One yeast for everything

[Backwoodsbrewing]

I Have been wondering how much flavor is imparted by yeast and does it really matter what yeast you ferment with. I have only brewed about six or seven batches so far. But would it be ok to not use Scottish ale yeast for a scotch ale and just use a rather neutral yeast with good attenuation if the grain determines the flavor, body and other aspects of a brew what is the point of using different yeast strains

 

[JonM]

Depends what you're making. If, for example, you want the banana/clove flavors of a hefeweizen, you really need hefeweizen yeast. But lots of folks here have a "house yeast" they use for beers that call for a neutral, clean yeast profile. Some of the big ones are S-04, 001/1056/US-05, 1272, and Scottish Ale yeast.

There are subtle differences between those yeasts and you can experiment to see what those differences are. A great way to do that is to make a batch and split it into different fermenters, and ferment each one with a different yeast and compare them later. It's pretty eye-opening.

 

[boydster]

Yeast can be a major flavor contributor and it also affects the mouthfeel of the beer. You can use any yeast you want to ferment any wort you want, and you'll get beer. You can also ferment the same wort in 2 different fermentors using different yeast and get 2 completely different beers. You can also do that using the same yeast for each fermentor and keep them at different temperatures - again, you'll get 2 different beers.

Try using a plain wort (just 2-row, or some light extract) with low hops. Ferment half the wort with US-05 and the other half with T-58. You'll notice a big difference, and the only different ingredient will be the yeast.

 

[aiptasia]

Ditto. If you ever get the pleasure of being near San Diego, CA, go and check out the White Labs brewing tour. During the tour, they will allow you to sample beers brewed with the same malt bill and different yeasts to compare what each strain brings to the finished beer. It can be surprising how much flavor variety you might find in your yeast strains.

To answer your question, yes you can use whichever yeast you want. However, as mentioned above, certain beers benefit from a particular flavor component from the yeast.

 

[Trox]

This might be a little off topic, but with yeast having a bit to do with the flavors and feel of the beer has anyone tried using 2 different strains in a single batch? Just curious if you could end up with some interesting flavors in your beers by doing that.

 

[unionrdr]

I use US-05 for most ales,but for fruity esters in English styles,the Cooper's 15g packet rehydrated does the job & is highly flocculent. but for hybrid lagers,I like WL029 kolsh yeast. The WY3056 Bavarian wheat blend is a good one for making clean tasting wheat ales.

 

[Backwoodsbrewing]

Wow so many replies I guess I know when to post to home brew talk lol. But you guys basically came up with the answer I was expecting. I have been visiting a lot of tap rooms lately. And so far they have pretty much told me they that they have a favorite go to yeast for everything.I could see how a commercial brewer would have as few as 3 or 4 yeast strains. For a multitude of brews. I am learning that brewing is a vast topic with no real limitations but the imagination of the brewer. The only problem I seem to be encountering is I would like improve my brewing but I have no outlet for my beer.

 

[duboman]

This might be a little off topic, but with yeast having a bit to do with the flavors and feel of the beer has anyone tried using 2 different strains in a single batch? Just curious if you could end up with some interesting flavors in your beers by doing that.

Yes, people have done this and there is really no problem in doing this, the only thing is predictability of what will come out of it as there is the possibility of one yeast dominating another. That's not to say the beer will be bad, it could wind up being quite great. The problem becomes being able to replicate the beer. There is a lot of variability that the next batch may not work the same way.

 

[ianw58]

I am learning that brewing is a vast topic with no real limitations but the imagination of the brewer. The only problem I seem to be encountering is I would like improve my brewing but I have no outlet for my beer.

Ah! NOW you understand the true joy of home brewing! The beer glass is an empty canvas that you fill properly only with your imagination.

You have a lifetime of learning and enjoyment ahead of you...

What do you mean by "...have no outlet for my beer..."? I share my beer with my friends. No one has ever turned my beer down after they've sampled one.

 

[rklinck]

Wow so many replies I guess I know when to post to home brew talk lol. But you guys basically came up with the answer I was expecting. I have been visiting a lot of tap rooms lately. And so far they have pretty much told me they that they have a favorite go to yeast for everything.I could see how a commercial brewer would have as few as 3 or 4 yeast strains. For a multitude of brews. I am learning that brewing is a vast topic with no real limitations but the imagination of the brewer. The only problem I seem to be encountering is I would like improve my brewing but I have no outlet for my beer.

Commercial brewers have economic reasons to limit the number of strains they use. Brewers reuse the yeast (the cost would be prohibitive to use it for one batch). They have to have a tank to store each strain they use. Thus, each new strain adds equipment costs.

 

[Backwoodsbrewing]

Ah! NOW you understand the true joy of home brewing! The beer glass is an empty canvas that you fill properly only with your imagination. You have a lifetime of learning and enjoyment ahead of you... What do you mean by "...have no outlet for my beer..."? I share my beer with my friends. No one has ever turned my beer down after they've sampled one.

very few of my friends drink. I need guinea pigs lol

 

[rklinck]

very few of my friends drink. I need guinea pigs lol

Get new friends.

 

[Malted_hops]

I have no outlet for my beer.

Keep looking between your legs, you'll find it.



Seriously, just make your batch sized to your needs. there are several threads about people doing 1 gal batches. This will give you about 6 - 9 beers. And work up from there.

 

[evrose]

Ditto. If you ever get the pleasure of being near San Diego, CA, go and check out the White Labs brewing tour. During the tour, they will allow you to sample beers brewed with the same malt bill and different yeasts to compare what each strain brings to the finished beer. It can be surprising how much flavor variety you might find in your yeast strains.

To answer your question, yes you can use whichever yeast you want. However, as mentioned above, certain beers benefit from a particular flavor component from the yeast.

I work about 5 miles from White Labs, and yes, it is a fascinating experience. The beers made with the same wort, but different yeast can be DRAMATICALLY different.

Remember, brewers make wort... yeast make beer.

 

[logan3825]

The yeast matters. Sometimes a lot less than others. I honestly use US-05 for most of the beer I make. In a hoppy beer any flavor the yeast impart is likely to be overpowered buy the hops.

 

[adiochiro3]

My wife and I toured White Labs last August, and we were able to sample four Kolsch beers made from the same batch of wort but fermented with four different yeasts. We were both amazed at how much difference yeast alone can make! You read about these things and wonder about them, but to experience it in person was really cool.

The taste profile variations could have convinced me that these beers were each from different planets. That's how much difference a yeast strain can make.

 

[progmac]

i think the only way you can really do a house strain is if you can control temperature. choose a strain with a temperature range from upper 58-62 to lower 70s. then adjust your fermentation temperature depending on what you are trying to make. i think the strains with the wider temperature range also display greater character variance from the lower temps to the upper temps. for example, wyeast 1028 is ultra clean at 60-63 and makes a great hoppy beer but above say 65 is most useful for malt-forward beers.

 

[BigFloyd]

i think the only way you can really do a house strain is if you can control temperature. choose a strain with a temperature range from upper 58-62 to lower 70s. then adjust your fermentation temperature depending on what you are trying to make. i think the strains with the wider temperature range also display greater character variance from the lower temps to the upper temps. for example, wyeast 1028 is ultra clean at 60-63 and makes a great hoppy beer but above say 65 is most useful for malt-forward beers.

+1. Not only does yeast strain play an important role, the temp at which you pitch/ferment will play an equally significant part.

You can take a common dry ale yeast like Nottingham, ferment with it in the 55-57*F range a few days and let it slow rise to 66*F to finish with a very clean lager-ish result. Take the same wort/yeast, pitch/hold it in the 65*F range and get a fruitier taste with more yeast character. If you, however, let it get just a few degrees F warmer (say, above 68*F) during active ferment, you'll start getting into funky, potentially unpleasant flavors.

It all depends on what it is you're trying to do. Making nice drinking ales to enjoy at home and share with friends? Just a few yeast strains (yes, even dry yeasts) can cover one heck of a lot of territory for that purpose. Or are you wanting brew something style-specific, for a comp, or a beer that may be peculiar to a certain strain or two?

The nice thing is that we have all of these wonderful options now available to us that home brewers 25-30 years ago could only dream of.

 

[BridgewaterBrewer]

The only problem I seem to be encountering is I would like improve my brewing but I have no outlet for my beer.

I have the same problem, not enough friends living nearby that are really into beer. Try to find a local homebrew club. Where do you live? Maybe someone on this forum can swap with you.

 

[Clonefan94]

This might be a little off topic, but with yeast having a bit to do with the flavors and feel of the beer has anyone tried using 2 different strains in a single batch? Just curious if you could end up with some interesting flavors in your beers by doing that.

This really wasn't an experiment, as much as a necessity. I was planning on brewing a regular IPA, with a gravity pushing the top limit. I either got my best efficiency ever or somewhere I screwed up the grain bill and put too much of something in. Either way, my gravity was higher than expected and put me into the IIPA range. Well, with 6 gallons of wort that I usually start with, I was a big nervous about pitching just one pack of US-05. I only had one, but had a pack of S-04 also on hand, so I rehydrated both and put them in.

Went through my normal fermentation control (Ice packs in soft cooler) and kept the wort right at 65 the whole time fermenting. When it was all done, the beer wasn't bad, just not my thing. It had a little fruitiness going on that wasn't what I wanted in an IPA, but was still more than drinkable. I had friends over one night, two of them are huge Wheat beer fans. One even swears he hates IPAs. I ended up serving them a flight of the 3 beers I had. The two wheat beer guys couldn't stop raving about the IPA. That's all they ended up drinking all night. Kept saying it was just what they were looking for, a Wheat IPA.

Now don't get me wrong, there are probably other variables that went into it all, but the yeast never did completely settle out and give me a clear beer like I normally get. And it produced one hell of a yeast cake. Also, it fermented out a few more points than expected than expected as well. Was supposed to finish at 1.016, but got all the way down to 1.011.

They keep asking me when I'm going to brew that one again, but so many things were so odd about that brew, just not sure I could ever repeat it. I may give it a shot though one of these days.

 

[BridgewaterBrewer]

Makes some sense, S04 is more fruity than S05 but settles better. I wonder if the 2 different yeast strains prevented each other from settling?

 

[boydster]

Is it terrible that every time I see this thread near the top of the list, in my head I hear "One yeast to rule them all..."?

 

[Backwoodsbrewing]

Well I guess we have run the gamut here with quite a few weighing in. Thanks to everyone who replied,I got the answer I was searching for. This info just makes me want to brew even more than before. I am In a constant search for the ultimate brew. My goal is to brew one of every style,to perfection. I have yet,to drink a beer that I did not like. Well there as that Nasty sour lambic other than that its game on.

 

[Backwoodsbrewing]

Is it terrible that every time I see this thread near the top of the list, in my head I hear "One yeast to rule them all..."?

Seen lord of the rings one time to many ? Lol

 

[boydster]

Seen lord of the rings one time to many ? Lol

Hehehe Too many?!! Not until I've seen it more times than I've read it!

 

[chrisonye1]

I woul youse brittish ale or cal ale. But yeat is a huge part of flavor profile. At this level i would not worry to much unless your brewing a heff or lager. QUOTE=Backwoodsbrewing;5687782]I Have been wondering how much flavor is imparted by yeast and does it really matter what yeast you ferment with. I have only brewed about six or seven batches so far. But would it be ok to not use Scottish ale yeast for a scotch ale and just use a rather neutral yeast with good attenuation if the grain determines the flavor, body and other aspects of a brew what is the point of using different yeast strains[/QUOTE]

 

[unionrdr]

Different yeast give off different esters. Then some accentuate the malt,others the hops.

 

[logan3825]

This really wasn't an experiment, as much as a necessity. I was planning on brewing a regular IPA, with a gravity pushing the top limit. I either got my best efficiency ever or somewhere I screwed up the grain bill and put too much of something in. Either way, my gravity was higher than expected and put me into the IIPA range. Well, with 6 gallons of wort that I usually start with, I was a big nervous about pitching just one pack of US-05. I only had one, but had a pack of S-04 also on hand, so I rehydrated both and put them in.

Went through my normal fermentation control (Ice packs in soft cooler) and kept the wort right at 65 the whole time fermenting. When it was all done, the beer wasn't bad, just not my thing. It had a little fruitiness going on that wasn't what I wanted in an IPA, but was still more than drinkable. I had friends over one night, two of them are huge Wheat beer fans. One even swears he hates IPAs. I ended up serving them a flight of the 3 beers I had. The two wheat beer guys couldn't stop raving about the IPA. That's all they ended up drinking all night. Kept saying it was just what they were looking for, a Wheat IPA.

Now don't get me wrong, there are probably other variables that went into it all, but the yeast never did completely settle out and give me a clear beer like I normally get. And it produced one hell of a yeast cake. Also, it fermented out a few more points than expected than expected as well. Was supposed to finish at 1.016, but got all the way down to 1.011.

They keep asking me when I'm going to brew that one again, but so many things were so odd about that brew, just not sure I could ever repeat it. I may give it a shot though one of these days.

If you ended up with a higher OG that would throw your beer off balance. GU/BU ratio is more important to how bitter a beer ends up than straight AAU. A higher OG would make the beer sweeter unless balanced out with more AA. There are a couple good hoppy wheat beers I can think of off hand that are not bitter but are plenty hoppy. Gumballhead and Little Sumpin' Sumpin'.

 

[jbaysurfer]

I Have been wondering how much flavor is imparted by yeast and does it really matter what yeast you ferment with. I have only brewed about six or seven batches so far. But would it be ok to not use Scottish ale yeast for a scotch ale and just use a rather neutral yeast with good attenuation if the grain determines the flavor, body and other aspects of a brew what is the point of using different yeast strains

Yeast matters my man. If all you want to do is brew really clean ales with no yeast character, you can probably get buy with just one yeast, but who wants to brew the same style all the time?

White Labs didn't manufacture all those variations merely to drive sales, they manufactured them because beer is that widely variable style to style and around the world. The right yeast is mandatory if you're brewing to style.

If you're just brewing what you like, this conversation is academic. If you like your Scotch Ale with an American Ale yeast instead of an Irish Ale yeast, brew it your way!

And fwiw, I do brew my Irish Stouts with SD Super (WLP 090) and have won a couple awards...so the substitution you're citing is indeed a viable one.

 

[hbtasdfg]

Changing yeasts is sort of a more advanced topic, once you have many batches done. This is why many beginners have a couple of go-to yeasts like safale us-05.

The bigger concern on your first batch is using a yeast that is robust and will be forgiving and still give you a decent result if you mess up and pitch directly wort that is 20 degrees hotter than it should be after you messed up some of the proportions of a couple ingredients in your recipe.

 

[Backwoodsbrewing]

Yeast matters my man. If all you want to do is brew really clean ales with no yeast character, you can probably get buy with just one yeast, but who wants to brew the same style all the time? White Labs didn't manufacture all those variations merely to drive sales, they manufactured them because beer is that widely variable style to style and around the world. The right yeast is mandatory if you're brewing to style. If you're just brewing what you like, this conversation is academic. If you like your Scotch Ale with an American Ale yeast instead of an Irish Ale yeast, brew it your way! And fwiw, I do brew my Irish Stouts with SD Super (WLP 090) and have won a couple awards...so the substitution you're citing is indeed a viable one.

no this a good way to pick up valuable information after I started this thread it made sense to me. Most of the tap rooms and microbreweries I have visited use a lot of the same yeast for everything and a lot of their beer taste the same "approachable". As I have been told. I would rather brew a porter that taste like a porter.