I realize this is an incredibly broad question and varies a lot based on what style I'm trying to brew. The fact is, I'm a beginner messing around with a variety of styles, all ales, and I'd like to be able to have a small stock of dry yeasts in the fridge as backup in case fermentation doesn't start for me for some reason, or in case it gets stuck. Neither has happened to me yet thankfully, but I'm experiencing my typical preoccupation with the fact that the yeast I pitched last night didn't seem to have the airlock going nuts yet by morning. I'd breathe easier knowing I have a few packets in the fridge that will give me a reasonably good-tasting result should I need them.
So what should I get? (I asked the hubby to pick some up for me once before and he returned with a Hefeweizen yeast. I'm not asking him to swing by the homebrew shop near his work again without a few specifics, since clearly the shop was no help to him in choosing something that would be fairly generic.)