I usually use white labs 830 when Brewing lagers, And always make a starter. for some reason (?white labs moving to the Midwest?), Both of the homebrew shops in my area are out of almost all white labs including 830. One of the guys said just use two packets of 30/70 dry yeast and just sprinkle it into the wort at fermenting temperature (48 to 50). I’ve never used dry use before and wondering if this is good advice? In the past, I heard it needs to be rehydrated, but then also heard that that’s not important anymore. But the lag time will be longer before fermentation begins? Anyway, for those of you who use dry yeast for lagers, any opinions or advice? Thanks!
I use 1 pack for 3 gallons. I sprinkle it on top.
I have used many dry lager yeasts; 34/70, S-23, Diamond, Novalager, S-189. All work well pitched without rehydration.
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I sprinkle it in as I fill the fermenter. It seems to start well with that approach. Novalager and Diamond both work well. S-189 is another that I like. W34-70 works well enough, but it occasionally gives a lemon ester that some find distracting. Just my experience, of course.
One pack of any dry yeast is plenty. Save a few bucks. And no rehydration needed. It should start within 24 hours. And if it doesn’t, THEN you can consider whether you want to add that second pack. Otherwise an unopened pack of dry will keep for years in the fridge for another time.
W-34/70 is good. S-189 and Diamond are better. S-23 is… different. Jury is still out on Novalager – I did use it once, to results fairly similar to S-23 in my opinion – kind of OK, a little fruity, like canned fruit cocktail.
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Dry yeast is great, especially 34/70.
No need to oxygenate, because the dry yeast has sterols already grown into the cells. You can rehydrate, even with some first runnings of your wort (be sure to cool it!) - i do not rehydrate
While one pack is probably ok, I like to add an additional pack or two and pitch three packs at a time. My feeling is that I’m not asking the yeast to do too much other than ferment. It’ll still go though the growth phase, but it gives me the peace of mind knowing that there’s more than enough cells to kick off and complete fermentation.
Also, I buy the extra packs because of it’s cost - 3 packs of dry yeast cost about the same as 1 pitch of 830.
34/70 is a fairly hardy yeast and it can be pitched at 60f. So if i’m brewing a lager in the summer and can’t get the wort to 50f, i’ll pitch it around 60f and chill it down to 50f in the chest freezer where I ferment. Pitching it a little warm will help reduce lag time - but don’t let it go though active fermentation at 60f or else you’ll pick up a lot of sulfer.
Yes, dry yeast works great. Using more than one pack is also solid advice. And yes, sprinkling it right into the wort is also best practice. Sounds like you can trust your LHBS guy.
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I have used exclusively dry lager yeasts for a few years now. Not much to add here, other than that Diamond and S-189 are my favorites. Novalager is also good. W34/70 gives me a distracting tartness, so I don’t use it anymore. (I wonder if that’s the lemon ester ynotbrusum mentioned?)
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Well, now I’m wondering why I’ve been making big starters all these years?
Everyone says you don’t need to oxygenate dry yeast, and I usually don’t.
BUT, I’ve gotten green apple (Acetaldehyde) a couple times with W34/70. Since I’ve started oxygenating with it, I’ve had no problems and love the results. So whether or not it makes sense, that’s what I do now. One pack in my 2.5 gallon batch, so plenty of yeast.
I use K-97 with all my lagers (and my Scottish ales). Ferment at 62 degrees F and you’re good to go.
Very clean.
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Do you mean oxygenate the wort before you sprinkle it on? I always oxygenate the wort.
Yes, that’s what I mean. And most people don’t do that with dry yeast. And I only do that with W34/70.
I have limited experience brewing lagers. The only other yeast I’ve used is Novalager. I don’t oxygenate that, and haven’t had any issues. It doesn’t clear nearly as well as 34/70 tho, and also may lack a certain something.
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34/70 is the most bulletproof lager yeast out there. You can ferment at ale temps with or without pressure and crank out great-tasting lagers. No rehydration is needed, no finicky fermentation temp schedules are required, and neither is a diacetyl rest when fermented at those temps.
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At that temperature the recommended number of packets is actually 3 for a batch of 5 gallons. (You can use [Lallemand’s calculator](Pitching rate calculator - Lallemand Brewing Choose the Diamond strain, which is fairly similar to 34/70). Two will probably work, though.
Rehydration is not necessary, nor is oxygen. Actually you should not give oxygen. There is one important caveat, though: Until the yeast has sucked up fluid and adjusted to an active life again, it is very fragile. A normal yeast cell is pretty tough - you can forget all nonsense about shear force in starters - but not a dry yeast cell readjusting to it’s active form. So sprinkle the yeast on top of the wort, and then don’t slosh it around. Just leave it for a while.
And that’s all you need to do. Very simple. You’ll probably experience a fairly long lag time, but if your sanitation practices are good, that’s really no problem. Just be prepared for it, so you don’t start worrying needlessly.
If you have a stirplate, and can oxygenate your wort properly, making a starter is of course an option. That’s what I prefer to do - saving a few bucks, too. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the wort in the flask and let it just sit still until you see signs of fermentation. Then start spinning and go on as usual from there. Cool it down when it’s finished, and decant before pitching. Pitch it cold, after you’ve oxygenated the wort properly. I feel more comfortable doing it this way - I get a much shorter lag time - but I’ve no proof it’s better. I just like it better 
.
Some would argue that making a starter when using dry yeast is just wasting the good work done by the producers, who have stuffed the yeast with all sorts of nutrients. But I think the yeast actually benefits from having had to go through a “work cycle” before being used to make beer.
Why is it advised NOT to oxygenate wort when using dry yeast?
I have never heard that you shouldn’t aerate wort before pitching dry yeast. Where are you getting this info from??
Correlation is not causation, though.
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Because it’s unnecessary. It won’t hurt (beyond a bit of wasted time and effort), but you won’t gain anything either.
I know. But until I get green apple on a 34/70 batch that I oxygenate, I’ll continue to oxygenate when using it.
Because it would amount to overoxygenation. When you pitch dry yeast you can think of it as having pitched yeast and given it a perfect dose of oxygen; just right to give the yeast what it needs to fill it’s stores of sterols to the brim. If you then add the 8-10 ppm you normally would use, you give a double dose.
I won’t say that would ruin your beer, but it certainly would mean at least a small risk of off flavors. And why would you want to run that risk? There’s nothing to be gained from it.
But don’t misunderstand: There’s no need to go to any lenghts to avoid oxygen. Some will of course not hurt.
I can think of one exception: If you’re into LODO techniques, and have used sulfite to scavenge oxygen, I would definitely give some oxygen before pitching, to make certain you get rid of any residual sulfite before the yeast can turn it into sulfide (H2S) :).
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