I like to give my business to the local economy but my LHBS only has these yeasts. I've heard mutons sucks.... alot. I didn't have much luck with coopers... so any advice on getting quality yeasts? Would making a starter with mutons help?
Windsor, Cooper's, or Munton's yeast?
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blacklab
Well-Known Member
I personally only use Fermentis if I'm going dry...but if you have to choose one of those I guess Windsor. Rehydrating helps.
Windsor doesn't attenuate well in my experience so I'd keep that in mind while formulating your recipes. I've also noticed it generates a lot of esters which is nice in English ales but not if you're looking for a clean flavour from the yeast.
I've never used Coopers but I had nothing but problems with Muntons so I'd personally steer clear of that one.
I've never used Coopers but I had nothing but problems with Muntons so I'd personally steer clear of that one.
If they've got Windsor, I can imagine they could get Nottingham which is my preference if I have to go with Danstar. Tell them to get the Fermentis product like S-04 and S-05.
There's nothing wrong with dry yeasts, but you'll find far more variety in the liquid strains. Chances are they'll have something you want in the liquid yeasts.
Apparently no one can get Nottingham right now. Even midwest supplies doesn't have any right now.
Muntons GOLD is good (clean/att. and flocc.). The other muntons is crap.
Windsor is not meant to be very flocculant and can be very fruity. Nottingham (same company) is more attentive/flocculant and clean.
Coopers is good. clean and flocculant.
Fermentis yeasts have the most variety as dry yeast and all are pretty good. Check a guide to see the individual properties. If you use the lager one then ferment around 60 or so not in the 50's as this yeast likes it a little warmer than most lager strains and gets estery at lower temps.
Mauri Ale and Lager are both great. Both work in a higher temp range than normal and are great for those of you who have ambient temp problems in the summer. I just ordered a brick of Mauri ale. It can be used clean up near the 90's! and is very attentive/flocculant.
Windsor is not meant to be very flocculant and can be very fruity. Nottingham (same company) is more attentive/flocculant and clean.
Coopers is good. clean and flocculant.
Fermentis yeasts have the most variety as dry yeast and all are pretty good. Check a guide to see the individual properties. If you use the lager one then ferment around 60 or so not in the 50's as this yeast likes it a little warmer than most lager strains and gets estery at lower temps.
Mauri Ale and Lager are both great. Both work in a higher temp range than normal and are great for those of you who have ambient temp problems in the summer. I just ordered a brick of Mauri ale. It can be used clean up near the 90's! and is very attentive/flocculant.
BeerPressure
Well-Known Member
just brewed my first beer with muntons.... it fermented quickly and rapidly. Now im reading people think its crap? wish i would of read that before i bought the kit with it. I will see how it turns out..
If you ferment a wort that it's designed for (lots of adjunct sugars) it does a decent enough job. You won't hate your beer, don't worry.
Crap can be a relative term. lol
Attentive roughly means on average how much of the fermentable sugars will be fermented. Flocculant means how well the yeast settles (clears) to the bottom.
Attentive roughly means on average how much of the fermentable sugars will be fermented. Flocculant means how well the yeast settles (clears) to the bottom.
All three of those yeasts are relatively low attenuation (for all-malt beers), fast-fermenting yeasts that tolerate a wide range of temperatures. They do a good job on the basic can & sugar beers, but it doesn't make a lot of sense in my book for a store to have three more or less identical yeasts.
Windsor is probably your best bet of the lot.
Windsor is probably your best bet of the lot.
Actually Muntons Gold is very attenuative david. The other muntons is not so much.
Bros brew. Are you limited to only those three in your OP? As you can see there are a number of other dry strains.
Bros brew. Are you limited to only those three in your OP? As you can see there are a number of other dry strains.
sorry but straight up noob... what's OP? and yes, those are the only ones she carries dry, I asked if she would think about getting some fermentis yeasts as well and she got kinda offended and swore by muntons saying that everyone on the board didn't know what they were talking about.
OP == 'original post' or 'original poster' depending on context
The guy running my LHBS has the same opinion of Muntons, I just smile and nod my head and buy my Nottingham etc elsewhere.
Hoosierbrewer
Well-Known Member
If they have liquid, get a style that goes well with the beer you are brewing. If you plan to brew several batches over the next year, you can wash it and reuse. If you get 3-4 batches out of it, then it can be cheaper than dry yeast. You could get more than that easily.
cuinrearview
Well-Known Member
Since they don't carry fermentis or nottingham, get yourself some White Labs 001 or Wyeast 1056. After the fermentation, collect the yeast to re-use with some garage sale canning jars. Check out this post.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=41768&highlight=yeast+washing+illustrated
You won't go wrong with quality yeast, good (phobic) sanitation practices, and sub-70 degree fermentation temperatures when you're starting out.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=41768&highlight=yeast+washing+illustrated
You won't go wrong with quality yeast, good (phobic) sanitation practices, and sub-70 degree fermentation temperatures when you're starting out.
TheFlatline
Well-Known Member
Just to play devil's advocate, I used Munton's yeast for my first brew ever on an American Amber, and it turned out great.
The only thing I noticed, and I don't have enough experience to tell if this was the yeast strain or was supposed to happen, but my first test of the SG after a week fermenting there was a subtle, yet very distinct sweet malt flavor on the very tip of my tongue. Two days later when I took a hydrometer reading again and everything was stable, that flavor had disappeared.
It's still damn tasty though.
The only thing I noticed, and I don't have enough experience to tell if this was the yeast strain or was supposed to happen, but my first test of the SG after a week fermenting there was a subtle, yet very distinct sweet malt flavor on the very tip of my tongue. Two days later when I took a hydrometer reading again and everything was stable, that flavor had disappeared.
It's still damn tasty though.
SteveM
Well-Known Member
I've always used Nottingham exclusively but my last batch (now in the fermenter), I used Munton's (it was in a kit - discussed elsewhere). The ferment was fast and vigorous.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=69402
For brewing up a regular non-exotic ale variety, I would not advise using a liquid yeast when dry ones are so serviceable. The extra cost is significant. Liquid yeasts are important to achieve some specific types but for a regular old ale, dry is fine.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=69402
For brewing up a regular non-exotic ale variety, I would not advise using a liquid yeast when dry ones are so serviceable. The extra cost is significant. Liquid yeasts are important to achieve some specific types but for a regular old ale, dry is fine.
I bought a Brewers Best kit of a German Oktoberfest and it came with Windsor yeast. I can get Nottingham yeast but it will take 2-3 weeks to get here. Is Nottingham that much better that I should wait or just say the hell with it and go with the Windsor?
I just got 6 packs from Northernbrewer.
BearsWickedBrew
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Noob here...what exactly is rehydrating yeast? simply adding it to a small sample of water? I read on howtobrew.com that you should use a small amount of preboiled warm water...from 95º - 100º....but I thought if pitching yeast on 100º wort can kill it...so couldnt this?
first off, it's not quite that high, only 86 to 92. and you make an interesting point. My theory, just taking a stab in the dark, the wort is comprised of a lot of sugar and there for hot sugar will damage the yeast more than just water. Mainly because it is denser, take some pancake syrup and heat it and pour it on your hand, it will hurt more than if you do the same with water.
BearsWickedBrew
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I see your point.... but I would think 90º = 90º? The same way 1lb of feathers = 1lb of steel.
I'm going to throw out a ridiculous question. I noticed the words "cleansing solution" & "sterile" on my bottle of contact solution this morning. I dont know what sort of chemicals are in there..but its safe enough to put in your eye. So being the noob that I am, I said to myself hmm....I wonder if this could assist in any way, shape, or form during a homebrew sanitization process?
I'm going to throw out a ridiculous question. I noticed the words "cleansing solution" & "sterile" on my bottle of contact solution this morning. I dont know what sort of chemicals are in there..but its safe enough to put in your eye. So being the noob that I am, I said to myself hmm....I wonder if this could assist in any way, shape, or form during a homebrew sanitization process?
grasshopper1917
Well-Known Member
What u wanna wash your equiptment in contact lens solution? lol
As for the yeast I always use coopers - it does a good job I find. I did try muttons once and it didnt ferment very well - went form like 1044 to 1018 - was hoping to get it down around 1011 or so. I never used windsors.
Also like the coopers kits if you are making the canned kits - they have a good variety of styles and i find they turn out good
Cheers
PS I never found making a started made any difference - i just toss the yeast in from the package
As for the yeast I always use coopers - it does a good job I find. I did try muttons once and it didnt ferment very well - went form like 1044 to 1018 - was hoping to get it down around 1011 or so. I never used windsors.
Also like the coopers kits if you are making the canned kits - they have a good variety of styles and i find they turn out good
Cheers
PS I never found making a started made any difference - i just toss the yeast in from the package
Wort is higher gravity than water and tends to collapse the cell walls on dry yeast. Once they are hydrated they stabilize and thus can handle the higher gravity.
They lose up to 25% or so of there viability when sprinkled directly on the wort. That said, there is usually enough cells in a sachette of yeast to still end up with plenty survivors to ferment your beer.
And as far as using your contact lens solution in your hypothetical batch of beer.. there are preservitives in there that should kill the yeast, not to mention leave it quite salty.
Bro'sbrew, there is nothing wrong with using windsor. It is a strain that is supposed to finish a bit less dry with a slight fruity/yeasty taste to it. I find, at the high end of temp range, that it can impart a slight banannaee flavor. Some people use it in wheat beers for a slight heffe taste. Probably good for an American style wheat. It is also often used for stouts and other malty english beers.
SteveM
Well-Known Member
There are plenty of folks who always make starters or rehydrate dry yeast, and for Muntons, the label specifically calls for rehydrating.
But I've never done either, and never had a failed ferment or a need to add more yeast. I get my wort to brewing temperature and simply empty the vial or packet into the fermenter (no stirring) and seal it up.
But I've never done either, and never had a failed ferment or a need to add more yeast. I get my wort to brewing temperature and simply empty the vial or packet into the fermenter (no stirring) and seal it up.
Did a Kolsch extract recipe but substituted Danstar Windsor for a traditional Kolsch yeast. It fermented rapidly and was done in about 2 days. Do you guys have any recommendations as to 1) how long I should let it sit 2) would you do a secondary or just cool it down in the fridge for a day 3) any idea what style this will resemble since I deviated from the Kolsch yeast, I have to call it something but am still a noob 4) any thoughts on doing a 1 gallon secondary on fruit, thinking orange peel or apricots.
Thanks!
Thanks!
I've used small starters for the cooper's ale yeast,I've pitched it dry,& re-hydrated. The starter worked the best. I use 1 1/2C boiled water with 1/4C DME. Get it down to 70-ish,then stir in the 7g yeast sachet. I cover it with plastic wrap & let it sit for at least 3-4 hours,sometimes the morning of a brew day.
I brewed a dark ale with the cooper's dark ale can,3lbs of Munton's plain amber DME,1oz each of Kent Golding & Haulertau hops. In 11days,it went from 1.050 down to 1.011. Gotta take a 2nd FG today to confirm. Then rack onto bourbon soaked oak chips in secondary. So a small starter for dry yeast def helps,especially the small cooper's ale yeast sachet in the OS kits. Re-hydrating was almost as good,but not quite. Dry,took a while longer to get going,& rather weakly at that. But the cooper's ale yeast attenuates very well,& flocculation is high. It's a very tolerant yeast.
I brewed a dark ale with the cooper's dark ale can,3lbs of Munton's plain amber DME,1oz each of Kent Golding & Haulertau hops. In 11days,it went from 1.050 down to 1.011. Gotta take a 2nd FG today to confirm. Then rack onto bourbon soaked oak chips in secondary. So a small starter for dry yeast def helps,especially the small cooper's ale yeast sachet in the OS kits. Re-hydrating was almost as good,but not quite. Dry,took a while longer to get going,& rather weakly at that. But the cooper's ale yeast attenuates very well,& flocculation is high. It's a very tolerant yeast.
