can you use bread yeast ?

[newhomebrewer2014]

I've been looking on everyones very helpful threads but i have a question - what if you don't have access to all the brewers yeasts etc - are there any recipes that use bread yeast you could buy in any supermarket ? has anyone got tips on how to recreate the necessary equipment too ?

 

[Tombstone0]

If you don't have access to brewers yeast you can use bread yeast. The only recipe that I know of that uses bread yeast specifically is JAOM which is a mead.
The problem with bread yeast is that you don't know it's brewing properties and it might not be as clean as brewers yeast. You don't know what kind of flavors or attenuation it will give you.
My recommendation would be to try a recipe that's fairly low gravity and that calls for a neutral yeast. Then ferment it on the cool side, low to mid 60s, to reduce the flavors from the yeast. If it has trouble attenuating at those temps raise it a few degrees.

 

[PGEduardo]

Even though it is possible, you more than likely will have to do a lot of trial and error to find a good method.

I would just order some packets of dry yeast and harvest after fermentation. You obviously have the internet, so unless you're deployed overseas or something I'd say it's worth the week shipping delay.

Good luck!

 

[phug]

Alternately. wash and then juice a few whole organic apples. Cut off any bruised or brown or questionable bits first. Use that as a starter to make sure you harvested from wild yeast from the apples. If that's bubbling and smells good, pitch it into your must.

This will be much less predictable than purchasing cultured yeast, and may give better results than bread yeast, and may not.

 

[hunter_le five]

Can you use bread yeast? Sure. Would I recommend it? No.

Three reasons:
1) Poor flocculation - Bread yeast does not settle very well. It takes a long time to do so, and even with cold-crashing, getting the bread yeast out of your beverage is kind of a PITA. Once cleared, the slightest disturbance (ex, moving the fermentation vessel even slightly) will cause much of the yeast to get kicked back up into the beverage. You have to rack extremely carefully as well when transferring to bottles, lest you get a bunch of spent yeast in the bottles. Bottled bread yeast might actually have some health benefits, but it doesn't taste great and ruins the visual appeal of your final product.

2) Poor Attenuation - It's fine if you want a sweet drink, but I prefer my ciders on the dry side, and bread yeast often craps out before achieving desired attenuation. Of course this is a matter of preference.

3) Flavor - again, this is a matter of preference, but the flavors imparted by actual brewing yeast are much better, in my opinion.

If you literally have access to nothing else, by all means, use the bread yeast. But if you can, try a proper cider yeast, or even ale yeast (I prefer ale yeasts myself). Some others like wine or champagne yeasts.

If there are no HomeBrew Shops where you live, you can order dry or liquid brewing yeast online for a reasonable price.

Where are you located that you can't get proper yeast? Or are you another one of those 16 year old kids trying to make hooch in his closet without mommy and daddy finding out? Sorry, we get those from time to time.

As far as equipment, a food-grade plastic bucket can work just fine, or a glass jug (think the Carlos Rossi wine jugs) if you're on a budget. Just make sure you have a way to vent the excess gas produced during fermentation, otherwise the fermenter will burst and make a huge mess.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

+1 to what Hunter said. Dry wine yeast is about $1 at any homebrew shop in the USA. Ale yeast is about $6. If there is no homebrew shop nearby, you can always order it online & it'll be delivered to your door.
Save the bread yeast for baking & use a brewing strain of yeast for brewing.
Regards, GF.

 

[podz]

The only recipe that I know of that uses bread yeast specifically is JAOM which is a mead.

Millions of Finns ferment Sima every year with a 20 cent packet of fresh bread yeast from the corner grocery store. My wife's Sima is super good. She does a day or two primary, then secondary in wine bottles with "fly off rubber caps" (puts the caps back on each day if they have flown off). Sima is normally 2-3% ABV if you drink it within two weeks of starting it (takes about 1 week to finish), but she made so many bottles this year that by the time we drank the last ones they were as strong as cider.

Sahti is also made from Finnish bread yeast, and it is usually between 7-10% ABV.

 

[cthomas]

Don't have access to yeast?

You can order it online from Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_n...d-keywords=cider+yeast&rh=i:aps,k:cider+yeast

10 packs of Red Star Champagne yeast is only $5.50.

If Amazon doesn't ship to where you are I am sure there are other online places that will.

 

[firerat]

If you were more experienced (I'm guessing you new by the name) then I'd say heck yeah give it a whirl and post the results.

But seeing as you are new, what you will likely end up with using bread yeast is something less than spectacular (likely not definitely) and it may steer you away from the hobby.

Get some ale yeast man. As stated above, you have the internet. Yeast can be had.

Making beer is easy. Bread yeast will result in beer. Whether you want to drink it or not, well.....

EDIT: Yeah, I just realized i was in a cider forum....oops....

 

[lolznrofls]

I did a gallon bread yeast batch along side a gallon of red star champaign yeast..the difference was tremendous. .and the bread yeast took forever to clear as stated above..but it was drinkable. ..well atleast to my tastebuds before I figured out how to brew some really good stuff.

 

[Pataka]

I've only ever made one batch with bread yeast. I think that probably says a lot.

The taste was like alcoholic cordial. It's hard to describe what was wrong with it, but there was a lot of some particular flavour that just got to me after a while. Some have said it tastes 'doughy' but I didn't think so. It was kind of like bad orange juice had been added through it.

 

[lolznrofls]

Best recipes for good brews all use good yeast and the right temps with a little patience..ok..alot of patience. Good ingredient= good brew

 

[RachmaelBenApplebaum]

Used Fleischmanns a few times, usually attenuates in the 60's-70's up to about 12%, racking is a pain but if you can wait or have finings it's not bad at all. I have a gallon of mead made with "bakers honey" or melters honey, the crap that caramelizes in the extraction process which is sold cheaply by local producers and bread yeast. I called it the "sneaky baker" and while it was pretty gross at first, it got you where you wanted to be, after 3 years its become a pretty tasty beverage to be enjoyed in very small quantities, like a digestif. Forget the haters, it works, maybe not to the expectations of more advanced brewers (never used it since myself, but, in a pinch? sure) and you'll get SOMETHING out of it.

 

[lolznrofls]

If you ask me it would probably be worth your time to get some good yeast..you can order from northern brewer, midwest, Austin homebrew, or hell sometimes Amazon has good deals on stuff..

 

[MarkKF]

Amazon! Yeast will be at your door in two days. Making cider with substandard yeast makes substandard cider. Why bother? Better than that fresh pick some fruit, grind it up and let the wild yeast do the job.


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