What is your favorite brand of yeast?

[Marsdude]

I usually use White Labs but when I was buying the ingredients for an ESB my LHS was out of the type I needed in the White Labs so I bought some Wyeast Activator.

I had never used this brand before so by the time I took it out of the fridge to warm up I realized I didn't have three hours to let the packet swell before I pitched, so I did as the instructions indicated and just broke the inner pack and pitched it into the carboy with the wort at 70 degrees. The next day I had the most active fermentation I have ever had. It looked like the wort was boiling! It was still doing this the next day!

So, I am thinking about using this stuff for all my brews!

 

[Suthrncomfrt1884]

Wyeast is good stuff, but it really needs a starter. Half of the time when I buy wyeast, the packet won't swell, so in order to make sure it's good, I always make a starter. You should really be making a starter every time you brew with liquid yeast anyways.

I'm a fan of dry yeast now mostly unless I'm going for a specific style like a belgian or german beer. Dry yeast is much easier to use and always does a good job. Plus, dry yeast has gotten loads better in the last few years than it has been in the past.

 

[samc]

Fermentis dry for me.

S-05
S-04
34/70 lager just used for the first time

 

[Denny]

BOTH Wyeast and White yeasts benefit from starters AFAIAC. Personally, I'm a Wyeast guy...

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=201

 

[goose1873]

Fermentis dry for me.

S-05
S-04
34/70 lager just used for the first time

+1...love US-05

 

[wyzazz]

Fermentis

I really love S-04, it has a nice 'English' taste to it!

 

[skiffy517]

I love wyeast 1056.Very forgiving and tough

 

[Hugh_Jass]

BOTH Wyeast and White yeasts benefit from starters AFAIAC. Personally, I'm a Wyeast guy...

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=201

anything "american" style get's ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ this guy's yeast

It's replaced 1056 for all apas, ipas and stouts

 

[DoctorHops]

Safale 05 - dependable, active, and neutral

 

[permo]

nottingham dry ale yeast!

 

[ChshreCat]

I always check the dates on my Wyeast smack packs and make sure I get the newest one. Never had a problem with it not proofing on me. I smack it and about 3 hours later it looks like it's gonna assplode!

When I do liquid yeast, it's Wyeast, but I have to admit that's more because my LHBS doesn't carry White Labs than anything else. If I can, I prefer to use dry yeast. S-04 or S-05 usually.

 

[brewagentjay]

nottingham dry ale yeast!

Agree always starts bubbling no starter needed it just works....

 

[iparks81]

I've always used White labs with starters, no worries no problems....but being that I havnt used much else (Nottingham a few times and Wyeast once or twice, and S-05 once, but Ive got no baisis of comparison.
never a problem with White labs

 

[blwheeling]

Still new at this and learning, so far S-04 and S-05 have performed very well.

 

[brewagentjay]

I've always used White labs with starters, no worries no problems....but being that I havnt used much else (Nottingham a few times and Wyeast once or twice, and S-05 once, but Ive got no baisis of comparison.
never a problem with White labs

I used Whit Labs Irish Stout Yeast on first batch...I had no issues I just had to shake the vial prior to pitching and it worked great. No Started needed. But only used it once so not strong arguement for it yet. Cost was high though

 

[hopdawg]

+1 on the Nottinghams.
I'm trying a new one now from Mauribrew it has a lager yeast that will ferment up to 75F. Will be interesting.

 

[sp1365]

Personally I use a lot of White Labs or Fermentis, mostly because that is what the LHBS carries.

Usually it is WLP002 or WLP007 for most of my beers or S-04 in a pinch, since I do predominately English styles. S-05 gets the nod for any American styles that I do.

 

[Brew-boy]

Hands down WhiteLabs, Love the 001-002 and all the Belgian strains.

 

[SourHopHead]

Wyeast, but recently more WhiteLabs with some Notty mixed in.

 

[Freezeblade]

White Labs is located in my town, so needless to say, even finding wyeast is darn-near impossible. I use white labs for just about everything I do. Favorites have been WLP023 (burton ale) for all my bitters, WLP005 (ringwood) and WLP037 (yorkshire square ale) for browns, and WLP530 (westmalle) for my belgians.

 

[Bob]

What is your favorite brand of yeast?

Yes.

May favorite is whichever strain is best suited to what I'm fermenting, regardless of brand.

Brand is singularly unimportant. The strain, and the characteristics of that strain, are what's important. People who swear by one brand, just like people who swear by one brand of auto over another, are doing themselves a very real disservice.

That said, there are yeasts which see an awful lot of use in my brewery. S-04 sees more use than any other, with Windsor running a close second, for I brew an awful lot of English styles. Wyeast Ardennes is my go-to Belgian strain.

Cheers!

Bob

 

[wildwest450]

BOTH Wyeast and White yeasts benefit from starters AFAIAC. Personally, I'm a Wyeast guy...

http://www.wyeastlab.com/hb_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=201

I would be too if they gave me my own strain.

Btw I actually just used this in your rye ipa, it better be good.