Dry yeast to liquid yeast cross-over

[mtcowboy77]

Since I'm just beginning to get into brewing I will probably be using a couple of ingredient kits to begin with. I've already brewed one and had a great time. I noticed, though, that they all seem to come with dry yeast packets. After doing some snooping on the forum here, I see that a number of people suggest replacing the dry yeast with a liquid yeast for a potentially better beer result. I've also seen on some websites that you can substitute a liquid yeast for the dry yeast and they will choose which one would work best. What I'm wondering though is how I can tell which liquid yeast would give the same results ideally looked for with the supplied dry yeast packet? Is there some kind of a chart that would show which dry yeasts cross over to which liquid yeasts?

 

[SteveHeff]

There are many classic yeast strains to use with a variety of beer styles. It's not a "type A yeast ALWAYS goes with type Z beer...etc" but there are some yeasts that work better with a specific type of beer than others. They, the yeast, usually have the name of the style of beer that they pair with. Some do not. Websites, like wyeast, will give you the information on the yeast AND they also tell you what some popular styles are that go with that particular yeast. There are also charts out there that let you know which yeasts you can swap for other yeasts. It's just a matter taking some time and investigating the matter.

 

[zach976]

Go to the white labs or wyeast website and the will show all the yeast strains for the type of beer you are trying to make. If you are just starting out the dry yeast will be easier to use and you'll get the same results. Controlling your fermentation temperature and the amount of yeast you pitch will make more of a difference in your results of your finished product then dry vs liquid.

 

[Calder]

Most dry yeasts are pretty good these days. Might want to steer clear of Windsor, Coopers and Muntons (and no-name yeasts) until you know what you want from them. There are many reports of low attenuation with those yeasts.

Many dry yeasts have liquid equivalents; the dry yeast is just as good as the liquid, has more cells, easier to use and stores better/longer.

Liquid wins in the variety arena. There are many more liquid yeasts than dry. It used to be you couldn't get a decent dry Belgian, but that seems to be changing. Sour mixes and Brett, are owned by the liquid yeast suppliers too.

I use liquid almost exclusively, but that is because I re-use yeast, and probably only buy 1 pack/vial a year ....... this year it is a dry yeast; going to try mangrove Jack's Belgian yeast.

My recommendation would be to stick with dry unless there is a particular strain that you want to use.

 

[chickypad]

I came across this table in the past, those appear to be the accepted equivalents for S-04 and S-05 but I can't vouch for the accuracy of the rest (the only dry yeast I use on a regular basis is Notty). What you will generally find is that there are more liquid yeasts to choose from for any given style. Here are the links to the Wyeast and White labs sites which as mentioned have a lot of info,you can search both by strain and by beer style:

wyeast strain guide
wyeast style guide
white labs strain listing
white labs style charts

 

[mtcowboy77]

There are many classic yeast strains to use with a variety of beer styles. It's not a "type A yeast ALWAYS goes with type Z beer...etc" but there are some yeasts that work better with a specific type of beer than others. They, the yeast, usually have the name of the style of beer that they pair with. Some do not. Websites, like wyeast, will give you the information on the yeast AND they also tell you what some popular styles are that go with that particular yeast. There are also charts out there that let you know which yeasts you can swap for other yeasts. It's just a matter taking some time and investigating the matter.

So if I decide to switch to a liquid yeast for one of my brews, as long as I chose one that had the same kind of beer style associated with the yeast, then I should be fairly safe on the selection, correct?
But at the same time, a given yeast is not limited to only certain styles of beer either. Is that right also?

 

[mtcowboy77]

I came across this table in the past, those appear to be the accepted equivalents for S-04 and S-05 but I can't vouch for the accuracy of the rest (the only dry yeast I use on a regular basis is Notty). What you will generally find is that there are more liquid yeasts to choose from for any given style. Here are the links to the Wyeast and White labs sites which as mentioned have a lot of info,you can search both by strain and by beer style:

wyeast strain guide
wyeast style guide
white labs strain listing
white labs style charts

Thanks for posting those links! Very helpful!

 

[mtcowboy77]

Go to the white labs or wyeast website and the will show all the yeast strains for the type of beer you are trying to make. If you are just starting out the dry yeast will be easier to use and you'll get the same results. Controlling your fermentation temperature and the amount of yeast you pitch will make more of a difference in your results of your finished product then dry vs liquid.

If I just used the dry yeast in the kits would you suggest buying a second packet of the same kind to pitch in order to make sure there was enough cells going into the wort? Or is one packet usually enough for just about any kit?

 

[Calder]

So if I decide to switch to a liquid yeast for one of my brews, as long as I chose one that had the same kind of beer style associated with the yeast, then I should be fairly safe on the selection, correct?
But at the same time, a given yeast is not limited to only certain styles of beer either. Is that right also?

Correct and correct.

If I just used the dry yeast in the kits would you suggest buying a second packet of the same kind to pitch in order to make sure there was enough cells going into the wort? Or is one packet usually enough for just about any kit?

A pack of dry yeast usually has sufficient cell for most beers.