I love liquid yeast. It serves a wonderful purpose. But dry yeast is perfectly fine if you know what to do with it. If you are brewing more than 5 gallons use liquid yeast to make a starter. If you are brewing a smaller batch of high OG use liquid yeast for a starter. But if you are brewing a 5 gallon batch of normal OG what's wrong with dry yeast? I brewed with a guy today and watched him pitch a raw vial of liquid yeast into a 1.050 wort and I thought "what a waste". That could have been used on a starter for a big beer or even to make a starter to split and use on two batches. I feel like people look down on dry yeast like its inferior. I've pitched properly hydrated yeast into a five gallon wort and reharvested several times with great results. Time to stick up for our dry brethren. Your thoughts on dry yeast? Successes? Failures?
Quit hatin on dry yeast
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boydster
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With the many choices for dry yeast available, and the high quality, it is perfectly fine IMO and not at all inferior to use dry yeast. However, there are a TON of liquid yeast strains that aren't available as dry yeast, and sometimes those are just what you need for a particular recipe.
I guess what I'm saying is each has its place, and neither should be looked down upon. It's up to the brewer to make the most of whatever he/she uses.
I guess what I'm saying is each has its place, and neither should be looked down upon. It's up to the brewer to make the most of whatever he/she uses.
Shenanigans
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I think you have confused the positives and negatives of dry and liquid yeast a little.
The main reason people diss dry yeast is because of it's flavour profile and lack of choice. The great advantage of dry yeast is that it has a high number of viable cells and when stored properly the viability remains high for a long time making it not necessary to make a starter even for a high gravity beer and if the gravity is too high for one pack two packs will cost less than one liquid yeast vial for which you will have to make a starter for anyway.
So basically convenience and price are the main advantages.
Depending on the style of beer dry yeast can give as good results as a liquid yeast. US-05 for an IPA for example. However for some beer styles there is no acceptable dry version to give you the results you would get with a liquid yeast - lots of Belgian and English style beers for example. I myself use mostly dry yeast mainly because I only started brewing a year ago and there are so many beers on my to brew list for which dry yeast is perfectly good for that I don't need to step over to liquid yeast just yet. However sometime soon I will have to because the dry version is not available for all styles I want to brew. Finally - you can also make a starter from a dry yeast if you only have one pack and it is not enough for the beer you want to brew.
Dry yeast is the spawn of Satan!
catdaddy66
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I'll definitely use other yeasts, but I love me some Notty and us-04 & 05! Pretty much my house yeasts for the last couple of years.
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Better variety with liquid yeast. Don't see a problem with pitching a vial of liquid yeast for a 1.050 beer. I also harvest from the top crop and reuse the yeast at least 4-5 times. I'd say I get my $7 worth.
Show me a good trappist yeast in dry form and I'd side with you completely. Problem is, there's a limited number of strains. Doesn't mean it's a bad choice, but since I'm used to liquid yeast I'll always use WLP001 over Safale-05. I don't mind spending the extra on it since I only need to make the first starter. I get plenty from the harvest each time to directly pitch.
LLBeanJ
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That's pretty much my sentiment as well. I don't buy much yeast, but when I do it's liquid. As an example, I bought a vial of WLP001 a couple of years ago. I think it was around March or April of 2012. I brewed a batch with it and have since brewed 14 or 15 subsequent batches from its offspring and I'll brew a few more with it before the year is up.
Erroneous
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Dry yeast also ships and stores better than liquid. I think dry got a bad rep because for so long it was very low quality and often contaminated. These days though it is very high quality and comes with way more cells than liquid yeast.
I'm hoping White Labs or Wyeast will start providing dry yeast for their most popular specialty strains. I think homebrewers tend to be better off using US-05 over California Ale because you can:
- Not risk infection from a starter
- Buy your yeast online in the south in the summer without much worry about viability
- Buy your ingredients in the morning and pitch that afternoon (no waiting on a starter)
- Because a starter is absolutely necessary proper fermentation of normal gravity beers with typical liquid yeast cell counts, brewers who simply pitch smack packs or tubes right into the wort will have more stressed yeast than those that pitch a packet of dry
- Because of the increased shelf life of dry yeast, homebrew stores can have less waste and less infrastructure to store the yeast. Homebrew stores with less waste means higher profits, which means more stores. Of course, a shop could just keep liquid yeast around forever until it sells which would not make for the best yeast.
- Not have to invest extra time/money in equipment for yeast harvesting because it is cheap enough already.
Apples to apples, dry is nicer than liquid. Unfortunately there isn't the desired variety in dry yeast, so you're stuck with liquid for certain beers.
Dry yeast keeps getting better, some of the newish Mangrove Jack strains are solid, and of course s05 is a much beloved friend of mine. That being said, I go liquid a lot of the time when I'm not brewing something American.
zoomzilla
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I'm honestly surprised at such a positive response for dry yeast. I think that because pro brewers or homebrew celebrities preach liquid yeast starters so heavily that most home brewers think its the better option in every case. Fact is, they are different tools for use in different situations. I agree about liquid having more selection though.
Weezy
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I love dry lager yeast. One pack is perfect for small batches.
ph0ngwh0ng
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I love the practical side of dry yeast. Used 1 pack of Notty on a 1.070 beer and it got it down to 1.008 in 4 days!
I'd prefer to err on the safe side though with big beers and make a starter out of liquid yeast. Or reuse washed slurry from dry yeast. Frankly, you can even propagate dry (now liquid) yeast out of washed slurry and make big starters out of them, am I correct?
I'd prefer to err on the safe side though with big beers and make a starter out of liquid yeast. Or reuse washed slurry from dry yeast. Frankly, you can even propagate dry (now liquid) yeast out of washed slurry and make big starters out of them, am I correct?
If I could get every strain of liquid yeast in a dry form, I'd probably be an all dry yeast brewer. I don't mind making starters, fact I love to, but living here in the South I worry about liquid yeast viability during the summer months.
brewprint
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I recently started using liquid yeast and making large starters. I will take a mason jar and put some in there to make a starter again. After a while all stir plates and flasks will be paid for by not having to buy yeast again.
I have fermented side by side with US-05 and WLP001 a couple of times. Every time, the WLP001 finished faster, clears faster, and tastes better. I feel that dry yeast is really useful for newer brewers or those that do not feel comfortable with making a starter. Given the chance, I will always use liquid yeast, even when there is a dry alternative. My $.02.
Im not too far from you, is it hot as hell by you as well? It got up to 100 ish yesterday with the humidity yesterday.
LandoLincoln
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A single vial or packet of liquid yeast for a five gallon batch of 1.050 beer is seriously underpitched. You'd need 2 vials or packs for it to be pitched with a good supply of yeast. You'd also need about (2) 5-gram packets of dry yeast. Or you need to make a starter.
I don't have a problem with dry yeast. It's definitely cheaper than liquid yeast. But it's a bit of a pain to go through the hydrating process. I usually prefer to spend the extra money and go with the liquid yeast for the sake of more variety and convenience.
How is rehydration more work than a starter?
Only brews I don't use dry yeast on are Belgian beers. Dry yeast wins hands down on convenience and cost every time. So easy and awesome, us-05 and SafLager 34/70 are my go to's.
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Shenanigans
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This has raised a thought; to my knowledge the styles which (in most cases)really need a liquid yeast are Belgian and British/English ales. However as with every rule there are exceptions. It would be useful for the dry yeast user to know of recipes from these styles which turned out awesome using a dry yeast. Of course they will not be able to brew the whole spectrum of the style but to have a few solid recipes with dry yeast would be cool. There are probably a lot more British/English examples with S-04, Nottingham, Windsor and so on. The top example on here would be the Common room ESB with S-04. However I have also heard of decent Triples with T-58 and have brewed a nice wit with this yeast too. Belle Saison also has it's place in certain styles of Saisons and there is a new dry Belgian after hitting the scene called Abbaye but I haven't seen many reviews of that. Brewferm Blanche is another Witbier yeast but ´maybe someone has used it for something else? Anyaway would be interesting to know where a dry yeast has worked well in these styles.
zoomzilla
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14thstreet
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I believe its at the point now that the amount of yeast in one package is a disservice to new homebrewers and that to really get to know a yeast and get the best out of it requires more than just a first-and-only pitch. Not everyone is a production brewer.
ArcaneXor
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I agree. US-05 takes a lot longer to flocculate than 001. It is also more likely to produce fruity esters.
Noobie question... Do the liquid yeasts provide a more vigorous fermentation compared to dry yeasts? I just used my first liquid yeast, Wyeast 2565 Kolsch, for an Alpine Spring clone and it went nuts. I've been using dry yeast, due to both being cheaper and recommended for slightly warmer temps, and have enjoyed the results, but have never had it this active. I put 5.5gal in a 6.5gal carboy thinking I had plenty of head space. WRONG!
I know there are other variables at play, I'm just asking in general.
I know there are other variables at play, I'm just asking in general.
It is very easy to see that there is not a whole lot of hate for dry yeast. Your thread, in my opinion, was an assumption that there was a ton of hate. I just don't see hate for dry yeast that you do. I personally like dry yeast. I just have a lot more variety with liquid yeast. Give me the exact same Wyeast 1098 in dry and I'll be happy to use it. Until then, that is one of few that get liquid over dry.
LandoLincoln, it is actually easier to rehydrate yeast than it is to make a starter. When making a starter, in case you didn't know, you have to basically make un-hopped wort, boil it for a good 15 min (so I've been told) then chill it. You have to pay attention to it for at least 18 hours. Dry yeast wants warm water, a cup, a little stir and 10-20 minutes you're golden. Dry yeast rehydration is worlds easier than making a starter. Making starters is not hard, but for comparison's sake, it is harder.
Also, my dry yeast packs are 11g. That is two 5g packages and then some. Not sure where you are or where you shop, but I've never seen a 5g pack of dry yeast in the year I've been brewing.
Dry yeast, while limited in selection while compared to liquid, is not "bad," it's just different. If you're brewing something that needs a liquid yeast for a specific flavor profile, go for it. Otherwise, properly handled dry yeast is more than fine for American Ales and British Ales.
hopbrad
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i mostly brew IPA's, Pale ales, stouts, brown ales, ambers and s-05 is my go to yeast for that. occassionaly will use s-04 as well. but i live in a warm climate and s-04 can get off if something goes wrong with temp control. s-05 is very forgiving so for me, that is why it is better than its liquid counterparts.
i also brew a lot of belgian ales. liquid for these. BUT I recently tried belle saison which is a dry strain. it is great.
i also brew a lot of belgian ales. liquid for these. BUT I recently tried belle saison which is a dry strain. it is great.
stratslinger
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Count me in the us-05 crowd. I was, for a while there, using liquid for damn near everything. Now, I realize that so long as I properly maintain ferment temps, us-05 ferments just fine. Granted, folks have a point about it flocculating a little worse than some of the liquid alternatives, but that's nothing a little cold crash doesn't clear up. And at $3-4 a packet, and 15 minutes or so to rehydrate, rather than the time (and DME) invested in a starter, it works out pretty well.
That's definitely not to say I don't still go back to liquid strains pretty darned often though - there's nothing quite like a good use of the old Wyeast Kolsch yeast, or London ESB, or some of the fun German strains - and most of those just don't have dry equivalents (yet?).
That's definitely not to say I don't still go back to liquid strains pretty darned often though - there's nothing quite like a good use of the old Wyeast Kolsch yeast, or London ESB, or some of the fun German strains - and most of those just don't have dry equivalents (yet?).
ericbw
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AerationStation
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Dry yeast is great stuff, if it's properly rehydrated it'll work awesome. That being said I use liquid for the most part for the selection.
Limestone_Cowboy
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My dry yeast use has been self-admittedly limited, mostly because of what is available to me on a LHBS level. With that said, I love Nottingham, as it's the only dry yeast that has caused me to say hell yeah! Not really a fan of SO-5.. and I can't see myself buying WLP001 either. Guess I bounce somewhere between England and Northern Europe.. yeast wise. My batches are small (2.5-3g) so I don't even fiddle with starters, tho I do save yeast. My lhbs does have belle saison and a few others, but for a few bucks more, I've got liquid options.. and I say why not. If I had to mail order my stuff tho, I'd seriously be looking at working with dry yeast more.
Most of my first brews were with S05, and while it will make a clean beer with a cold crash, it just felt too neutral for me.. which of course is one of its selling points.
Most of my first brews were with S05, and while it will make a clean beer with a cold crash, it just felt too neutral for me.. which of course is one of its selling points.
Limestone_Cowboy
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Actually, I'd go so for as to say that there's a lot competition on a craft beer level, but only a few yeast factories. What's stopping anybody from banking yeast on a regional level and competing after the lhbs market? Guess it's not as sexy as making beer itself, but surely there's a couple disillusioned (or greedy) microbiologists out there wanting to take advantage of the lbhs and homebrewing scene.. We love to try new things.. 
ArcaneXor
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Actually, I'd go so for as to say that there's a lot competition on a craft beer level, but only a few yeast factories. What's stopping anybody from banking yeast on a regional level and competing after the lhbs market? Guess it's not as sexy as making beer itself, but surely there's a couple disillusioned (or greedy) microbiologists out there wanting to take advantage of the lbhs and homebrewing scene.. We love to try new things..
Well, there used to be Wyeast. Then there was White Labs. Now, over the last couple of years, Gigayeast, East Coast Yeast, Yeast Bay, Omega Yeast, and South Yeast, have sprung up. And I may be forgetting a few.
Limestone_Cowboy
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And I'd like to try offerings from those people, but they're not in my local shop yet. Maybe as a customer I should express my interest for more diversity in yeast. Sure, someone's Wit may be the same as someone else's, but competition breeds options... and I wouldn't mind standing on the curb watching a good ol' fashioned yeast price war..
