Is there any kind of rule-of-thumb for yeast selection when coming up with a recipe? For instance, if you make a typical heffeweizen, the yeast is profoundly front-and-center. You can’t NOT notice it. A good many of the IPAs I’ve had though, the yeast is more like a bass player. You can tell it’s there, but with everything else going on, it’s hard to notice unless it’s not there.
Do you kind of just settle on a yeast you like, or are you constantly experimenting?
I like to buy whatever is cheapest. Most yeasts these days are pretty great, so why not save a few bucks.
Usually I use dry yeast because it’s foolproof and usually cheaper than liquid strains which are less reliable.
Other than that, I do love to experiment. One of the big reasons I developed my little yeast tool (https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/16XRUloO3WXqH9Ixsf5vx2DIKDmrEQJ36tLRBmmya7Jo/edit?usp=sharing) was to give me ideas to explore AND so I could more easily substitute other yeasts that might sometimes be cheaper.
yes, bry97 is a go-to yeast for me especially for if i want to just make a strong beer without making a first-beer to build up sufficient yeast quantity.
its cheap and has really good brewing qualities (consistent results/attenutation/flocculation is decent etc), better than US-05 imho for a clean simply cali style yeast.
some yeasts i’ve found to be a pain in the ass or underattenuate (at least based on how i treated them) or just have a taste i really don’t like.
I’ve pretty much settled on BRY97 for most American styles, Diamond Lager or S189 for lagers, and Wy3787 or 3522 for Belgian styles.
I keep plenty of dry yeast on hand, so when yeast flavor expression isn’t a factor I generally use BRY-97 for clean ales, and 34/70 for lagers (although I might change to Diamond if it continues to perform as well as it did in my last lager).
I have done 4-5 batches with Verdant IPA dry yeast. I have used it in an ordinary bitter, blonde ale, American Pale Ale, American Amber, and American IPA. I have really liked all the beers I have made with it. It attenuates well so you get a dry crisp finish and the fruit flavors are good but not too strong. I feel it is a great substitute for
Bry-97 if you want to try something different. It is definitely not a 1-to-1 replacement. It is more fruity, but I like that.
I have an IPA recipe that I usually make with WLP002. I tried A07, BRY-97 and Verdant IPA in a few batches and but ended up back at WLP002. I was hoping for something awesome because I’ve heard a lot of good things about Verdant especially. Maybe I should try again and mash a little hotter. The BRY-97 batch mashed at 149F. I like my IPAs a little hazier and malty.
Verdant dries the beer out a lot more than WLP002. I don’t mean to say it will replace WLP002. I love WLP002. But, I don’t use many liquid yeasts since they aren’t available locally for me.
i know it may seem like a re-tread, but its years and years on now. any of you well experienced guys have any other favourite yeasts?
i know some of the ones regulars here say they use frequently already.
After looking over dmtaylors spreadsheet (Thanks for putting that together!), I was wondering what “estery” actually means. I ran across what seems like a concise and simple explanation here for anyone interested.
The link (if accurate) states American-style beers tend to express minimal yeast character, instead highlighting the flavors and aromas associated malt and hops. and that English ale yeasts tend to express more estery character than their American cousins.
I may want to look into other English ale yeasts since I seem to prefer WLP002. Just not sure how to pick one. Dave’s spreadsheet is cool because he’s got some notes regarding the various types of yeasts and even though subjective, it’s still better than just throwing a dart. The attenuation notes are handy as well.
If you’re looking for English dry yeasts I recommend trying some of these. They are all English despite the names in some cases. None of them are a WLP002 replacement.
I like these in no particular order.
Lalbrew Verdant IPA
Lalbrew New England
Fermentis S-04
Mangrove Jack’s Liberty Bell M36
These are good too, but low attenuators.
Lalbrew London
Lalbrew Windsor
Think of esters as reminiscent of fruit flavors. Apple, banana, peach, pear, pineapple, etc.
English beers are often described as having an orange marmalade-like character. This can be aided by yeast. Verdant for example is supposed to be ‘estery’ (apricot, tropical fruit, and citrus).
Being fairly new, I have had good luck with S05 and Bry97. I have used a couple of liquid yeasts, that due to user error, did not work out too well. I have seen Verdant mentioned a number of times, so maybe I will give that a go with my next IPA. I am trying to branch out, so Pales, Blondes and the like are going to be in the works. I seem to have good luck with Bry97 at the moment.
WY1450, believe it or not
Haha… 
I do like that yeast. Wry Smile is soooo good.
Maybe I should try that in my hoppy west coast IPA and see how it goes. Might be just what I’m looking for.
I’ll check them out. Thanks!
My go to for that style
My brewing schedule is often erratic, so I tend to favor dry yeast so I can stock up and keep a supply on hand for whenever I need it. That being said, i do have a few fave liquid yeast strains:
I’ve been playing around with WY1762 as a house yeast strain over the past year or so, and for the most part it works great for malty styles. Even though it is technically a Belgian strain (supposedly Rochefort), my experience is that it is a fairly clean ale strain. It works great in English styles, and will even work in lagers with a big pitch and fermented cold. The only time I’ve gotten any esters out of it was when I was using old slurry that I hadn’t stepped up in an adequate starter. Otherwise, it’s clean as a whistle and make a great blank slate.
When I want a more flavorful English yeast I prefer WY1469, WY1968/WLP002 or WLP013. Windsor works in a pinch as a dry yeast, but the liquid ones have more flavor expression in my opinion.
i don’t brew hefe’s too often, but I prefer WY3638 over 3068. There’s a bit less banana and there’s a hint of vanilla and cinnamon in the phenolics that I enjoy.
I don’t brew Belgians often, either, but whenever WY3864 gets released I typically brew 2-3 batches with it. It has a great plummy thing going on that works really well in dark Belgian styles. It also plays nice with American hops in an Amber ale type recipe.
I’m also a big fan of WY3711/Belle Saison. Beers I brew with it remind me of dry white wine. One of the best brews I’ve ever made was a saison using 3711, Gewurztraminer wine must, and Nelson Sauvin hops. I scored a Gewurz wine kit from my LHBS’s going-out-of-business sale, so I will finally be brewing another batch this spring.
MoreBeer: "WLP013 London Ale Yeast is malty, dry and provides a complex, oakey ester character to beer. "
This sounds super interesting for a pale ale recipe I have. Would you say the “oakey”-ness is quite pronounced, or just barely subtle?
I plan my brews well in advance and I also harvest yeast from starters. I keep a bank of 5 or so yeasts in 16oz flip top bottles in the refrigerator. Right now I have:
Wyeast 1056 American Ale
Wyeast 3864 Canada/Belgium Ale
Danstar Nottingham Ale
Safale W-34/70 Lager
Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen
Wyeast 1318 London Ale III
These keep me covered for nearly any brew day I have planned. I find it pretty inexpensive to use a little malt extract to make a starter to harvest from and have enough for fermentation rather than buying a new yeast every time. I try to keep costs down, so this works for me, and my palate is not refined enough to distinguish between two similar yeasts. I have a lot of other brewing processes to work on that will make a bigger difference than fretting over two different Chico strains. If I were trying to reproduce (clone?) a specific beer, i might try to get that particular yeast. I like these yeast because they get me in the ballpark and seem to always make beer.