So what’s the deal with Cellar Science yeasts?
I’ve only ever used Lallemand and Fermentis for dry yeast. But Cellar Science seems to have an ever-growing selection, and they’re consistently 30-50% cheaper than Lallemand and Fermentis. Are they any good?
Yes.
I have used their Cali yeast with good results. With that said, I am not a pro so take it for what it is worth. I think it started a bit slow if I remember right, but seemed to do what it was supposed to do.
I have used:
Cali (ok) - reportedly US-05, though I’m not convinced, as it seems slightly different
German (solid) - basically 34/70, I think
Baja (decent) - might be Modelo’s or a slight downgrade of it; it has been solid enough but not necessarily amazing as I had hoped
I just got a packet of Monk (Belgian trappist??) which I will be trying out in the coming months for Tripel, Quad, and other experiments. My experiences with the other Cellar Science products were good enough to convince me to try out Monk.
The prices are easy to like, and the beers have all turned out solid enoough (so far), but I have other dry yeasts (Diamond, S-189, Verdant, Koln, etc) that I like a bit better, so I am not sure how often I’ll use CS yeast.
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll probably give them a try next time I need yeast.
I’m a big fan of it. I’ve used almost all of their strains, and great results.
I guess I am the oddball. As much as I really wanted them to be outstanding, I did not care for the results with the Cellar Science yeast strains I tried. I got slow starts, sluggish fermentation, mediocre attenuation, ‘interesting’ flavors, etc. I quickly went back to tried and true even if I am paying more.
One day, you’ll wake up and there won’t be anymore time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t wait. Do it now.
Which strains did you try? I was mostly looking at their Voss and Acid (which seems to be their Lanchancea strain).
I tried Baja, English, and Cali.
Edit: John and Mike at Brew Dudes seem to like Cellar Science yeast strains.
One day, you’ll wake up and there won’t be anymore time to do the things you’ve always wanted to do. Don’t wait. Do it now.
I also tried Baja and also found it just ok. I made the exact same beer (8 months apart, mind you), one with Baja, one with WY2112. Both cleared beautifully, but Baja was a bit bready to me, not as crisp as I would have liked. 2112 was fantastic.
Granted, I’m a half-arsed lager brewer.
I know this is an old post, but I thought I could chime in.
I brewed a Negra Modelo clone two days ago and pitched the Baja yeast without hydration into a 1.066 sg wert. I used yeast nutrients and I oxygenated the wert. It took till last evening (36 hrs) before I saw any signs of fermentation. Today(48 hrs) there is about 1/2” krausen and not even enough CO2 to even make a bubble in the airlock.
While I’m not a “seasoned” lager brewer, this doesn’t seem right to me. Is this normal activity. Any insight will be appreciated!
My lagers generally take between 24-48 hours to show signs of fermentation, regardless of dry or liquid form. It has gone as long as 72 hours. They have always turned out fine.
Two side notes: 1) You do not need to oxygenate a dry pitch. 2) If you have a krausen but no bubbling, you have a leak somewhere in your fermenter lid. CO2 is always produced in excess before a krausen forms, and this CO2 production should be evident.
Fermentation is temperature dependent- what temp is your batch? Airlock bubbles are seal-dependent. Is there a good seal between your fermenter and the airlock? Krausen = fermentation; I would let it ride.