Dry yeast review...

[Edison]

I’ve just made a crystal rye bitter with WYeast Activator 1469-West Yorkshire Ale Yeast, it’s a lovely malty, fruity beer for it.

I have a Boh-Pils happily bubbling away with WYeast 2001 Pilsner Urquell at 11c at the moment (lager yeast is weird stuff!).

For AIPA’s I always used to use WYeast 1056/WLP001 but they didn’t seem to clear too easily. Recently I used US-05 for a Gamma Ray clone (expecting some haze) and its now dropped crystal clear on its own with no finings! Tastes great though.

I did try BRY-97 in an IPA and it tasted great, not quite as dry as US-05, a little maltier. I did try it for a second generation though and it completely let me down, temperature was kept at 20c but it tasted like a German wheat for ages!

 

[An Ankoù]

I’ve just made a crystal rye bitter with WYeast Activator 1469-West Yorkshire Ale Yeast, it’s a lovely malty, fruity beer for it.

I have a Boh-Pils happily bubbling away with WYeast 2001 Pilsner Urquell at 11c at the moment (lager yeast is weird stuff!).

For AIPA’s I always used to use WYeast 1056/WLP001 but they didn’t seem to clear too easily. Recently I used US-05 for a Gamma Ray clone (expecting some haze) and its now dropped crystal clear on its own with no finings! Tastes great though.

I did try BRY-97 in an IPA and it tasted great, not quite as dry as US-05, a little maltier. I did try it for a second generation though and it completely let me down, temperature was kept at 20c but it tasted like a German wheat for ages!

Just out of curiosity, why do you say lager yeast is weird stuff?

 

[Edison]

Ha, just because when I’m used to brewing ales at a nice cosy 19c, I’m always surprised to see the yeast happily munching away at a chilly 11c. I wouldn’t be impressed if I were kept at that temperature!

 

[foxy]

I have never used liquid yeast is there much difference.

Shelf life is the biggest difference.

 

[samale]

Is most people using a fresh yeast for each brew. Or do they reuse the yeast cake. The last while I have started to reuse the yeast from the previous brew. Normally just pitching straight into the same fermentor.

 

[Edison]

I believe pitching straight on top of the yeast cake is the easiest way to reuse but runs the risk of over pitching.

Sometimes I do reuse by dumping yeast from the bottom post of the conical and doing a yeast rinse. Unfortunately I was finding I wasn’t brewing frequently enough and was building a collection of yeasts in the bottom of the fridge that we’re getting old and I didn’t have the confidence in them when it came round to finally using them again. I might make another lager of the back of this one in the FV though.

 

[An Ankoù]

I always try to get at least 5 or 6 brews out of each yeast, top cropping into two small conical flasks within 48 hours of pitching. By taking two flasks from each brew, it ensures I don't go beyond 3rd or 4th generation and avoid problems due to mutation and possible infection. It does mean that you have to plan your brews a month ahead and have a month on, say, brews using US-05 or the winter months using a particular lager yeast etc. I recently pitched a brew with S-04 and when I came back to it 24 hours later, the head had all dropped to the bottom, leaving nothing to crop so on this occasion, I've collected some of the crud off the bottom. However, as my West Yorkshire bitter yeast has recently arrived, I'll probably throw the S-04 away.

 

[samale]

That is something similar to how I brew. I would normally brew in batches. As one brew is getting racked into the bottling bucket another goes straight into the fermentor. The most I have used a yeast cake being for 3 or 4 brews. If I don't have a brew ready I wash the fermentor and start fresh the next brew.

 

[Edison]

I clearly need to get more organised (and drink more beer)! I have one FV, when that’s fermented out and dry-hopped I’ll transfer to a BBT (corney with shortened dip tube) for conditioning and crashing. I only have space for one of these in the brew freezer. Once one of my serving kegs kicks I can clean the empty keg and lines and transfer new beer in fron the BBT, freeing up the fermentation chamber, and so the circle continues...

I rarely brew the same beer twice or same style back-to-back.

 

[Slid]

Do most people use a fresh yeast for each brew, or do they reuse the yeast cake? Of late, I have started to reuse the yeast from the previous brew. Normally just pitching straight into the same fermentor.

I use the same yeast, US 05, for most of my beers and from one sachet will generally get around 6 or so brews. Racking to secondary after 2 weeks and leaving some beer in the bottom of the primary FV means that you can swirl and tip the trub into a 2L jug and decant it into 4-6 250ml PET bottles that previously contained lemonade or tonic water. In the fridge, they are good for 3 months at least. Huge cell count and the only issue for an analyst would be over-attenuation.

 

[phildo79]

I bought a 500g packet of S-04 a few years ago and I've still got a good 150g left. It's all I use, regardless of style (although I pretty much only make stouts and IPA's, with the occasional pale ale). I have always found it to be a fast acting yeast. Sometimes the ferment is over in 3 days, if the temp is right. Very clean ferment as well. Never had an issue with haze.

 

[phildo79]

Has anyone tried the 500g tubs of Young's dried yeast? Seen them on sale for about £12. Was wondering if it was worth a punt.

 

[foxy]

Has anyone tried the 500g tubs of Young's dried yeast? Seen them on sale for about £12. Was wondering if it was worth a punt.

Could be the Angel yeast just rebadged, I have got some Angel English ale yeast to try when I try it I will post results.

 

[Clint]

Well my porter brewed yesterday and pitched with a Wilko Gervin yeast is showing signs of life. There's a krausen if about an inch,lid pressure but only a slight bubble if I adjust the tube. This was noted tonight on getting in from work,6.15am today there was nothing. The CML real ale yeast is a real fast starter compared and would be bubbling furiously by now

 

[MrRook]

I brewed a stout on Saturday with S-33.

 

[Drunkula]

I brewed a stout on Saturday with S-33.

I made my very first all grain with it - a wheat beer and my friends scored it 9/10 and that was a "Do not lie" score.

It's the yeast that comes with pretty much all beer kits so it's the yeast probably most people have brewed with and just didn't know.

 

[Argentum]

I brewed a stout on Saturday with S-33.

According to this gene sequencing correlation chart Fermentis S-33 and Lallemand Windsor are genetically quite close to being twins. Find them at about the 9:30 time slot position on this yeast chart circle.

And in the same study WLP800 Czech Pilsner "lager" yeast and WY2565 Kolsch ale yeast are nigh on kissing cousins. It turns out from looking at it at the gene level that the Urquell strain is an ale yeast. Find them at ~ the 7:30 position.

And I'd bet you never would have guessed in a million years that Fermentis S-04 is the strain of yeast that has evolved further away from the original parent (seen in the very center of the circle) than any other yeast. It sits at the very end of the evolutionary line.

Here is the link to the yeast genetic relationships chart:

http://beer.suregork.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Brewing_yeast_family_tree_nov_2018_v11.pdf

 

[phildo79]

That's a handy chart, should I choose not to go with the Young's 500g packet for £8 at my LHBS. I think for that price, I'll give it a whirl... when my S-04 runs out.

 

[Drunkula]

That's a handy chart, should I choose not to go with the Young's 500g packet for £8 at my LHBS. I think for that price, I'll give it a whirl... when my S-04 runs out.

Keep on innovating!

 

[steve denholm]

I've been using S-05 for my last few beers works out well but watch that Krausen Creep.... ;P