Survey - Dry vs. Liquid Yeast

[postman]

Greetings Brewers,

I just wanted to get a feel of who was doing what and the result they were getting. Part of it is that I want to know if really good beer can be made with dry yeast. Any thoughts you could share would be great. I'm just enjoying my first real brew, Extra Pale Ale and love it. I used liquid yeast in an activator pouch. I'm considering going dry for my upcoming IPA. Thanks and enjoy your Home Brews!

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I brewed exclusively with wet yeast. After about a dozen batches, I tried dry yeast.

I've done two dry yeast batches and have decided to stick with dry yeast whenever it is style appropriate.

I guess I'll still use wet yeast for making my hefeweizens and Belgians and such...

 

[the_bird]

I use dry, mostly, if it's a basic style like an IPA or an English ale that can use a US-05 or S-04 or something like that. Liquid when the yeast is a more prominant flavor, or when it's simply required for the style (Belgians, hefeweizen, etc.)

 

[EdWort]

I am a big fan of both yeasts, but I must say, I have had great success with Nottingham, Safale US-05 and Safale S-04. They have produced great tasting beers without all the hassle of starters at a fraction of the cost of liquid yeasts. I keep several packet of each in my fridge for the spontaneous brew session.

Then again, certain styles of beers require a liquid yeast. My Hefe & Kölsch are two that require trips to the LHBS rather than the bag of dry yeasts in my fridge.

 

[aekdbbop]

I have never used dry yeast.. do you have to keep it refrigerated?

 

[the_Roqk]

I am a big fan of both yeasts, but I must say, I have had great success with Nottingham, Safale US-05 and Safale S-04. They have produced great tasting beers without all the hassle of starters at a fraction of the cost of liquid yeasts. I keep several packet of each in my fridge for the spontaneous brew session.

Then again, certain styles of beers require a liquid yeast. My Hefe & Kölsch are two that require trips to the LHBS rather than the bag of dry yeasts in my fridge.

Hey Ed,

Just curious if you've used the Danstar Windsor yeast before and what are your thoughts on how it imparts the wort?

 

[Jim Karr]

I'm a dry guy, except for my first wheat.....WLP320 (IIRC).

Yes, you must keep them in the fridge....not the freezer.

 

[DAAB]

You will maintain dry yeast viability longer of you refrigerate it.

There are several liquid yeasts with dried yeast equivalents and if there is a dried yeast that is suited to your style of beer then you'll get equally good results if you use it and save yourself some time and money.

 

[EdWort]

I have never used dry yeast.. do you have to keep it refrigerated?

I don't think so cause it is not in the fridge at Austin Home Brew. They keep it on the shelf, but they blow through that stuff pretty fast.

I on the other hand could take a month or three before I use it, so I keep mine in the fridge.

Give Dry a Try. My Haus Ale & Blonde uses Nottingham and the AHS Stone IPA Clone uses Safale US-05. Both are tasty brews

 

[Brewpastor]

Last time I answered this question I got called names somebody got banned by TxBrew, so I will let you guess my preference and hope nobody gets hurt.

 

[DeathBrewer]

i'm too picky with my yeast...must have liquid ("wet")

i've used nottingham, however, and made some good brews. i also keep dry on hand just in case...only had to use it once, tho, as i usually make starters.

 

[Willy Boner]

I've used both and have sort went to the dry, either Safale 05 or Nottingham's doe's well in stout's or the pale ales which I mostly brew. I seem a way bigger yeast cake with Nottingham's than the Safale, but they both seem to ferment pretty clean. I think Nottingham's comes with a couple more grams of yeast.

 

[EdWort]

Last time I answered this question I got called names somebody got banned by TxBrew, so I will let you guess my preference and hope nobody gets hurt.

I won't call you any names or even late to dinner. :cross:

I'm guessing you are a liquid yeast fan based on the beautiful high tech equipment pictured in your gallery.

 

[malkore]

I use both...it depends on what I'm brewing.

and keeping dried yeast cool does indeed extend its shelf life. most LHBS go through it fast enough it doesn't matter.
most home brewers use it before it goes bad.

but if its your stash of yeast for when something won't start fermenting in primary, keep it cool so it lasts longer.
I keep mine in the keezer, cuz my fridge gets a little too cold sometimes.

 

[david_42]

Dry about 90% of the time. On those rare occasions that I brew a style that requires a special yeast, I get liquid. I've kept dry yeast in the fridge for two years without a problem, but if the packet is opened or damaged, the yeasts die in a couple weeks.

Windsor (as advertised) attenuates less than Nottingham and gives a sweeter finish. I like it in porters and nut browns.

 

[magno]

I went a couple years using White Labs almost exclusively. Lately Ive switched to dry and have been happy with the results so far.

Does anyone know which dry yeasts are the same as which liquids?

 

[eddie]

Greetings Brewers,

I just wanted to get a feel of who was doing what and the result they were getting. Part of it is that I want to know if really good beer can be made with dry yeast. Any thoughts you could share would be great. I'm just enjoying my first real brew, Extra Pale Ale and love it. I used liquid yeast in an activator pouch. I'm considering going dry for my upcoming IPA. Thanks and enjoy your Home Brews!

Sure, you can make very good beer with dry yeast. In fact, you'll find that many AG brewers will keep a couple packets on hand just in case their yeast starters go south on them. Dry yeast has a larger concentration of viable yeast cells per volume versus liquid yeast and are more likely to provide a relatively fast and vigorous fermentation versus liquid yeast (unless you make a starter.) The problem with dry yeast is that you are very limited to the strains of yeast that are available to you and you can't really match the yeast to the style of beer that you're brewing. You're stuck using what's in the packet. With liquid yeast, you have the luxury of variety and can more easily match your yeast to your style and taste. Liqids allow for more cutomization and a more "hands on" experience with the beer you're brewing. Also, liquid yeasts tend to produce fewer off flavors in the beer (in my experience anyway) which lends itself to a better final product.

In short, you can make good beer with dry yeast but you can make great beer with liquid.

 

[david_the_greek]

Quickie dumb question. I am not at home to check the packet, but does anyone know what type of yeast Muntons Brewing yeast is? I have a packet that is left in my fridge because I wanted my kit wheat beer to be a hefeweizen. I want to make an IPA with said yeast but am hesitant because I do not know its characteristics.

 

[aekdbbop]

Give Dry a Try. My Haus Ale & Blonde uses Nottingham and the AHS Stone IPA Clone uses Safale US-05. Both are tasty brews

Yep, I am.. your Haus Ale is going to be my first AG..

you didnt rehydrate with that recipe did you?

 

[Blender]

I use liquid yeast pretty much all the time. I like to compare how different ones ferment and taste in the final product.

 

[ThomasRau]

So far around 80% of the time I use dry yeasts. And for the most part they have worked great, and quickly start fermenting, in most cases within 8-12 hours. I have even used dried "lager" yeast without any issues. But I can see where the liquid only folks are coming from. I just did a pumpkin ale kit with a smack pack. The pack was partly swollen and for the life of me I couldn't find the inner pack, so I figured it popped in shipping. So I made a quick starter the day before the brew session, opened the smack pack to dump it in and discovered the inner pack intact. The following day I dump the starter in after the wort cools (aerated well when transfered to the carboy) and in about 3 hours I already had airlock activity.

 

[cclloyd]

I too use mostly dry yeast (Safale-05) except for my hefes. The first time I used liquid I didn't do a starter and the lag time to fermentation was about 3 days. This past weekend I did one with a 1.5L starter and I needed a blowoff tube in about 3hours.

 

[EdWort]

Yep, I am.. your Haus Ale is going to be my first AG..

you didnt rehydrate with that recipe did you?

Nope, you can if you want, but always just areate and then sprinkle the yeast on top and put the lid on the bucket. Works great every time.

Enjoy!

 

[joshpooh]

Quickie dumb question. I am not at home to check the packet, but does anyone know what type of yeast Muntons Brewing yeast is? I have a packet that is left in my fridge because I wanted my kit wheat beer to be a hefeweizen. I want to make an IPA with said yeast but am hesitant because I do not know its characteristics.

I've made an IPA with that yeast before because that was all I had and it turned out ok. It isn't the ideal IPA yeast by far even if you only use dry, but it does produce a beer that you know is an IPA. I typically use Nottingham for my IPAs, but Muntons is ok if it is on hand and you don't want to go to the LHBS or it is too far away as in my case.

 

[Willy Boner]

I got to where I don't rehydrate either, just one less thing to go wrong. I have started to put some yeast nutrient in my beers too, but really don't see much difference. I also do 7.5 gal. batches and one pack of Nottingham's seems to do the trick.

 

[TheJadedDog]

I almost always use liquid but I keep a few packs of dry around just in case I need them.

 

[Willy Boner]

I read where fermentis came out with a dry hefe or wheat beer yeast but haven't seen at the LHBS nor have I heard of anyone that has used it.

 

[Jekster]

Not a long time brewer, but I have used a liquid starter in only one batch so far. I enjoy the simplicity of dry yeast and will pretty much use them unless the style requires that I pick up the more expensive liquid yeast.

 

[brewt00l]

Yeast is an ingredient and depending on what contribution I want from that ingredient, I use the appropriate yeast. Since it's entirely dependent on the specific application, there really isn't an absolute answer. That said, I prb brew more ales where dry strains work to my advantage.

 

[CBBaron]

I've been using both. After my experience of a 3 day lag on one liquid yeast batch I try to always make a starter with liquid. My last couple of batches I used Wyeast Propagator packs to make a starter which saved me a couple bucks on the fairly expensive liquid yeasts. However alot of times I'm not sure when I'm going to get a chance to brew so it is nice having a few packets of dry yeast in the fridge ready to go whenever I need them. The US-05 dry yeast is supposed to be the same yeast as Wyeast 1056 and Whitelabs WLP001 but I know some brewers like Jamil say they find the dry yeast to not be as clean. My taste buds and brewing techniques are not refined enough to tell the difference.

Liquid yeast needs to be stored in the fridge. Dry yeast will have a longer life in the fridge but can be left at room temp without damage. Still they take up so little room I just keep them in the fridge.

Craig

 

[bassplayrr]

I almost always use liquid but I keep a few packs of dry around just in case I need them.

Same here. I stick to White Labs liquid and keep some dry around to save non-starting beers.

I'll be honest, the only reason I use liquid is because I find it more involving. I'm currently only doing extracts as space is limited. Using liquid yeast and starters makes me feel more involved. Don't get me wrong, I like the flavor as well, but the increased involvement is my main reason for using liquid.

 

[Beerthoven]

I use dry because it is easy, inexpensive, and gives great results every time.

Someday I intend to buy a few vials of liquid and grow them into several small starters to freeze for future use.

 

[ohiobrewtus]

I use only liquid yeast for beer. The only dry yeast I keep around is for Apfelwine.

 

[cheezydemon]

I am sorry, those who only use dry AINT too particular.

Those who want to tweak a brew to perfect it, or really are shooting for a particular result will use a specific liquid yeast UNLESS.....

If the style you are going for is perfect with a dry yeast, then by all means use it.

And ***** I have heard that there are more specific dry yeasts becoming available all of the time, but I have yet to see very many.

 

[zoebisch01]

I'll add my $0.02

I use dry for prolly 60% to 70% of my brews and the rest is liquid. I only ever use liquid yeast for Belgian's and Hefe's. Dry is convenient, cheap and (especially the Fermentis offerings) very reliable and does a great job. The S-33 has a very distinct profile imo. The Lager strains are really good too. The main advantage of a liquid strain is the plethora of stuff out there.

 

[Buford]

I primarily use dry yeast, US-56 (US-05 now) and S-04. I have a vial of WLP002 I'm planning on using to give it a try, and for hefes you have to use liquid.

FWIW, I've placed in categories with three beers in a beer comp, all of which used dry yeast.

 

[Shockerengr]

I'll use dry where I can and just control the temp of the ferment sometime to get the character i want.

Charlie Papazian has said on basic brewing radio (9-28-06) that he generally just uses one strain of yeast that he has kept around for about 25 years. He adjust the malt and the temp to get want he wants out if....this goes for lagers and ales! (i believe he has a lager yeast)

 

[Matt Foley]

I am still a very novice brewer (about 8 batches). I started using exclusively dry on my first few. I used s-04 on a stout, which is my favorite beer so far, and on a wheat, which I know is not to style but it was good. Since then I have brewed a few with liquid including white labs 001. It seems that the liquid yeasts are staying in suspension longer than the dry. After 2 weeks cold my blonde ale is still pretty cloudy. Is there anything to this?

 

[CBBaron]

I am still a very novice brewer (about 8 batches). I started using exclusively dry on my first few. I used s-04 on a stout, which is my favorite beer so far, and on a wheat, which I know is not to style but it was good. Since then I have brewed a few with liquid including white labs 001. It seems that the liquid yeasts are staying in suspension longer than the dry. After 2 weeks cold my blonde ale is still pretty cloudy. Is there anything to this?

Yes, but its not the liquid vs dry. S-04 is a highly floccuating yeast that clears very quickly. Try WLP002 if you want one that clears even quicker.
The Hefe varieties like to stay in suspension and arre very difficult to clear, ofcourse a clear Hefe would not be to style.

Craig

 

[Matt Foley]

Thanks for the reply CBBaron. But what about white labs cal ale 001. Shouldn't it clear pretty quick?