So I've started down this rabbit hole, exploring different dry yeasts. I’ve been a liquid yeast guy, 90 % Wyeast for as long as I’ve been brewing from 1997 until now. It has taken me awhile, but I'm coming around.
It seems overall like the dry yeasts all have higher attenuation rates compared to the liquid. This is by no means comprehensive, but here’s what I just looked up sitting here, looking up some dry yeast I have and some I am thinking of using:
Dry
Lallemand Nottingham 78-84% mid: 81 tolerance: 14%
Lallemand Windsor 65-72% mid: 68.5. tolerance: 12%
Lallemand London 65-72% mid: 68.5 tolerance: 12%
Lallemand Kolsch 75-80% mid: 77.5 tolerance: 9%
Lallemand Munich Wheat 76-83% mid: 79.5. tolerance: 12%
Lallemand Diamond Lager 77-83% mid: 80. tolerance: 13%
Cellar Science English 75-83% mid: 79 tolerance: 12%
Cellar Science Cali 75-84% mid: 79.5 tolerance: 10-11%
Liquid:
Wyeast 1028 London 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 11%
Wyeast 1056 American 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 11%
Wyeast 1084 Irish 71-75% mid: 73 tolerance: 12%
Wyeast 1099 Whitbread 68-72% mid: 70 tolerance: 10%
Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire 67-71% mid: 69 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 1728 Scottish 69-73% mid: 71 tolerance: 12%
Wyeast 2001 Pilsner Urquell 72-76% mid: 74 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 2035 American Lager 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephen Wheat 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 10%
Outside of the 2 dry outliers, Windsor and London, It seems like the dry yeasts are all around more attenuative where the liquid yeasts all around attenuate less. Nottingham goes up to 14% which could be useful for restarting stuck fermentations or I wish I had that when I had my issue bottling my Christmas beer last year. Now I know. I’m pretty sure 1728 and 1084 are Wyeast’s highest tolerance, 12%.
Nottingham says 78-84%. Wyeast Scottish says 68-73%. If I'm doing the math right:
If I started a 1.090 beer with Nottingham 78-84% means it would finish between 1.015 and 1.019.
If I started a 1.090 beer with Wyeast 1728 68-73% means it would finish between 1.024 and 1.028.
Thats a pretty big difference - one is going to have less body and be thinner and bit more alcoholic.
The ones with the numbers in the 80s on the high end scare me. 83-84%. The liquid yeasts don’t go past about 77% at the highest. If I'm seeing 83% or 84% attenuation with any of my Wyeast strains, that's a pretty good indicator I have an infection.
I guess this is where you can try to control some of this with mash temps?
What is the collective experience here? Are you guys seeing 83 and 84% attenuation with Nottingham and some of these other dry yeasts? From what I read on here, I see quite a few posts where Nottingham is recommended and many like it. I know we have scientists and technical people on here. And many with years of experience.
Thanks for insight.
It seems overall like the dry yeasts all have higher attenuation rates compared to the liquid. This is by no means comprehensive, but here’s what I just looked up sitting here, looking up some dry yeast I have and some I am thinking of using:
Dry
Lallemand Nottingham 78-84% mid: 81 tolerance: 14%
Lallemand Windsor 65-72% mid: 68.5. tolerance: 12%
Lallemand London 65-72% mid: 68.5 tolerance: 12%
Lallemand Kolsch 75-80% mid: 77.5 tolerance: 9%
Lallemand Munich Wheat 76-83% mid: 79.5. tolerance: 12%
Lallemand Diamond Lager 77-83% mid: 80. tolerance: 13%
Cellar Science English 75-83% mid: 79 tolerance: 12%
Cellar Science Cali 75-84% mid: 79.5 tolerance: 10-11%
Liquid:
Wyeast 1028 London 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 11%
Wyeast 1056 American 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 11%
Wyeast 1084 Irish 71-75% mid: 73 tolerance: 12%
Wyeast 1099 Whitbread 68-72% mid: 70 tolerance: 10%
Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire 67-71% mid: 69 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 1728 Scottish 69-73% mid: 71 tolerance: 12%
Wyeast 2001 Pilsner Urquell 72-76% mid: 74 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 2035 American Lager 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 2206 Bavarian Lager 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 9%
Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephen Wheat 73-77% mid: 75 tolerance: 10%
Outside of the 2 dry outliers, Windsor and London, It seems like the dry yeasts are all around more attenuative where the liquid yeasts all around attenuate less. Nottingham goes up to 14% which could be useful for restarting stuck fermentations or I wish I had that when I had my issue bottling my Christmas beer last year. Now I know. I’m pretty sure 1728 and 1084 are Wyeast’s highest tolerance, 12%.
Nottingham says 78-84%. Wyeast Scottish says 68-73%. If I'm doing the math right:
If I started a 1.090 beer with Nottingham 78-84% means it would finish between 1.015 and 1.019.
If I started a 1.090 beer with Wyeast 1728 68-73% means it would finish between 1.024 and 1.028.
Thats a pretty big difference - one is going to have less body and be thinner and bit more alcoholic.
The ones with the numbers in the 80s on the high end scare me. 83-84%. The liquid yeasts don’t go past about 77% at the highest. If I'm seeing 83% or 84% attenuation with any of my Wyeast strains, that's a pretty good indicator I have an infection.
I guess this is where you can try to control some of this with mash temps?
What is the collective experience here? Are you guys seeing 83 and 84% attenuation with Nottingham and some of these other dry yeasts? From what I read on here, I see quite a few posts where Nottingham is recommended and many like it. I know we have scientists and technical people on here. And many with years of experience.
Thanks for insight.
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