If you could only have 3 yeasts

[madscientist451]

I've "managed" a yeast bank at home for years, but most of it is getting somewhat tired, so I'm dumping it all and going forward want to simplify things and try to have just 3 yeast strains in the home "vault":
Kviek Lutra, WY 3118 for NEIPA and other ales, and WLP 090 San Diego Super Yeast for clean ales and high gravity brews. Ok, so I'll add to those three now and then with special yeast to make Kolsch, California Lager, or a Belgian Ale, or maybe an American Saison strain, but I want to drastically simplify everything and stick with just 3 yeast stains most of the time.
If you could pick 3 as your "favorites" what would you choose and why?

 

[matt_m]

1056/A07 would top my list. 1318/A38 would have to be on there. And probably Voss Kviek. All based on usage.

 

[Dr_Jeff]

American Saison

What's an American Saison strain? Belle Saison?

 

[Dr_Jeff]

White Labs WLP-530 - because I love Belgian beers and prefer this strain
Wyeast 3711 - it always performs and makes a delicious Saison
White Labs WLP-001 - its a clean general purpose yeast

I haven't tried the Kviek yeasts, but from what I hear and read they perform well.
I just don't have enough time to brew with my current job role.

 

[day_trippr]

fwiw, at my personal peak I was doing over-build starters to keep 1056, 1318, 3787, 2565 and 3724 running, most of those for a couple of years at a crack before starting over with fresh packs. But, mostly from my personal neipa craze along with Covid cutting visitors to the bone, I have cut down to just 1318 and 1056 and dropped the trappists, saisons and kolsches lately. I am hoping that Life will get closer to As We Knew It which will likely cause me to at least bring back the 2565 (the ladies seem to like kolsches ) and see what else happens. Such is the back-side of 10 gallon brewing: consumption rate matters lest one sits on a bunch of beer...

Cheers!

 

[fragged]

3 for the rest of my life? That really makes me think I've not tried enough yeasts. Sincerely, thanks for the post to get me to that thought. I'll try to keep in mind I get to also use "specialty" yeasts one I'm a while.

My list is based on versatility, I think I could use these nastier where life heads, even SHTF.

Wyeast 3711 - I think it covers alot of bases, saisons first and foremost. I also want to play with it, I think it could churn out a brut like NEIPA. And like it says in the Cottage House Saison thread, it would ferment a dirty sock down to 1.000

Kveik Lutra - That's to fill spots for anything clean to slightly fruity. I've not used it yet honestly but the vibes I get are thats its like notty but with a crazy temp range. To me that's important to have, just in case I can't temp control. It also works with super high gravity.

S-04 - Dry yeast, just in case. That's pretty much the sole reason, but I would also use it for anything I wanted a little sweeter.

Super fun question, thanks.

 

[bracconiere]

Nottingham - Room temp yeast
Saflager - when i don't feel like running the heater in the winter, and i need to ferment at 50f, because i HAVE too
WTF Ever yeast - They use for turbo yeast packs, for 16% sugar wash for alco pop

 

[Jayjay1976]

Three? I'd be happy brewing with 3522 Ardennes for the rest of my life. Characterful at warmer temps and lager-like in the low 60's, it's been my house strain for a few years. Estery or clean malty flavors, this yeast can do both.

If I had the luxury of a second and third strain, they'd be 1214 for Belgian ales and Kveik Lutra for everything else.

 

[bracconiere]

I'd be happy brewing with 3522

is that a star trek or stargate planet? lol

 

[bkboiler]

wlp835 - andechs strain
wlp565 - DuPont strain
wlp001 - California ale

hard to start a complex sours program with just 3 yeasts...but I suppose I could always harvest from the air...
actually I don't believe I've brewed with 835...just have had beer at andechs.

 

[jrgtr42]

I haven't yet played with any of the Kveik yeast - that's on the agenda for the summer -
So I'm going to go simple - wy1056 / wlp001 / s05 - simple California yeast - goes well with almost anything.
Irish Ale - I like this one a lot for porters and stouts, I tend to do a few of these, since SWMBO likes them, and happy wife = happy brewer.
One of the Abbey yeast strains - I have a couple recipes that use those, and varying pitch rate and fermentation temp can get a good range of ester formation.

 

[madscientist451]

What's an American Saison strain? Belle Saison?

Sorry, I was thinking of WLP 670 American Farmhouse
https://www.whitelabs.com/yeast-single?id=191&type=YEAST&style_type=5

 

[tbaldwin000]

Three? I'd be happy brewing with 3522 Ardennes for the rest of my life. Characterful at warmer temps and lager-like in the low 60's, it's been my house strain for a few years. Estery or clean malty flavors, this yeast can do both.

If I had the luxury of a second and third strain, they'd be 1214 for Belgian ales and Kveik Lutra for everything else.

Shhhhhh, keep it secret, people don't seem to realise how awesomely versatile 3522 is. Treat it right and, as you say, it can be very clean, it can pretend to be British (it makes uncannily similar British beer to the Adnams dual strain house yeast, but without all the Sulphur), it can of course be Belgian, and it is even a very potent biotransformation candidate for crazy hop soup.

 

[Snuffy]

Notty for Brits, Belle for saison, US-05 for IPAs, And then I gotta have WB-06 for hefe and at least BE-256 for Belgians ... I don’t like this game.

 

[bwible]

Depends on what you brew frequently and what you want to make. I’m not a NEIPA guy, I hate sours or anything Belgian. My tastes are for what the new generation calls “clean beers”. ( They say it with disdain and it speaks volumes that they seperate clear beer in their minds as its own category.) News flash: beer is supposed to be clean and clear. If it’s cloudy, sour, or infected then you made it wrong.

My 3 would be:
1. Something American - Wyeast 1056 or 1272
2. Something British - Wyeast 1099?
3. Something German - Wyeast 2124?

 

[Golddiggie]

I already use two strains for the majority of my brews. Actually due to limited availability of another strain I have some frozen for when I want to use it (if not available). Not sure how viable that is due to my freezer failing almost two months ago. Guess I'll need to do a starter set to see IF it's viable still and make some new tubes. Otherwise I'll just wait for it to be available and go through that process and freeze more tube sets for later use.

For current batches planned (plus going back through last year) I'm using:
Wyeast 1335
Wyeast 1318

The other yeast is Wyeast 1882-PC. I've used that in my mocha porter for the past batches and like what it does. I might change to 1318 for the next batch, depending on my stock viability and/or if it's available next quarter.

 

[odie]

I love simplicity but this is tough since it's very limiting...there are only 2 types of yeast, ale or lager, but many sub-styles within those two branches...

I do dry yeasts...gotta have an ale, gotta have a lager...gotta have specialties but only one

1. US-05 will cover most any ales that i do.
2. Some random lager yeast S-23 or 34/70. Probably the 34/70.

3. Probably the most unique and critical "specialty" yeast is a hefe. You really can't substitute anything else for this yeast.

Belgians you could make due with regular ale yeasts. Same with a Kolsch or German ale...

 

[bwible]

3. Probably the most unique and critical "specialty" yeast is a hefe. You really can't substitute anything else for this yeast.

I like hefeweizen but I do not brew it. First, I really only drink it in warm weather. Second, I am not mashing wheat. All the wheat beers I’ve ever made have been with wheat DME. Third, I’d have a real hard time finding a second style to use this yeast for.

So every summer, I just buy wheat beer to keep it simple. The Germans make it better than I ever could anyway.

This strain is what Alton Brown calls a “unitasker”. I have no place for unitaskers.

 

[monkeymath]

I've been brewing for a couple of years now, about once a month, trying different styles and different yeast strains - and still I feel like I've only scratched the surface of the broad range of yeast strains. And I've hardly compared any two side by side so I could really judge which one I liked better.

So just some three yeasts where I truly loved the beer they produced:
- Wyeast 3522 Belgian Ardennes: as @Jayjay1976 said, it makes amazing beer and doesn't have any demands on a particular environment
- Wyeast 1469 West Yorkshire: characterful British yeast that gives a soft mouthfeel and a crisp finish
- for my third yeast, I'd probably take some Lager yeast, but I haven't yet found a favorite strain here. Maybe I'll just take WLP 029 German Ale here, which could work for a variety of "clean" styles.

GOD DAMMIT now I cannot brew saisons anymore!! Three yeasts is hard!!

 

[bwible]

now I cannot brew saisons anymore!! Three yeasts is hard!!

I suppose there’s always open fermentation/wild yeast for the adventurous

 

[Beermeister32]

If only 3 in the yeast library ....

W34/70 for lagers
US05 for American ales
Nottingham for British ales

All are dry, you can keep a stock in the refrigerator and keep the entire yeast cake in a sanitized Snapple Ice Tea half gallon jug until you can wash the yeast or decide what to do with it.

 

[madscientist451]

I like it, nice and simple, I don't wash my saved yeast anymore, but I could still re-pitch a few times. Do you prefer Nottingham over S-O4?

 

[beersk]

I'd go with:
Wy1084 for UK styles
Wy2206 for lagers
Wy1007 for clean ales

It'd be tough not having access to Wy3068 for hefeweizens, but I really only brew one or two a year. I could do without it.

 

[Gnomebrewer]

Hmm, can I include a yeast blend?
WY1318 or 1272 or WLP041 for almost anything American, Irish or British.
WY3522 for Belgians and works for wit-like beer at a push
Yeast Bay Lochristi blend for adding funk

But then no more lagers. No more hefeweizens. No Saisons.
This is stressful. Even though it's only hypothetical.

 

[Twinkeelfool]

Wlp 029 is my favourite all round yeast for hoppy pales, blondes etc

Belgian I think would be 3726, easy to work with a makes a nice saison

wy 2042 or wlp 835 German lager x for lagers.

 

[Beermeister32]

I like Nottingham. Always good results with Nottingham.

 

[Bramling Cross]

Imperial Pub
WY 1469 or WY 2112, either is fine
S-189

 

[Gnomebrewer]

I like Nottingham. Always good results with Nottingham.

It's not as good as Roeselare

 

[ThatVideoKid]

Voss - Workhorse yeast. Can be "clean enough" for a wide variety of styles, or expressive if you want.

3711 - I ******* love saison.

1469 - DEM

Bonus Augmentations: co-pitch some goodbelly for sour or Orval dregs into the keg for funk.

 

[AzOr]

Imperial L13 - for all lagers
Imperial Dieter - for hoppy pales and others
Notty - Because it's a classic and a workhorse for British beers and pales.

If I lived in a warmer climate I would have to swap out Notty for Lutra kveik.