Do you know any quality commercial breweries using dry yeast in the beers?

[Finlandbrews]

I think it is hard to know but I want to know if any world class brewery or beer can be created with dry yeast? A friend of mine starts a 15 bbl brewery with 10 times 15 barrels fermenters and he is planning to brew only with dry yeast? The Market in my country is not as competitive and skilled as yours even if breweries per capita is about the same as in USA and I'm thinking "can he make world class beer with dry yeast?"!

If not, could anybody explain what are the reasons for dry yeast not to have the ability to do excellent beers over liquid yeast?

 

[m00ps]

well in the case of say US-05 vs WY1056 vs WLP001, the US-05 is much cheaper and easier to store. If they perform similarly, its a no brainer

 

[estricklin]

Yeast is yeast, it's packaging form given similar strains shouldn't make any difference.

 

[Grannyknot]

Parkway Brewing, in VA, uses dry US-05.

But for a commercial brewery, with a proper laboratory, you really aren't buying new yeast very often, so its very rare you would be pitching dry yeast.

 

[Finlandbrews]

Parkway Brewing, in VA, uses dry US-05.

But for a commercial brewery, with a proper laboratory, you really aren't buying new yeast very often, so its very rare you would be pitching dry yeast.

Thanks I'll have a look at that brewery s website and beer ratings if there are...

So, could we say that harvesting from dry yeast would bring poorer quality with more unhealthy "material" for proper fermentations? And therefore it is less profitable to make beer with dry yeast too?

 

[m00ps]

dry vs liquid really has nothing to do with the health of the yeast. Thats mostly age and storage. The variety of strains in liquid yeasts is why most brewers use that I think. Also, the 2 largest liquid yeast providers are American, where the largest dry yeast makers are in Europe

 

[maddcow]

I dont know what they use now but 21st amendment used to use us05. I remember them mentioning it on an old episode of Can You Brew It podcast

 

[FirstAidBrewing]

I've seen posts on ProBrewer from breweries that state they use 05. So, yes. They typically let it ride between 4 and 6 generations before tossing.

 

[Finlandbrews]

I've seen posts on ProBrewer from breweries that state they use 05. So, yes. They typically let it ride between 4 and 6 generations before tossing.

Very interesting! I thought I read dry yeast was less prone to harvesting but that might just be a myth then. Thanks!

 

[m00ps]

its a myth. That advice is from the yeast manufacturer. Think about it. Are they going to advise you somethign that will result in you not buying more yeast?

Its just as viable for harvesting as any yeast

 

[BroStefan]

Commercial mead makers typically use dry yeast. Just saying.

 

[joshesmusica]

as moops said, the type of yeast doesn't determine whether it's healthy enough to harvest, the type of fermentation does (and everything that affects the fermentation).

 

[Calder]

I thought I read somewhere that JP uses T-58 as their base yeast.

 

[Calichusetts]

I know one that makes pretty good beer. I know another that uses either dry or liquid depending on the style of beer. I dont think it really matters.

Liquid just gives you more options. After a little experimentation with fermentation temps and different strains, its very easy to get a signature house yeast profile with liquid.

 

[Grannyknot]

Thanks I'll have a look at that brewery s website and beer ratings if there are...

I doubt somebody's arbitrary beer ratings are going to give you much intel about their yeast pitching practices.

So, could we say that harvesting from dry yeast would bring poorer quality with more unhealthy "material" for proper fermentations? And therefore it is less profitable to make beer with dry yeast too?

Not at all. This is where the QC lab comes into play. Doing accurate cell counts & determining healthy yeast or not, along with measuring DO, diacetyl, etc are what makes consistent product, and often times, good beer.

Parkway has a fantastic lab, on par with what you would see in a much larger brewery. I know because I built it.

 

[BobBailey]

My youngest daughter works for a small brewery in Oregon and they use dry yeast exclusively and produce some very fine beers. Treated properly, dry yeast is every bit as good as liquid. The main difference is lack of variety of dry yeasts.

 

[pdxal]

My youngest daughter works for a small brewery in Oregon and they use dry yeast exclusively and produce some very fine beers. Treated properly, dry yeast is every bit as good as liquid. The main difference is lack of variety of dry yeasts.

Which one?

 

[cyanmonkey]

Allagash (from my understanding) bottle conditions with T-58.

I was scared of dry yeast because I believed the mantra that dry yeast wasn't as good as liquid. I tried it and was on a dry yeast kick for about 6 months. They perform just as well, it's cheaper, and easier to handle. There is less variety, which is an issue.

 

[BobBailey]

Which one?

Gilgamesh in Salem.

 

[pdxal]

Gilgamesh in Salem.

Thanks!
This is a good example- it can be done with dry yeast, but breweries using dry yeast may have to compete by not making yeast-driven beers, instead using malt/adjunct and hop/spice ingredients to differentiate themselves.

 

[cyanmonkey]

Thanks!
This is a good example- it can be done with dry yeast, but breweries using dry yeast may have to compete by not making yeast-driven beers, instead using malt/adjunct and hop/spice ingredients to differentiate themselves.

What do you mean? Many breweries use a house strain, such as Cal Ale. Unless they're doing a specialty beer, I don't see why someone couldn't just use US-05 for everything and make the same beer as someone using 001.

 

[Calichusetts]

Belle saison is a beast. High alc tolerance. Fast. High attenuation.

 

[serum]

Not 100% sure of the accuracy of this but I've read that Struise Brouwers use T-58 in Pannepot and I think Kernel in London uses US05 in some of theirs and their beers are pretty well regarded over here.

 

[pdxal]

What do you mean? Many breweries use a house strain, such as Cal Ale. Unless they're doing a specialty beer, I don't see why someone couldn't just use US-05 for everything and make the same beer as someone using 001.

I'm just saying that Cal Ale/US-05 isn't going to be the primary flavor in a beer. Breweries could use dry like that for IPAs where the predominant flavor is hops, or some dry yeasts where the beer is malt focused. A Saison, Belgian, and many British beers that feature or are characterized by yeast driven flavors probably aren't going to be possible for a brewery using only dry yeast, that's all.

 

[mikescooling]

How many breweries are under 10BBL's and have labs? Not many. How many order yeast and reuse that yeast, in many, many, ways? A lot. So IMHO, every small brewery should have several pounds of it stashed away as a plan B, so they can get product out the door.
I had a hard time buying a pound of dry yeast, my friend with a commercial account got it for me.