Dry yeast has so many advantages over liquid yeast that it makes me wish I could use it for every beer style and every recipe under the sun. And so over time, I have been trying almost every yeast available from the big two: Lallemand and Fermentis.
By & large, dry yeasts have come a long long way over just the past 5-10 years. If you haven’t tried a dry yeast in a while, it’s time to give it another go.
For example, there are some who hate S-04. And I used to dislike it as well, finding it to be sulfury and a bit finicky. However recently I have given it a chance a couple more times, and now find it to be extremely clean and lager-like, and an excellent competitor against US-05, Nottingham, and even – gasp – W-34/70! Try it again, you might like it. It’s very clean and NOT fruity. Should be suitable for any style really where you do not want the yeast to stand out. Indeed, I think I am all done with US-05 now (after using it a dozen times or more), and from here on out will begin using S-04 for any recipe where US-05 is specified.
Unfortunately, on occasion, some dry yeasts come with a specific disadvantage: tartness. Why this is exactly, personally I am not certain, except that I know it to be true. People have at some point reported tartness with just about every dry yeast strain, but perhaps none moreso than K-97, which is often (usually?) a sour yeasty mess for many months. As such I cannot recommend its use. It is in fact derived from real-life Kolsch yeast, but… something apparently goes wrong in the drying process to make it unworthy. It’s too bad. I wish it were good, but it isn’t, in MY opinion.
And I experience a similar phenomenon with WB-06, which by the way is not a German yeast at all but a Belgian with mild phenolics. But again, tart and hazy and generally just not as great as its liquid counterparts.
For years I have been promoting S-189 as being superior to W-34/70, and I maintain this stance. That being said… I finally in my last batch split it between S-189 and the Lallemand Diamond strain… and while I find the results to be very very similar, I can’t help but recognize that the Diamond strain adds a German lager authenticity that simply is not present with S-189. The S-189 is super clean to the point of blandness, as it just doesn’t add any unusual character at all, even when fermented at room temperature, whereas Diamond yeast gives a lager that actually tastes “German”. There are some who understand this distinction, and to those people, I recommend that you give Diamond a try if you haven’t yet.
Unfortunately I have not brewed many Belgian styles in recent years, and I know I want to try much more. So my own input on those is a little more up in the air. Two yeasts I have tried included T-58 and BE-256, and I have to say… I was rather NOT impressed with either one. So I’ll be moving on to BE-134 in near future. I do love Belle Saison, it’s clean but super dry and still characterful enough to win medals for myself and friends, so take care not to dismiss it too easily.
If they sold Mangrove Jack anywhere, I’d be buying and trying those as well, knowing that they are really just repackaged from other manufacturers, but with perhaps a somewhat reduced price. But I haven’t seen these around much, at least not in my area. I would not for one second hesitate to buy some though if I could find it and the price was right.
The following yeasts are all very closely related and very similar, and these hold a place in my toolbox when I want a lower alcohol beer and/or for it to finish fermenting in 40 hours flat guaranteed: S-33, Muntons, Windsor, and Lallemand London (“ESB”). People might complain that the attenuation on these is poor and FG is too high; however, this is desirable in some recipes. It’s a tool. I really have enjoyed the beers I’ve made with London in particular.
If I had to declare a winner, I think Lallemand has got Fermentis beat by a hair. But there are many great Fermentis strains as well, many of which are mentioned above for a reason. I have not and will not commit loyalty to any one brand. I still use both White Labs and Wyeast frequently as well. I’ve not tried Omega or Imperial yet, but am not against the idea and eventually will. A small part of the reason I study all the yeast strains available to us is so that I can more easily make substitutions between manufacturers, because, how many times have you really NEEDED to get one yeast strain in particular, only to find that it’s not available right now, or past its expiration, etc. So why not try the best possible substitute if there is another strain comes “close enough for most intents & purposes”? And the comparative pricing comes into play often as well, for those of us who pinch pennies (just a habit for me).
I love to split every batch and almost always try two different yeasts for comparisons. I’ve learned a lot doing this, and suggest anyone else interested should try the same.
Cheers and happy yeasting (whatever that means).
Topic: Let's Discuss Dry Yeast (Read 11375 times)
