Ya know, in these discussions of which is "better", I've never seen a definition of what "better" means. Better fermentation performance? Better flavor? But isn't flavor subjective? There may be differences in flavors, but after that isn't it all preference? I mean, there are both liquid and dry yeasts that produce flavors I don't care for, but in that case "better" becomes strictly my own choice. Right?
Absolutely agree. There was a time when liquid yeast was clearly and consistently 'better' and more dependable than the dry stuff. Dry yeast has since come a long
way, and where I once said I'd never resort to using it again (I switched to liquid in the mid 1980s) I can now say that I always keep some dry yeast on hand these days and while my personal preference is
still liquid, I've had some very satisfying results with the current dry yeast offerings (especially handy for last minute decisions to brew).
The liquid preference is not about variety...I don't see the point is switching yeasts for every brew and besides the house yeast I've kept alive since the '80s, there are only 2 or 3 Wyeast strains I keep around. Cost certainly isn't an issue with the Wyeast products; when I use one, I routinely get 8 or 9 brews from a pack via repitching (and sometimes even more).
Bottom line for me is that I will always
prefer wet yeast because
I personally think it's better (in both performance and flavor) based only on
my own observations. But it is strictly personal opinion... which in the end doesn't matter at all since others' mileage will inevitably vary.
So going with Denny expresses, I think that everyone just needs to experiment and decide for themselves.