Dry vs Liquid yeast

[CanAusBrewer]

I normally wash and reuse my yeast and place it in labeled jars in the fridge. I have only ever used dry yeast, and some may say that it's silly to recycle dry yeast because it is so cheap. I live in Australia, the land of inflated prices, so every bit counts.

I understand that most people like to reuse their liquid yeast using this method, and liquid yeast also differs in that you get a much smaller population in a vial than you would in a package of dry yeast and therefore have to make a starter.

What I was wondering, is there something fundamentally different between the yeast strains that are able to be sold in liquid vs dry form? Why wouldn't manufacturers just make dry yeast for every strain? Would this not be easier and more convenient?

 

[Hammy71]

For me personally, I would love if all yeast strains came in a dried form. Some do, but most don't. I have no idea why. Excellent question, and hopefully we both can learn from others answering your post.

 

[mdindy]

If I am not mistaken, it is because the process to dehydrate dry yeast is too harsh for most strains and will cause too much damage to the cells, so they are just not available as dry yeast. Dry yeast works great, but there are certain styles that will really be enhanced by a certain yeast strain that will cater to that particular style.

 

[kh54s10]

I believe mdindy is correct. Some also claim to tell a big difference between US05, WY1056 and WL001. They are all the same strain but the way they are handled must make some difference.

Reusing dry yeast is not a bad idea. Even here where dry yeast is $3-$6, if you reuse it that is $3-$6 in your pocket instead of in the hands of others.

 

[Oginme]

I normally wash and reuse my yeast and place it in labeled jars in the fridge. I have only ever used dry yeast, and some may say that it's silly to recycle dry yeast because it is so cheap. I live in Australia, the land of inflated prices, so every bit counts.

The statement that it is 'silly' to harvest dry yeast is very specific to your source of yeast. I can certainly see in your case that it would be beneficial and cost effective to harvest your yeast. In my case, the cost of a packet of dry yeast is so relatively cheap, that the cost of time and energy to rinse and store (freeze or slant) a dry yeast strain is far greater than the cost of a new packet.

OTOH, if I were harvesting and pitching the rinsed yeast right away (within a couple of weeks) into a new batch, I'd do it.

 

[beergolf]

There are many more strains of yeast available in liquid form. I use dry often when the strains available meet my needs. In the last couple of years new dry strains have come out,making for a bigger selection. However there are just some strains you have to buy as liquid.

I brew a lot of Belgians and Saisons. Recently a dry saison yeast hase come out that works very well. Belle Saison is a beast and is easy to use. I still prefer the flavor of 3724 for Saisons but use Belle Saison occasionally for a change of pace. I have not tried the newer Belgian Abbey dried yeasts available, mostly because I have used the liquid versions so much I know exactly what to excpect and how they ferment the best.

I am sure that if it was easy to dery yeasts and was profitable there would be more dry offerings.

 

[BigFloyd]

Once dry yeast is rehydrated, it becomes liquid yeast (with some sterols in there to assist reproduction). Harvesting and reusing is the same for both.

Unless I'm going for something style-specific, using dry and precisely managing fermentation temps works quite well. No doubt my poor stirplate has been feeling rather lonely of late.

 

[unionrdr]

Good question. I agree that there must be some viability concern involved that prevents some of the liquid offerings from coming in dried form? Or maybe it could be something to do with a particular yeast's needs in terms of preserving it's viability? It might be interesting to ask the yeast farmers this question via e-mail?

 

[CanAusBrewer]

A lot of interesting ideas and valid points. I emailed the question to Wyeast so I will post the reply on here when I get a response.

 

[CanAusBrewer]

This is the response I got:

Hi Matt,

Thanks for your questions.

Not all strains of brewing yeast, wild yeast, or bacteria respond well to the dehydration process, so liquid cultures are the only option for many strains.

Additionally, the scale of dehydration equipment is very big - dried yeast must be produced in very large lots, which also puts a limit on the selection of strains available in dried format.

A yeast starter is never a bad idea, but to the point about cell counts - I think it's important to compare apples to apples when looking at a live, active culture vs. a one where the cells aren't just dormant but dessicated. Dried yeast has an edge when it comes to shelf life, but improper storage is still a risk; and improper rehydration (which isn't a concern with liquid cultures) will still reduce the amount of cells delivered to the wort.

(Obviously, we're big believers in liquid yeast since we've been supplying it to homebrewers and craft brewers since 1986!)

I hope this helps give some insight - please let us know if you have any further questions or comments.

Cheers,

Michael
Wyeast Laboratories

 

[unionrdr]

So it looks like rehydration temperature is still a concern, depending on the yeast? I have seen different temps listed in PDF's about rehydration temps.

 

[MyCarHasAbs]

I don't have all the necessary tools to make a starter with liquid so I find rehydrating dry yeast to be so much easier.
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