Switched my company over to Wyeast. Input needed

[Jaybird]

So after 7 years of selling White Labs I have decided to switch over to Wyeast. So many of my customers were just really not happy with them and with their new pricing and shipping structure I figured it was time for a change. My customers talked..I listened!

My question is from all you Wyeast loving home brewers. (ok you White Labs brewers can chime in too) What are the strains you LOVE from Wyeast and if you can give me some ideas of your SIDE BY SIDE experiences from their "Cross strains" I would appreciate it. My customers would appreciate it.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Nagorg]

Jaybird, what pricing and shipping structure changes are you referring to? I seem to have heard something about a change but I cant say I've seen it personally.

Anyway, I tend to gravitate to WL but I do use Wyeast for some brews. The last was 3068 and before that 1968, both did a fantastic job and the packs were fresh. No side-by-side comparisons (Wyeast to White Labs) though..-

 

[IslandLizard]

I've been using Wyeast the past 5 years, my LHBS has a much larger selection of theirs than White Labs' and special orders (PC) are only a week away or less. I really like the yeast quality, freshness and packaging, no complaints. I'm sure WLP is as good, although their new packaging has mixed reviews. Without any hesitation I would use WLP for certain unique strains, and their yeast vault offerings.

I also use East Coast Yeast for their uniqueness and bug mixes.

My Wyeast favorites I use all the time are:
1098 (WLP007)
1968 (WLP002)
1272 (WLP051)
2565 Kolsch, not the same as WLP029
3944 (WLP400)
3522 (WLP550)
1762 (WLP540)
3787 (WLP530)
3278 Lambic Blend
3763 Roeselare

 

[beergolf]

Island Lizzard has a good list I would add:

WY1007 I use this in my yearly Biere de Garde
WY1388 Makes a great tripel
WY 1318 (no WL equivalent) I sometimes use this in IPA's
WY 2565 ( no WL equivalent) Kolsch
WY 1450 ( no WL equivalent) Works the best in a good Rye IPA Somehow this yeast and rye are made for each other.

Edit: Forgot WY3724

 

[BigMack]

I absolutely love 1272 for pretty much any American style. I think it is less fruity than what WLP 051 gave me when I used it, but it still has a lot more character than a basic 1056.

 

[beergolf]

I absolutely love 1272 for pretty much any American style. I think it is less fruity than what WLP 051 gave me when I used it, but it still has a lot more character than a basic 1056.

I agree I will use 1272 over 1056 any day.

 

[m00ps]

3726, 3684, 1318 and mostly 3711 for both primary fermentation and utility purposes with attenuation are the exclusive Wyeast strains I value. White labs has a few exclusives I like, but since they went to their new packaging, I don't find a reason to buy one over the other. Loved those vials for yeast storage

 

[Hello]

I love 1098 and 1272 and IslandLizard nailed the cross strains.

1098 is what I use in all stouts and porters. I simply love how it performs. 1272 has been used in a big IPA. I found it slow as **** though, but I liked the results.

 

[passedpawn]

I use dry yeast for most ales (S-05).

Saisons, I love to start with 3724 and end with 3711 (3711 makes an awesome strong golden ale too!).
Pilsners, 2308 (Munich Lager).
1028 for stouts & small malty beers.

 

[Jaybird]

Jaybird, what pricing and shipping structure changes are you referring to? I seem to have heard something about a change but I cant say I've seen it personally.

As an end user you probably wont to be honest.

For the wholesale account holders...3 week ship times. Double the retailer cost unless you buy (for me) unsaleable amount of vials. All that I could deal with to be honest. It just seems that with the new pricing they don't want to deal with companies like mine who don't order a BOATLOAD every order. But add my customers not really happy with the new product and unable to get phone support for 3 weeks I was just done. Trust me I am not bashing them at all. Great yeast and for the last 7 years they have been just fine to deal with. It was just time for a change and WL just made it easy for me to make that decision.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Denny]

So after 7 years of selling White Labs I have decided to switch over to Wyeast. So many of my customers were just really not happy with them and with their new pricing and shipping structure I figured it was time for a change. My customers talked..I listened!

My question is from all you Wyeast loving home brewers. (ok you White Labs brewers can chime in too) What are the strains you LOVE from Wyeast and if you can give me some ideas of your SIDE BY SIDE experiences from their "Cross strains" I would appreciate it. My customers would appreciate it.

Cheers
Jay

WY1450 is the best!

 

[passedpawn]

WY1450 is the best!

haha

 

[Jaybird]

WY1450 is the best!

Ohh is it now...LOL Your funny Denny! When did you develop that strain?

Cheers
Jay

 

[m00ps]

^reported. clearly has no experience with the strain, unqualified to weigh in

 

[Wiscohio_brewer]

I'm a huge fan of most of the English ale strains they have, particularly 1318 London III, 1968 ESB, and 1099 Whitbread Ale all make great beers. Some other favorites that have already been mentioned, but I'll reinforce are:
1056 American Ale
3068 Weihenstephan
1332 NW Ale
1335 British Ale II
3711 French Saison
3944 Belgian Witbeir (which I prefer much more than the WLP 400)

 

[blizz81]

<3 3711.

 

[dude3516]

3638 is where it's at for a nice Wheat strain.

 

[brewcat]

I've always had a good experience with Wyeast.

Two of my favorites:
1469 - West Yorkshire Ale
3522 - Belgian Ardennes

 

[Kee]

You have to have WY3787 for the Belgian Dark Strongs.

 

[Twotaureanbrewing]

1056 many times conversion is wlp001
London 1318 made an excellent English ipa complimented Maris Otter malts
Used 1272 twice and hated it, horrible results.

Overall I like Wyeast, always had healthy batches

 

[timdillon36]

4184 Used this in the cider I am sipping on right now. Still some sweetness and bottle cared up great.
1084 Didn't see it mentioned but have made some great stouts with that strain.

 

[tagz]

1450
1968
3711
3724
3944

And I agree that the new WL packaging is a minus.

 

[Denny]

Ohh is it now...LOL Your funny Denny! When did you develop that strain?

Cheers
Jay

I didn't develop it, I found it at a place that sold slants. After they went out of business I kept it alive until Wyeast took it over from me.

 

[Jaybird]

I didn't develop it, I found it at a place that sold slants. After they went out of business I kept it alive until Wyeast took it over from me.

How long ago was that Denny? I would love to hear the story as to how that came about.

Cheers
Jay

 

[Denny]

How long ago was that Denny? I would love to hear the story as to how that came about.

Cheers
Jay

I think it was probably around 2000-2001 when I decided to get into yeast ranching. Ordered a bunch of equipment and slants from Brewtek. One of those was called CL-50 CA pub yeast. I was developing my Rye IPA recipe at the time and had gone from using 1056 to 1272. I decided to try the CL50 and was really impressed by the mouthfeel. That was the final tweak to the recipe. I continued to ranch it for a few years, all the while talking it up online. Keep in mind that online beer discussion back then was limited to the usenet group rec.crafts.brewing and the HomeBrew Digest. The problem was that most homebrewers didn't want to keep a yeast ranch and culture from a slant when they wanted to use it. In 2006 I was elected to the AHA Governing Committee and met Dave Logsdon, then owner of Wyeast. I tried to convince him to take it, but he didn't want to as long as other companies carried it. Eventually Brewtek went out of business and sold it to another company which went out of business which sold it to another company that went out of business. At that point Dave decided to take it on. The slant that went to Wyeast came right ou of my fridge yeast ranch.

 

[Jaybird]

I think it was probably around 2000-2001 when I decided to get into yeast ranching. Ordered a bunch of equipment and slants from Brewtek. One of those was called CL-50 CA pub yeast. I was developing my Rye IPA recipe at the time and had gone from using 1056 to 1272. I decided to try the CL50 and was really impressed by the mouthfeel. That was the final tweak to the recipe. I continued to ranch it for a few years, all the while talking it up online. Keep in mind that online beer discussion back then was limited to the usenet group rec.crafts.brewing and the HomeBrew Digest. The problem was that most homebrewers didn't want to keep a yeast ranch and culture from a slant when they wanted to use it. In 2006 I was elected to the AHA Governing Committee and met Dave Logsdon, then owner of Wyeast. I tried to convince him to take it, but he didn't want to as long as other companies carried it. Eventually Brewtek went out of business and sold it to another company which went out of business which sold it to another company that went out of business. At that point Dave decided to take it on. The slant that went to Wyeast came right ou of my fridge yeast ranch.

Ohh man that's KILLER Denny! Thanks for the write up.

Cheers
Jay

 

[specharka]

Haven't seen WY1728 (WLP028) mentioned yet. Monster attenuator and it's very forgiving with higher alcohol content -- nothing like the nasty fuselage that Notty can generate.

Also, where's the lager love? Can't go wrong with WY2124 or WY2206.

 

[GQT]

Eventually Brewtek went out of business and sold it to another company which went out of business which sold it to another company that went out of business. At that point ... slant ... went to Wyeast

Please please Denny take it back asap. I don't want to see Wyeast going out of business.

 

[Braufessor]

I primarily go with Wyeast (other than Conan/Vermont IPA) and these are the ones I use regularly:
1056
1318
1469
1007
1728
2124
2042
2278

 

[2trout]

Jaybird,

As a retailer in a different hobby, I have had similar experiences where a specific manufacturer/producer makes doing business with them difficult for some, and they believe that it will be more but more beneficial for others and therefore improve their bottom line. Over time, these manufacturers/producers seem to come back to similar terms/dating/volumes that got them profitable in the first place.