[BrewBama]

... I would be interesting to see if BRY-97 started faster when underpitched when pitched into well-aerated wort.  Dry yeast can make a brewer lazy in the aeration department because of its reduced dissolved O₂ requirements

I can add anecdotal evidence to aerated vs non aerated wort if underpitching Bry-97:  when I first began trying to make Bry-97 start faster I first tried aeration with the ‘one pack in a batch’ method. I’ve personally experienced 36 hr long lag times. 

So, I went down and bought the O2 bottle and regulator. I didn’t notice a discernible difference. I still saw long lag times.  Frankly, I don’t remember if they were less than 36 hrs or not but I recall be frustrated.

After a conversation with a company rep and fellow brewers, what ended up working for me was pitching to the mfr recommended weight per SG and volume coupled with their method of pitching while filling and pitching yeast nutrient along with the yeast.

Using this method I get remarkable 16 hr +/-2 hr lag consistency. I don’t even know where the O2 bottle is anymore.


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[denny]

Since BRY 97 has come up, I thought I'd relate my latest experience.  Split a 12 gal. batch of IPA into 2 fermenters.  Sprinkled a pack of BRY on top of each at 63F.  I had active fermentation in 18 hours.  No aeration, no rehydration.

[Northern_Brewer]

Is the Verdant strain a true top-cropper?  I will probably stop using liquid yeast after one of the dry yeast manufacturers produce a true top-cropping British strain.  I primarily make British-style bitter and pale ale.  My preference is for a strain that I can top crop.

@Saccharomyces I've not used it myself (too many strains, not enough brewing time...) but by all accounts it top-crops well (but enough drops out that you can bottom crop it in conicals). On the other hand, assuming it's a derivative of 1318 (all they'll say officially is that they used to use "a generic London Ale III yeast from a bigger yeast bank" before selecting a single strain that became their house strain) then it's a Beer1 yeast which explains why it's a bit cleaner than the true square yeasts which all seem to be Beer2 saison types.

I don't think people who only know the Wyeast/White Labs catalogues, realise just how many British yeasts are POF+ - mebbe half the Brewlab strains are phenolic to some extent. And that may well be part of the reason for the high aeration in squares, just to damp down those phenolics a bit. You may have to look for it, but there's definitely a subtle phenolic note in eg Harveys and Sam Smiths on cask.