Top 5 Dry Yeasts?

[Oleson M.D.]

I wonder what effects your massive pitches have on the question. Don't you pitch something like a kajillion cells?

Yes, we do. Over pitch. Always.

A 1 quart slurry of fresh, clean yeast per 5.5 gallons.

Diamond Lager Yeast
Safale S-04

 

[DBhomebrew]

Yes, we do. Over pitch. Always.

A 1 quart slurry of fresh, clean yeast per 5.5 gallons.

Diamond Lager Yeast
Safale S-04

And what do you pitch on 1st generation? Manufacturer's recommendation? Double, triple?

 

[DBhomebrew]

Is it literally as easy as pouring it straight over

Yes!

or do you rack the yeast into a jar, re-clean/sanitize

Also yes! So many ways to brew beer!

My understanding is that a 5g 1.045 beer on top of a cake left by 5g 1.045 would be about a 3x overpitch. It's that a problem? No idea. Clearly, one brewer here wouldn't think so.

Pitching a 5g Imperial something on that 1.045 cake would be right about perfect.

I figure all this is in the realm of nuclear weapons, horseshoes, and hand grenades.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

And what do you pitch on 1st generation? Manufacturer's recommendation? Double, triple?

I normally use the pitch rate calculator on Brewer’s Friend For 1st gen yeast.
At a minimum two packs of dry yeast per 5 gallons. And two smack packs of liquid yeast. Sometimes more, for a high OG beer.

 

[balrog]

I overbuild rather than harvest, and I know when I have gotten lax with sanitation or yeast age, because the starter will smell "off" or taste "off" in some way. But I can get 4-8 generations. In the worst ever case, I opened the old saved overbuild in preparation to build the next generation and it smelled, to put it nicely, like the underside of a road killed yak lying in the hot sun. And even though "Qiviut Quencher" might have been a great sounding beer name, I was disinclined to waste a brew session on that particular flavor profile.

 

[Miraculix]

Yes!



Also yes! So many ways to brew beer!

My understanding is that a 5g 1.045 beer on top of a cake left by 5g 1.045 would be about a 3x overpitch. It's that a problem? No idea. Clearly, one brewer here wouldn't think so.

Pitching a 5g Imperial something on that 1.045 cake would be right about perfect.

I figure all this is in the realm of nuclear weapons, horseshoes, and hand grenades.

I'm also regularly throwing the new beer on the yeastcake of the beer I just bottled and that one always turns out really nice. Do not fear the overpitch, it doesn't exist. Just like Bielefeld.

 

[Oleson M.D.]

I overbuild rather than harvest, and I know when I have gotten lax with sanitation or yeast age, because the starter will smell "off" or taste "off" in some way. But I can get 4-8 generations. In the worst ever case, I opened the old saved overbuild in preparation to build the next generation and it smelled, to put it nicely, like the underside of a road killed yak lying in the hot sun. And even though "Qiviut Quencher" might have been a great sounding beer name, I was disinclined to waste a brew session on that particular flavor profile.

I agree with you. The yeast slurry must have a fresh, very “clean” fragrance. As long as it passes the sniff test, it is most likely good.

You will know when the yeast is no longer usable…your nose will tell you.

We are well past the 30th generation of Diamond. Still going strong.

 

[bwible]

Over here in the States, Belgians are often on the shelf, but rather expensive. Out of the range many are willing to pay for exploration.

American-made beers of Belgian styles are often not on par with the real deal. Under-attenuated, over-phenoled, over-spiced, Americanized hop schedule, etc, etc. Belgian beers are all about drinkability, subtlety, and balance. The US market doesn't usually prize such things. Nor is the average American pallate accustomed to drinking the riot of flavors produced by Belgian yeasts. Here, the market is swamped with Chico and Conan. Both pretty neutral.

On the other hand, breweries such as Ommegang in New York and Unibroue in Quebec have introduced many to well-executed Belgian beer. This hemisphere even had a real deal Trappist brewery for a while in Massachusetts. Sadly, they are closed or closing.

People use such appetizing words like “barnyard” or “horse blanket” when they are describing Belgian beers. Tell me who really wants to drink this? Oh yeah the same people who want beer that looks like orange juice.

 

[balrog]

Now now. To each their own. Everyone has different tastes.

Some people like Lima beans, for instance.

They, of course, are wrong.

 

[Zambezi Special]

People use such appetizing words like “barnyard” or “horse blanket” when they are describing Belgian beers. Tell me who really wants to drink this? Oh yeah the same people who want beer that looks like orange juice.

I agree, each to their own.
But.....
Have you ever had the real thing?
I've been to Belgium often. Have had easy access to blondes, tripels, doubles, strongs etc
Not someone else's interpretation of it. And as someone posted before, I think that is where the problem lies. Just try brewing some, but according to a European recipe.
No ways you find any horse blankets or barnyards...

 

[Franktalk]

American styles: Safale 05
English: Lalbrew Verdant
Belgian: Lalbrew Abbaye
Lager: Saflager S-189
All around: Safale 04

 

[Oleson M.D.]

I agree, each to their own.
But.....
Have you ever had the real thing?
I've been to Belgium often. Have had easy access to blondes, tripels, doubles, strongs etc
Not someone else's interpretation of it. And as someone posted before, I think that is where the problem lies. Just try brewing some, but according to a European recipe.
No ways you find any horse blankets or barnyards...

We have been to Brussels several times. Visited a number of pubs. The beers there are excellent! Belgian style beer in the US has a long ways to go to even be in the same ball park. A long ways to go.

 

[Pehlman17]

Thanks to everyone for their input! I've definitely decided I'm going to use dry yeast on my next beer. I'm considering something in the "mock lager" category. Either something with a warm-fermented lager strain or something with Nottingham done on the cold end of the spectrum.
Anyone have any favorite recipes and/or fermentation schedules in this category they'd be willing to share?

 

[D.B.Moody]

I've brewed this four times to celebrate trips to France. It's a partial boil extract recipe, but simple enough to convert to grain. I ferment in my basement which is generally 62 to 68 F year round. The recipe assumes alpha acids of about 2.5. The label is a parody of a wine label.

 

[Pehlman17]

Thanks! I love the artwork!

I do a sort of scaled-up partial mash on my system. Typically about 2/3 - 3/4 of my fermentables coming from grain, and the remaining 1/4 - 1/3 coming from extract.

Sounds like mid 60's might be the sweet spot for Nottingham for just about any style perhaps.

 

[KeizerBrewr]

1. American - Pacman (Joystick A18)
2. English - London ESB Wyeast 1968
3. Belgian Ale - Belgian Strong Wyeast 1388
4. Lager - Oktoberfest Lager Blend Wyeast 2633
5. Random - Kölsch Wyeast 2565

I keep a jar of each in my fridge! Try and rotate them through(aside from the OFest, don't have that kind of temperature control yet).

 

[D.B.Moody]

Thanks! I love the artwork!

I do a sort of scaled-up partial mash on my system. Typically about 2/3 - 3/4 of my fermentables coming from grain, and the remaining 1/4 - 1/3 coming from extract.

Sounds like mid 60's might be the sweet spot for Nottingham for just about any style perhaps.

Nottingham always works. It's pretty neutral, ferments pretty completely and drops out pretty well to produce pretty beers.

Thank Toad Hollow Vineyards for the artwork. I just riffed on it. Good wine, BTW.

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks to everyone for their input! I've definitely decided I'm going to use dry yeast on my next beer. I'm considering something in the "mock lager" category. Either something with a warm-fermented lager strain or something with Nottingham done on the cold end of the spectrum.
Anyone have any favorite recipes and/or fermentation schedules in this category they'd be willing to share?

3470, take your favourite pale ale recipe, throw in the yeast, be happy!

 

[Pehlman17]

3470, take your favourite pale ale recipe, throw in the yeast, be happy!

Sierra Nevada Pale Lager it is

 

[Miraculix]

Sierra Nevada Pale Lager it is

Sounds good! I made the same once, was a very good beer.

 

[Jloewe]

Even though I've been brewing off and on for about a decade now, I'm one of those guys that started with liquid yeast from the start. And on top of that, I've been pretty much an exclusively White Labs user (for no particular reason I guess). I've been considering venturing into dry yeasts and was wondering what those of you with a lot of experience with dry would recommend. I know there are fewer options when it comes to dry, but that's actually what I find appealing about them. I think we could all do with fewer options to choose from sometimes. (I'm generally a classic styles sort of brewer for what it's worth.)

What would be your go-to for these styles/categories?
1. American Ale
2. English Ale
3. Belgian Ale (Trappist/Abbey styles specifically)
4. All-purpose Lager
5. Random one you just really love.

And if you're willing to share your general process or tips you've found helpful that would be great too!

Cheers!

I’m still a fairly inexperienced brewer at about 6 batches but I’ll share anyway. I haven’t had temp control until recently so I loved the lallomond Kviek Voss. I also made a batch of pumpkin saison with t-58 which turned out amazing. When I can I generally prefer dry yeast due to my chaotic life and unreliable friends when it comes to brewing lol. Seems that I’m like to have a packet of yeast floating around longer than I’d like to at times and the dry yeast yeilds well to that.

 

[Pehlman17]

I heard Drew Beechum mention on a podcast recently that he used Verdant IPA to brew an English Mild. Really got me intrigued. Anyone else tried this yeast on a style other than IPA?

 

[balrog]

I heard Drew Beechum mention on a podcast recently that he used Verdant IPA to brew an English Mild. Really got me intrigued. Anyone else tried this yeast on a style other than IPA?

You should check out this thread.

 

[hout17]

Yes. That is an old wives tale. There is a brewery in the UK that has been repitching the same yeast for decades.

Yeast does not deteriorate. It rejuvenates with each new generation. The secret to success is getting a clean harvest, and frequent brewing. Not letting the slurry sit more than a few weeks.

Isn't this why we have such great strains now especially great British strains? Over generations when the yeast was harvested it developed in to the strains we see today and why we have so many strains with characteristics like high flocculation?

Great info thanks!

 

[Pehlman17]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but would there be any issue with pouring the packet of dry yeast in while filling the fermenter? (Assuming the wort is in the ballpark of fermentation temp). I feel like I saw something about that on either the Fermentis or Lallemand websites.

 

[balrog]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but would there be any issue with pouring the packet of dry yeast in while filling the fermenter? (Assuming the wort is in the ballpark of fermentation temp). I feel like I saw something about that on either the Fermentis or Lallemand websites.

Can’t think of any.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

I feel like I saw something about that on either the Fermentis or Lallemand websites.

The Fermentis Tips & Tricks brochure, p 22. The goal, with professional brewing equipment, is to mix the yeast into the wort. Apparently with really big fermenters this can take a while.

I don't know how long it takes, in a five gal batch, for gravity to cause the yeast to settle into the wort.

For my smaller size batches, I sprinkle it on top of the wort. For a couple of batches, gravity moves the yeast into the wort within about 15 minutes.

---

But if your fermenter has a port hole, give it a try. Fill it part way, add the yeast, close the port hold, and continue filling.

 

[Miraculix]

I fill the fermenter about a third, throw in the yeast and fill in the rest. I fill it through a big metal funnel, also the yeast. The part after the yeast takes care of the little yeast bits that tend to stick to the funnel. Works for me.

 

[tracer bullet]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but would there be any issue with pouring the packet of dry yeast in while filling the fermenter? (Assuming the wort is in the ballpark of fermentation temp). I feel like I saw something about that on either the Fermentis or Lallemand websites.

Agree it sounds fine.

Just... don't put it into your boil kettle after cooling. It's the right temperature, and sounds like an OK idea, but if you get sidetracked cleaning some things, forget about your experiment, and then leave the trub in the kettle behind when you pour your wort into the fermenter... you'll be running off to the LHBS to get more yeast like I had to.

 

[BrewnWKopperKat]

HomeBrewTalk: making active dry yeast complicated since 2019.

 

[eshea3]

I heard Drew Beechum mention on a podcast recently that he used Verdant IPA to brew an English Mild. Really got me intrigued. Anyone else tried this yeast on a style other than IPA?

Just did a British Golden Ale with Verdant and Jester hopps. Like it immensly.
Verdant is equivalent to Lallemand's version of 1318, Juice,.... While I've not used Verdant in a mild, I have used Imperial Juice with good results.

 

[GoodTruble]

1. American Ale - US-05
2. English Ale - S33
3. Belgian Ale - MJ41 (for stronger beers) or Danstar Abbaye
4. All-purpose Lager -MJ84 - Bohemian Pils (but will now check out Diamond).
5. Random one you just really love - Notty and MJ42 New World Strong Ale. They are very similar and churn out great porters & stouts relatively quickly.

 

[Yesfan]

Apologies if this has already been answered, but would there be any issue with pouring the packet of dry yeast in while filling the fermenter? (Assuming the wort is in the ballpark of fermentation temp). I feel like I saw something about that on either the Fermentis or Lallemand websites.

I used to take some water, nuke it for a couple of minutes in the microwave, then chill and pitch dry yeast for rehydrating. Then pour those contents into the fermenter. That's a faster method of rehydrating than what was suggested in an old Northern Brewer video.

This last batch, I chilled the wort to pitching temps, filled the fermenter half way, pitched the dry straight from the packet, then filled the rest of the fermenter with wort. No shaking of the carboy or 02 areation (I did shake the hose as the runnings were emptying into the carboy.) Fermentation took off less than 12 hours.

I kegged this beer two days ago, but what I tasted out of the fermenter was pretty good. I may do this method from now on.

 

[BrewingWisdom]

CS31 by angels yeast a Chinese company.
Perfect for all types of high gravity ales with lots of esters.Recently used it.

 

[Protos]

1. American Ale - Fermentis US-05. The classic.
2. English Ale - Lalbrew Nottingham aka M42 New World Strong Ale. Depending on the fermentation temperature, you cover most of the English styles with it.
3. Belgian Ale (Trappist/Abbey styles specifically) - M41 Belgian Ale. The most universal of the Belgian dry yeasts. With it being fruity/clovey (estery/phenolic) and well-attenuating diaststic, you may produce all the Trappist/Abbey/Farmhouse styles with it with no exceptions.
4. All-purpose Lager - Lalbrew Diamond aka M76 Bavarian Lager.
5. Random one you just really love. - Lalbrew Koln aka M54 Californian Lager. For a desert island with the only yeast available, I'd choose this one.

 

[GoodTruble]

@Protos - Is there any verification that Notty and MJ42 are the same other than just general suspicion? I've used bot a lot, and 'think' I perceive a difference. But I could just be kidding myself (M42 appears to work better at higher temps with less off-flavors, but Notty is cleaner and thinner at lower temps - but it could just be all in my head).

 

[odie]

Even though I've been brewing off and on for about a decade now, I'm one of those guys that started with liquid yeast from the start. And on top of that, I've been pretty much an exclusively White Labs user (for no particular reason I guess). I've been considering venturing into dry yeasts and was wondering what those of you with a lot of experience with dry would recommend. I know there are fewer options when it comes to dry, but that's actually what I find appealing about them. I think we could all do with fewer options to choose from sometimes. (I'm generally a classic styles sort of brewer for what it's worth.)

What would be your go-to for these styles/categories?
1. American Ale
2. English Ale
3. Belgian Ale (Trappist/Abbey styles specifically)
4. All-purpose Lager
5. Random one you just really love.

And if you're willing to share your general process or tips you've found helpful that would be great too!

Cheers!

1. US-05
2. Muntons (cheap, under rated, gets it done)
3. T-58
4. 34/70
5. Munich Classic

 

[dmtaylor]

@Protos - Is there any verification that Notty and MJ42 are the same other than just general suspicion? I've used bot a lot, and 'think' I perceive a difference. But I could just be kidding myself (M42 appears to work better at higher temps with less off-flavors, but Notty is cleaner and thinner at lower temps - but it could just be all in my head).

Several independent individuals have confirmed based on personal discussions with Mangrove Jack representatives that "yeah, it's Notty". I'd have to do web searches to find these sources but I know I've seen it multiple times from multiple individuals, people who actually point-blank asked MJ and they said yes.

 

[cubalz]

I have only used W34-70 lager yeast exclusively for the last 4 years

 

[Protos]

I've used bot a lot, and 'think' I perceive a difference.

dmtaylor above answered your question exactly as I would have answered, I think I've seen reports he mentions on this very forum.

Regarding the difference between the yeasts, you aren't kidding yourself, they are slightly different indeed. That's true for each and every yeast Mangrove Jack source from Lallemand. Their matching pairs (Nottingham/M42, Köln/M54, Windsor/M15, London/M10, Abbey/M47 etc.) are recognisably similar yet slightly different flavourwise, probably because MJ do not just repack but also blend their yeasts. To my liking, MJ's versions always taste a bit better.