If you could only use 1 yeast strain for the rest of your brewing life...

[redalert]

what would it be? and why?

 

[944play]

838/2308 ftw

EDIT: ...and why: fast, flocculent, very user-friendly, and the beers are clean and delicious.

 

[goose1873]

Safale US-05 hands down....easy and efficient...no starter...and most imp. it makes excellent beer (from light cream ales to iipas and browns...and everything in between)

 

[Brocster]

what would it be? and why?

WLP029 OR WY3056.... The easy out may have been 1056, but, I think you could produce almost all styles with the above two strains. Actually, the 3056, even though a Hefe strain, has very controllable characteristics if you know what you are doing.

 

[strat_thru_marshall]

838/2308 ftw

EDIT: ...and why: fast, flocculent, very user-friendly, and the beers are clean and delicious.

agreed. been having great success with this strain lately.

 

[Nugent]

Wyeast 1968.

I mostly brew low-gravity British beers, so it fits perfectly and I have found it very versatile.

 

[ajf]

WLP002/WY1968
Life just isn't worth living without an ESB (but I'll miss the IPAs).

-a.

 

[BearBrew]

Bell's strain. They use it for Pale Ales, Stouts, Ambers, IPAs, and even an American Wheat. It's a versatile little strain.

 

[SC_Ryan]

001 or 1056

 

[fatherbigfoot]

nottingham
produces clean low ester beers and is easy to use with no starter needed

 

[Cheeto]

S-05

The only think I cannot make with it is a Wheat beer, but I hate wheat beers so it really is not a bother.........

Temp control is a must with any yeast.

a brew fermented at 55 deg will be very different than the same brew fermented at 68 deg !

 

[mithion]

I'd go with wyeast 1099. It's versatile in the sense that it pretty clean at low temps and pleasantly fruity at higher temps. It floccs out really well, works fast and is forgiving when mishandled.

 

[Scooby_Brew]

S-05

The only think I cannot make with it is a Wheat beer, but I hate wheat beers so it really is not a bother.........

Oh yes, you can: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/scoobys-house-wheat-oberon-like-134988/
US-05 is the only yeast I use for all intents and purposes. I use (and re-use it) for American Wheat, APA, IPA, AAA, Cream Ale, Stout, Brown etc. And all of those beers are truly awesome.

 

[Cheeto]

S-05

The only think I cannot make with it is a Wheat beer, but I hate wheat beers so it really is not a bother.........

Temp control is a must with any yeast.

a brew fermented at 55 deg will be very different than the same brew fermented at 68 deg !

Oh yes, you can: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f70/scoobys-house-wheat-oberon-like-134988/
US-05 is the only yeast I use for all intents and purposes. I use (and re-use it) for American Wheat, APA, IPA, AAA, Cream Ale, Stout, Brown etc. And all of those beers are truly awesome.

That is awesome that you can make a wheat beer from S-05 but there is a very important detail that I had to highlight

 

[tamoore]

1056. It's worked great on everything I've used it on, and it cleans up real nicely.

 

[pipapat]

1056. It's worked great on everything I've used it on, and it cleans up real nicely.

1056 makes fantastic ipa's and double ipas along with apas and American stouts.

 

[thataintchicken]

Wyeast 1764 aka Pacman.

I can brew almost anything with that.

 

[ksbrain]

I gotta pitch into the US-05 camp. If you only got one, it has to be neutral. Plus I could live off IPA.

 

[brewingkitty]

1056. zxkjdfgkjzhxdjzhkxjdghzxdg

 

[sp1365]

WLP007 Whitbread Dry. Love it.

 

[giligson]

I'll put in a vote for Wyeast 1007 - lager like at low temps (with sulfite production) and mildly fruity and ale like at high temps. Could do a lot of different styles with it.

 

[stevedasleeve]

Nottingham: IPAs, Amber, Brown, Pale, Blonde ales, ferments as low as 57 f, costs $1.50 - 1.75 a pop, clean particularly at low temps, slight fruity esters at higher temps, for me it is around 83% attenuation which is only a problem for 60-70 shilling ales. I have stopped using any other yeast.

fwiw and ymmv and wtf,
Steve da sleeve

 

[Pivzavod]

WY 3711 French Saison - owns any saison strain, can make witbiers with it and I even made Holiday Chocolate Orange Ale with it and it came out amazing.

I am brewing something with WLP 550 and it seems to be pretty good and can tolerate high temps.

 

[Brew-boy]

Wyeast 1764 aka Pacman.

I can brew almost anything with that.

I agree I love the PacMan.

 

[remilard]

If God constrained me to one strain or something I would just make lagers because I can get really good ales in a lot of styles at the store/bar. So WLP 833 for me.

 

[shuf]

I agree I love the PacMan.

I recently switched over from s-04 to PacMan as my default yeast from some recommendations on hbt. It's been making clear, clean tasting beers after a few generations, and I really like the results so far.

 

[BadKarma]

WLP002/WY1968
Life just isn't worth living without an ESB (but I'll miss the IPAs).

-a.

+1
Does this mean there are other beers that are not bitters?

But I won't miss the IPA's!!!

 

[ajf]

Of course there are. There's English IPA's.
I've heard talk about other beers, but I'm not sure they really exist.

-a.

 

[matthewkbridges]

WLP530. More versatile than people give it credit for, and I can't live without my Belgians.

 

[hbomb]

Pac Man, 001, s-05...basically anything clean and boring (read:versatile) if I'm going to have to use it for EVERYTHING. As someone else pointed out, there's always difference in temp to give it some variation.

 

[Potter1]

+1 for notty, great everything yeast

 

[duskb]

001. I love my Cali style PA's

 

[AnonyBrew]

838/2308 ftw

EDIT: ...and why: fast, flocculent, very user-friendly, and the beers are clean and delicious.

If all I could brew was lagers I'd agree with 944 on this one. Made some great lagers with both 838 and 2308!

However, most used yeast for me is 1272 American Ale II. Started using it after reading about it on the forum, then realized it was exactly what I'm looking for in an Ale. Kinda brings out the maltiness & tones down the hops, making for a more balanced beer....even in Dude's LWPA.

 

[coffeegod]

white labs cry havoc...It is an ale yeast and a lager yeast...