What is your favorite Yeast?

[Kaniksu Brewer]

I own a small home brew shop and I want to stock a better selection of products for distillers. The question I get all the time is what is the best yeast for whiskey? I have all of the Turbo yeast in stock already, what should I stock for the whiskey guys?

 

[jimmayhugh]

A lot of folks use Red Star DADY which is commonly available, I like Fermpro917, other folks do just fine with beer and bread yeasts. It's all a personal choice.

 

[Desvio]

I use DADY for my sugarhead experiments, Wyeast British ale yeast for my fruit ferments, and Imperial Organic Dieter for my all grains. I have others in the fridge that i use for brewing, but those are my staples for distilling.

 

[Beerswimmer]

Bread and beer yeasts. Turbo belongs in the trash can, it's horrible unless you're making fuel.

 

[Bubbles2]

Boy I mentioned Turbo and I got a lot of negative in regards to it. I was referred to SAF05 by a couple of people here and another forum. I have yet to try the damned Turbo albeit sold, and selling, and popular. I am suspect to think it is only Dady with Nutes. I was also referred to feeding the yeast using tomato paste...? Sometimes I feel like I am in a new age store that sells crystals and rocks

 

[Hammy71]

05 and then Champagne to do the rest. At least I've heard that works for some people....

 

[Beerswimmer]

Boy I mentioned Turbo and I got a lot of negative in regards to it. I was referred to SAF05 by a couple of people here and another forum. I have yet to try the damned Turbo albeit sold, and selling, and popular. I am suspect to think it is only Dady with Nutes. I was also referred to feeding the yeast using tomato paste...? Sometimes I feel like I am in a new age store that sells crystals and rocks

Turbo is probably just DADY or champagne yeast with nutes that CAN get to a high abv. The problem is that, like any yeast, at high abv it's still stressed and puts out bad flavors and smells. And most people specifically use it in high gravity worts to get a high abv. It might be OK in a 1.065 wort? I'd rather just use better yeast. It sells because people(mostly beginners, and those that don't know any better) are buying it looking for a loophole or shortcut. They think that they can do one 20% run instead of 2 8% runs and it'll be "OK". Or trying to get as much abv possible. Well, it's possible but.....there's a cost. I bet if you do a side by side of a 20% with turbo, and an 8% with better yeast the taste and smell difference would be pretty apparent. The nutrients themselves in Turbo yeast may also be causing off flavors and smell? Remember, distilling concentrates smells and flavors. Bad flavors will only get worse.

Tomato past, dead yeast, DAP and Fermaid are common yeast nutrients when fermenting white sugar. Sugar doesn't have any nutrients, so the will stress as it's fermenting. Nutes keep it from stressing. I have tried the TPW for vodka, it's.....only OK. Not great. There's better recipes for vodka, I think. I could always detect tomato when run through my potstill. Maybe a reflux column would make it more neutral? Dead yeast has always been a flavorless and a no-smell nutrient....for ME in my potstills.

 

[Bubbles2]

I wanted to come back here and let you know my experience with TURBO Yeast. I did a Sugar Head run 5 gallon. I did fortify my wash with Used Yeast Cake from a Rye Run with 05- 200ml, Gypsum 2tsp, Absorbic Acid 1tsp, multi Vit B cap contents, Paid attention to the PH 4.8. Actually had to use k-Bicarb to bring the Ph up due to no Buffer and the Acid used.
Start 1096 in 10 days 0990. Tastes as good as one would expect for the Wash. No bad taste as touted, faster than 05. FWIW. I'd use it again. 05 usually takes 4-5 days longer than the T.Y did. I can tell that Yeast Cake carried over and left a good taste as well. Current resurrect 1/30/20 harvest ( Easter and all) an 06 for a Rye IPA about to Pitch. LOL

 

[TGFV]

Kveik yeast strains, Ec-118, DV47 are my go to yeasts.

Turbo and some Dady ferment high abv but leave tons of fusels and the taste leaves much to be desired, while also having lots of issues.

You could also look into specialty non cervaiaes yeast strains that aren't generally used

 

[bernardsmith]

MY thinking is that many who distill have never brewed beer or made wine and so they really have absolutely no idea about how to make a drinkable beer or wine. But if that is something that you are familiar with and you know how to make a wine at say 12 -14 % ABV with just about any wine yeast then you can make a wash that has no flaws at 12-14 % ABV, and if you know how to make a good ale at 5 -6 % ABV then you know how to make a mash at 12 -14% with no flaws, though you might not often make a barley wine. Why would you use a turbo yeast when any wine or ale yeast will get you where you want to go without any of the crap that turbo yeasts produce? Just so that you can use the carbon filters that they recommend you use to remove the off flavors?