Yeast

[MrC]

I have a couple of yeast questions so I thought I'd start a discussion dedicated to yeast.

I just got some American Ale Yeast (1056) delivered from Dunedin Malthouse. It arrived in a small bottle which was not what I was expecting (assumption is the mother of all F#$%ups). It appears to be unbranded and part of me is reluctant to spend 5 hours brewing and then risk a unknown yeast.

Does anyone have experience with these yeasts?
Would it be safer to buy some US05 and save the 1056 for an extract brew?
Are these great yeasts?
Any thoughts?

[jt]

it actually works out cheaper

Yep, it is. Even if you buy spray malt at Brewcraft prices it's cheaper to get a Wyeast pack and go for broke.

[Darren Andrews (Daza)]

Hi I would like to know more about yeast too....I'm so new haven't even started getting any gear together yet but I am very keen to get in to my first batch of all-grain BIAB and just trying to get my head around some stuff, yeast being one of them. I have a small booklet from a brew shop called "Mangrove Jack's" Craft Series dried yeast. and am wanting to know is this based on kit brew's or is it for all grain too? from what I have gathered from this booklet is that I will need British Ale Yeast for making IPA UK and Porter and or maybe a Burton Ale Yeast have you heard of these types of yeast? or should just use the reliable US05 which seems to be liked by many here. Would this yeast be suitable for ales and the IPA beers? Thanks and please give me any info you can thanks.

Daza.

[Cain Harland]

Those mangrove jack yeasts are for all grain. I use US05 a lot, I mostly brew IPAs and other hoppy ales. As far as I know the mangrove west coast yeast it very similar both are very clean, that is they leave very little in terms of flavor in the finished product, great for letting the hops shine. For some styles of beer you want your yeast to add something (esters or phenols) to the beer, those banana and clove flavors in many Belgian beers are a great example. While I'm happy with dried US05 in an IPA if I'm brewing something where the yeast plays a bigger part in the taste (a  Belgian wit for example) I would fork out for the flash liquid yeast. The liquid ones are generally better.

Some guys get around the cost of liquid yeast by brewing several beers in a row that use the same yeast starting each one off with some of the yeast left from the last.

With yeast you really want to get the pitching rate right (number of yeast per L of beer) or at least close, I learned this the hard way and poured a few down the drain where I had under pitched the yeast and they had worked too hard and produced off flavors. Starting out this probably just means you might have to add 2 or 3 packs of dried yeast if your doing a large (over 23L) or strong brew. Later on you might look at building up a starter. The packs of dried yeast are supposed to be the right amount for 23L of mid strength beer. They are probably all a little under ideal and the larger way under. You can work out how much yeast you would need with a calculator like this one.

[Grant R Baker]

The variety of liquid yeast is what got me attracted to them. Stouts made with Irish or WestYorkShire yeast can be extra nice.

Yeah they cost, but if you can make a starter then you can make one smack pack into four starters and keep growing from there.

 

That said dry yeasts are fine and the best way to start when your just getting your obsession going.

[Peter Smith]

if you enter a case swap you can grow up the yeast from the 7-8 bottles you get....