Anyone try BRY-97 yet

[Puddlethumper]

As a number of others have posted in this thread, my experience shows that you simply cannot compare the way this yeast works to other yeast strains. Rehydrate the yeast per manufacturer's recommendations and it will get the job done very reliably but with very little fanfare. (I can't comment on harvested yeast as I haven't tried it on this strain.)

IMO, the big mistake many brewers make is that they expect this yeast to behave like all the other strains on the market. It doesn't. It is a very slow and methodical yeast without much apparent activity. If that bothers you then don't use it. If you need to see a lot of activity in your airlock and a big rolling fermentation this yeast isn't for you. There are lots of other strains to choose from.

If you do choose to use it from the dry packets, you need to accept the fact that it does not show a big rolling fermentation. But at the end of 10-14 days your FG will be right where you expected and the beer will be very good.

 

[highgravitybacon]

I made a starter with an expired pack of the BRY-97. Normally it takes a long time to get going. But after I did a starter, it was lighting fast. Maybe within 12 hours it was going briskly. I'd just do a starter with it, or pitch two packs.

 

[skw]

Pitched 1 packet dry into 11l of high gravity wort at 23°C, aerated by shaking. Visible activity (white foam on top) after 24hrs.

 

[Zepth]

Just kegged up a batch with my premiere use of this yeast. Hydro sample seemed promising even though I managed to move the autosiphon a bit by accident and go ultra-yeast in the sample.

As far as start times I re-hydrated as per the pack, it took about 3 days to show anything. At that point it was a nice bright white krausen about a half inch high. "Bubbly" looking instead of "thick and creamy." The next day it was a good thing I had that blow off tube. About 3 days later it had died down enough to comfortably put a regular airlock on. Certainly an unusual schedule.

 

[RmikeVT]

I would love to see more comments on this thread regarding beer quality and compare and contrast beer flavor/aroma/flocculation/clarity to WLP001/1056/US-05 rather than so many comments about visual fermentation characteristics which, lets face it don't have much to do with the end product assuming you pitched a viable batch of yeast and enough cells.

 

[skw]

I can tell you after this fermentation is done - it's my first time using BRY-97. It's a split batch, but the other half was pitched with S-04, so I can't compare to other west coast strains.

 

[YeastMode]

I used BRY-97 in my Rye IIPA clone. As has been stated before, my experience was that the yeast got off to a very slow start, but after about 3 weeks it seemed to complete its work. I don't think it will ever by my first choice of yeast, but if I did use it again, I would use it in my IPA/IIPA recipes and even then, mostly in beers were clearing is not as much of a concern.

 

[Zepth]

I would love to see more comments on this thread regarding beer quality and compare and contrast beer flavor/aroma/flocculation/clarity to WLP001/1056/US-05 rather than so many comments about visual fermentation characteristics which, lets face it don't have much to do with the end product assuming you pitched a viable batch of yeast and enough cells.

I'll do it! Been getting tired of a yeast that shall remain nameless, it's let me down once and been non-spectacular a second time. So I was thinking of my next time around making a 10g boil and splitting it between BRY-97 and US-05. Then I can compare to the current strain I've been using for this particular recipe and have a 3 way compare.

Don't hold your breath I have half a keg still going and a 10g batch about to be kegged before even thinking of embarking on this mission. Now that makes me with I hadn't started that 10g. Albatross beer?

 

[skw]

I can tell you after this fermentation is done - it's my first time using BRY-97. It's a split batch, but the other half was pitched with S-04, so I can't compare to other west coast strains.

5 days in, I took gravity samples today. Both fermentations are coming to an end as the krausen have dropped. BRY-97 gave a lower gravity reading than S-04 by about 0.5 °P. S-04 has dropped and the gravity sample was crystal clear, BRY-97 still is in suspension. Both taste fine, neither sample had any off flavors that I can tell (looking past the yeast in the BRY-97 sample). BRY-97 does indeed smell like pineapple, as others reported. S-04 was at ambient temperature of 15°C, fermometer read 18°C. BRY-97 fermometer read 21°C. The S-04 fermenter is now in the same room as the BRY-97 one, to let a bit of a temperature increase help the yeast finish its work.

 

[skw]

Racked the BRY-97 beer to secondary on top of bourbon soaked oak chips. It left a nice compact yeast cake and looks like the bulk of yeast has dropped. It's been a while since I've used US-05, but it looks to me like BRY-97 flocculates better.

Compared to the same wort fermented with S-04 (which was bottled today), it tastes much milder and tamer. Even though S-04 didn't add any discernible fruitiness, it still tasted rougher and stronger than BRY-97. I don't have a direct US-05 control, but I think I remember US-05 being less neutral than BRY-97. Also, it still smells like pineapple. Both finished with > 80% apparent attenuation.

 

[signpost]

Well, I've used this yeast several times at this point. All from one packet. I've really liked it and will definitely buy it and use it again.

It gave what I consider to be a pretty clean flavor. It fermented dry and fluctuated better than other west coast yeasts I've used.

Fits just about every criteria I look for in a yeast for my American style pale ales and IPAs. It would probably also be good in brown and amber ales, too, but I haven't tried that yet.

 

[Orthobrewsky]

That actually lines up with experiences I've read: re-pitches start quickly, but the dry seems to take a while to wake up. Hopefully that's it and not low viability in the dry packs.

I came home today at the 54 hour mark and had a thin krausen.

That beer was an Irish Red and tasted really great when I kegged it just a few days ago, so I saved some yeast and used it for a 1.070 IPA yesterday. Second generation was beginning to form krausen by evening and has been churning away at 63 degrees, threatening blow off today.

 

[skw]

Say what you want, this yeast is different from US-05. I'm getting muted hops and a very delicious pineapple aroma. I wouldn't call this yeast neutral, at least not when fermenting at 21C ambient. Gentle is what it would call it.

 

[orangemen5]

Say what you want, this yeast is different from US-05. I'm getting muted hops and a very delicious pineapple aroma. I wouldn't call this yeast neutral, at least not when fermenting at 21C ambient. Gentle is what it would call it.

I think you fermented it to high. 21c I think is 70f. Your actual ferm temp was prob 75-78. Danstars website says ferments clean up to 78f Max temp ( too high in my opinion. I Would never ferment that high) Optimum temp is 63- 72.

 

[skw]

Taste test says I fermented just right. Since someone mentioned earlier in the thread that this yeast stalled somewhere below 65-68°F, if I remember correctly, I wanted to let it stay on the higher side. And I was curious what "clean up to 78f" really means.

Another batch is fermenting at 17°C ambient right now, just to get a feel for how this yeast behaves at different temperatures.

 

[Puddlethumper]

I've used this yeast quite a lot and like it. It's "happy place" seems to be in the 65-68F range. I liked the descriptive "gentle" used above. This yeast doesn't produce a big rolling fermentation but it is working just fine, even without a lot of show. Almost any American ale is a good fit including cream, amber, IPA and APA.

 

[PicKeM]

Taste test says I fermented just right. Since someone mentioned earlier in the thread that this yeast stalled somewhere below 65-68°F, if I remember correctly, I wanted to let it stay on the higher side. And I was curious what "clean up to 78f" really means.

Another batch is fermenting at 17°C ambient right now, just to get a feel for how this yeast behaves at different temperatures.

I find this reassuring.

I rehydrated two packets of BRY-97 for 24L of a lightly hopped pale ale (Australian Little Creatures Bright Ale clone). I probably overpitched a slight bit. I pitched at 21*C.

Airlock pressure was evident within ~8 hours. Airlock bubbling began at ~18 hours. Stick-on thermometer read 21-22*C. When I woke up the following morning the thermometer was reading 26*C (78*F) and fermentation was vigorous so I submerged the fermenter in an ice bath and brought the temp back down to 21-22*C. Bubbling was complete within ~60 hours of pitching.

I suppose I'll find out whether Northern Brewer is correct that BRY-97 produces a clean taste up to 78*F.

 

[Wrinkletusk]

I'm on my 5th batch with Bry-97, and all have been from packet and rehydrated as per instructions. 24-48 hour lag on all batches, but on a three week fermentation schedule it doesn't impact me that much. All batches have attenuated to 80-83% (mashed 149-152 depending on batch). I bottle, and the yeast cements itself to the bottom of the bottle after 48+ hours in the fridge, so I get a 95%+ pour from the bottle. I'm very happy with it now that I know what to expect from it.

I'm going to try my first top cropping later today, and plan to use it for a few generations to see what difference it makes. I'll report in when I pitch each subsequent generation.

 

[skw]

Bottled my 2nd batch with BRY-97 today. Generous pitch from harvested yeast, fermented at 17°C, raised to 20°C after a week. It has great attenuation (12°P -> 2.0°P) without drying out the beer, no off-flavors that I could tell. Or any other yeast flavor that I would be able to tell through the 30 IBU Amarillo hop burst in this pale ale.

 

[catdaddy66]

Making a starter with bry-97 now. It will be pitched late tomorrow into my APA.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Wrinkletusk]

I'm going to try my first top cropping later today, and plan to use it for a few generations to see what difference it makes. I'll report in when I pitch each subsequent generation.

Brew day for me yesterday, and I pitched the slurry from my first top crop at 3pm. It's now 6:30am and krausen formed sometime during the night. Fermenting at 17c/62f.

 

[skw]

Bottled my 2nd batch with BRY-97 today. Generous pitch from harvested yeast, fermented at 17°C, raised to 20°C after a week. It has great attenuation (12°P -> 2.0°P) without drying out the beer, no off-flavors that I could tell. Or any other yeast flavor that I would be able to tell through the 30 IBU Amarillo hop burst in this pale ale.

And from the bottle to the glass. Not fully carbed yet after 1 week, but good enough for a taste test. Loving this yeast so far. Very clean fermentation, dropped clear (not as quick as S-04, but much better than US-05) and while muting the bitterness, it still left plenty of aroma from the late hops. I'll definitely be using this again.

 

[Zepth]

Just bottled up a side by side batch comparing BRY-97 and US-05. Planning on doing a half-lengthy write up after they're bottle carbed and chilled. Some quick notes below.

-Attenuation exactly the same.
-US-05 clearer without gelatin or cold crash. BRY-97 has "crashed" slowly for me in the past after kegging, but I have a warm keezer (10C ~ 50F).
-Hydrometer samples very similar taste, difficult to be fair with the yeast in suspension.

 

[Orthobrewsky]

"Quick start and vigorous fermentation, which can be completed in 4 days above 17 °C."---Lallemand


44 hours and all is calm at 17.8 *C:

View attachment 232027

I am not amused.

The beer referenced above was an Irish red which turned out delicious when I tapped it after about 3 weeks. I harvested some of the yeast for a 1.070 IPA which started fermenting quite quickly. I kegged that Saturday, using carbonator caps to carb approximately a quart which wouldn't fit in the keg. Those bottles were already enjoyed and declared to be excellent IPA. The red cleared about as quickly, perhaps a tad faster, than my S-05 beers usually do.

I'm certainly happy with the way the beers turned out, though the lag time was much more than I've ever experienced, even in the many lagers I've started in the mid 40s.

 

[Wrinkletusk]

Brew day again on Thursday just passed. 2nd gen top crop slurry pitched at 3pm; small krausen formed by 6:30am Friday. Fermenting at 17c. Pitching from slurry is definitely the way to go if you don't want the lag from a dry/rehydrated pitch.

 

[FatDragon]

Just pitched my first BRY-97 batch a couple days ago - 1.087 OG Black IPA - two packets for 5.5 gallons, sprinkled dry. Temps were around 17 celsius in the first 24 hours, and there was already krausen when I woke up about 14 hours after pitch. Due to a glitch with my STC-1000, it reached temps up to 24 celsius the second night of fermentation, but it's running back around 18 now. Judging by the frequency of the fridge kicking on to cool it back down, especially given the ambient temp is about 14, it's been a very active fermentation. We'll find out where it gets us in a few weeks.

Question: is it possible that this is the same yeast as 1332 Northwest Ale? My wacky Chinese online brew shop sells repackaged bulk yeast and recently started carrying retail packets as well. For a year or so now, they've had a dry yeast they identify as 1332, and now they're carrying BRY-97 in retail packets too. Since they sound fairly simiar, it's made me wonder if they're the same yeast and the "1332 Northwest Ale" yeast my brew shop repackages is actually BRY-97 and they're just relabeling it to attract more customers by offering an "expanded" selection. If so, I could save a couple bucks per packet by going with the repackaged bulk yeast versus the retail packs.

 

[titansvol]

Going to brew 6 gallons of pale ale with an OG of 1.059. Do i need to pitch 1 or 2 packs of bry-97?

 

[govner1]

BRY-97 should be West Coast IPA.
I've used it on a few IPA brews & it was excellent. I did, however, rehydrate before pitching.

 

[Orthobrewsky]

The beer referenced above was an Irish red which turned out delicious when I tapped it after about 3 weeks. I harvested some of the yeast for a 1.070 IPA which started fermenting quite quickly. I kegged that Saturday, using carbonator caps to carb approximately a quart which wouldn't fit in the keg. Those bottles were already enjoyed and declared to be excellent IPA. The red cleared about as quickly, perhaps a tad faster, than my S-05 beers usually do.

I'm certainly happy with the way the beers turned out, though the lag time was much more than I've ever experienced, even in the many lagers I've started in the mid 40s.

I ended up entering the Irish Red, in which the BRY-97 took 2.5 days to start, in the Heart of Dixie Open. It placed second and scored 42.5, just half a point behind the wee heavy which went on to win best of show. It was a 1.044 beer.

 

[pvtschultz]

Going to brew 6 gallons of pale ale with an OG of 1.059. Do i need to pitch 1 or 2 packs of bry-97?

You can pitch one packet, but be prepared for a slight (24-48 hour) delay for krausen to form. I would personally pitch two or do a small starter (500 ml) to get things started before pitching.

This has been my go-to dry ale yeast for more than a year now. I've pretty much have always had good luck with it. Except for one of my last batches, which I write off as user error.

I ferment in a temperature controlled freezer which is one of the best investments that I have made in brewing (behind going electric and using RO water). I recently bought a new home which required a fair amount of renovating before we moved in. By the time that I was ready to brew again, it had been 7 months and I was well out of home brew and had the noobie itch. So I whipped up a batch of my favorite Amber Ale, pitched a packet of BRY-97 and let it go. The krausen collapsed after about a week and I got in a hurry and cold crashed it at 7-10 days. I ended up locking in the yeast produced diacetyl into the beer flavor profile.

I normally ferment for three weeks, cold crash, and then keg. This process has always allowed the yeast to clean up after themselves and leave me with clean beer. This particular batch was a fluke, but to me confirms some of the earlier comments in the thread about diacetyl. The lesson for today is to allow "secondary" fermentation time with this yeast, especially I suspect with under-pitching with a single packet of yeast.