolsch or saison. The rest of my beers are usually US-05 or Nottingham.

I don't mind either way. Both work for me, but IMO liquid works best when you are after a certain yeast flavor. If I'm brewing for a clean yeast profile, dry all the way for less hassle (and easier storage/transport!)

My best beer has been made with dry yeast....Its all in pitching enough and controlling the temp

I brew only hefeweizen, and have tried various Wyeasts, and Safbrew WB-06. I like the liquid Wyeast 3068 best, but am very happy with the dry WB-06, to me the difference is subtle, both make a nice weizen, IMHO.

I mostly use US-05 (including recycled slurry) with a few exceptions:

Irish Ale - WLP004. I would also use this if I do a stout, but I have been disappointed with my stouts.

Cider - sometimes use WLP 775 English Cider (it takes longer to mellow out, so if it is a quick summer cider, then I use US-05)

Belgian - I have bottle harvested yeast from Ommegang that I use or refresh every so often. Patersbier, saison, wit. I have been wanting to do an abbey-style Christmas ale with it.

I almost exclusively use liquid yeast, WYeast, ECY and occasionally WLP, because of the large variety and wonderful strains available. From a new pack/bottle I first make a large (1.3-1.5 liter) starter, then split it in 4ths after cold crashing and decanting. Three go into 4oz mason jars, around 90 billion cells each, and the 4th becomes a new starter. I usually pitch 3/4 and save 1/4 into another 4oz jar. I mark the generation of each saved out starter: "St.#" and the date of harvesting.

I intend to stop harvesting yeast, and make fresh (overbuilt) starters each time, unless the yeast is very clean and I can reuse it within a few weeks.

The main reason for me to stop reusing yeast is I noticed after 2-3 re-uses there was a strong reduction in flocculation and occasionally some off flavors. Some of my beers wouldn't clear anymore, even after 2 weeks cold crashing at 32F.

BravoDelta15 said:

I tried my first Hefeweizen a few weeks ago and decided it try liquid yeast for the first time too (whitelabs 300). It turned out great with a strong banana and clove flavor. With shipping times and ambient temperature, liquid yeast is hard to work with in the summer. Any suggestions for getting comparable results from dry yeast compared to liquid yeast?

Click to expand...

WB-06 dry yeast is fine, never failed. I only slightly prefer liquid Wyeast 3068. The difference is subtle, I think. Haven't tried whitelabs 300 yet but would like to.

Best,
JK

they both make beer.

I prefer the same extract recipe with the wyeast 1968 over safale-04

but they both taste good. overall I have never had an issue with fermentation from either. never had a bad batch, etc..

I'm lazy and cheap. I use 05/06 and save the un-rinsed cake for 5 or so batches then start over with dry. No starter just hydrated. I buy bulk ever 2 months. The beers average 16 to 17 bucks per 5 gal.....until I get hoppy. 5 bucks extra for yeast is a significant increase.

I agree with others that the 3068 has more banana/clove than 06. It seems to go off flavor and downhill quicker when I save it compared to 06

I always use dry.... because I brew 2-3 gallon batches and it just doesn't make sense to spend the money on liquid yeast for such a small amount.

I've used 04,05,06, Nottingham and Abbey with good results.