What’s your “house” yeast?

[Daniel Parshley]

I almost exclusively use Voss kveik during summer.
Not necessarilly because I want to use it, but because it works

Temperature is an issue for me, too. No one wants to send liquid yeast to me (understandably). Supply stores are a day trip affair. Love this discussion and will look at some of the dry yeast discussed. Otherwise, Safale 04 and 05 are my usual yeast with ice packs and a swamp cooler the first few days of the ferment in hopes of staying around 68 F.

 

[Donoroto]

I buy US-05 in 500g bricks and resuse the yeast in the fermenters three times before cleaning the fermenters. I only make pale ales but am thinking of trying some new styles and will try some different yeasts and other ingredients. Recently got made redundant and am quickly approaching 67yo so have made the discission to fully retire. Lots of woodworking and brewing to come

Question about re-using the yeast: do you stir up the yeast in the fermenter into the wort or just let it be?

 

[Vallka]

I use mainly 3 yeasts 05 is always in the fridge as well as byr-97. My main one is London III 1318. I can get the 1318 from my local brewery for free, just drop off a couple jars and some doughnuts plus some of my beer once in awhile.

 

[SwampWater]

Escarpment Labs House dry yeast. I find it similar to US-05 but buy it because it is made in Canada.

 

[Bigbre04]

Question about re-using the yeast: do you stir up the yeast in the fermenter into the wort or just let it be?

generally you would want to pull as thick of a slurry as possible, rousing it would be detrimental.

 

[Bigbre04]

I know yall will be surprised to hear this, but i primarily use Apex Munich and Apex Voss, keep a few bricks on hand at any time. I also have Apex Belgian, Hazy, Berlin, and some leftover nova lager.

I keep Lallemand Sour pitch on hand for sours.

 

[Donoroto]

generally you would want to pull as thick of a slurry as possible, rousing it would be detrimental.

To save and re-use it, yes. I'm more thinking of the case of a 5-gallon system: do I just dump new wort on the cake, or try to stir it up a bit?

I suspect that, in the big picture, it prolly doesn't matter. Any yeast stirred up will settle pretty quickly.

 

[Zambi]

To save and re-use it, yes. I'm more thinking of the case of a 5-gallon system: do I just dump new wort on the cake, or try to stir it up a bit?

I suspect that, in the big picture, it prolly doesn't matter. Any yeast stirred up will settle pretty quickly.

I stir up the trub a little, just to loosen it, then pour on new wort.
It works well, but I haven't tried any other method ...

 

[Zambi]

I stir up the trub a little, just to loosen it, then pour on new wort.
It works well, but I haven't tried any other method ...

Got to be a bit clearer, I swirl the fermenter around a bit. I do not actually use any stirring device

 

[Bigbre04]

To save and re-use it, yes. I'm more thinking of the case of a 5-gallon system: do I just dump new wort on the cake, or try to stir it up a bit?

I suspect that, in the big picture, it prolly doesn't matter. Any yeast stirred up will settle pretty quickly.

oh i misunderstood. Ya stirring it up is the best option.

 

[Bigbre04]

for a random scale thing.

at my previous job, we would pull atleast 15.5 gals of slurry. To split that yeast, we would frequently pull 2 x 15.5 gal brinks of yeast, daisy chaining them together. One of those brinks would be a pitch for a batch. 30bbl brewhouse filling 60s, 90s, and 120s so scale was a little different lol.

 

[Josh Hughes]

To save and re-use it, yes. I'm more thinking of the case of a 5-gallon system: do I just dump new wort on the cake, or try to stir it up a bit?

I suspect that, in the big picture, it prolly doesn't matter. Any yeast stirred up will settle pretty quickly.

I dump and give the fermenter a swirl when it do.

 

[Tall_Pint_519]

Reusing any kveik variety is fun. Almost instant active fermentation and finishes very quickly and cleanly (in my experience). I put 5.5 gallons of Cream Ale wort on a cake of Lutra in the bottom of an All Rounder. It was done and mostly clear in less than 5 days. I was drinking clear, carbonated, and clean tasting cream ale 6-7 days after pitch. It's difficult to not use kveik in the summer. So good!

 

[xander10]

As someone who brews predominantly English style ales, I use mostly S-04 sachets as it's been a pretty reliable and easy yeast to use.

 

[Blackmuse]

Been thinking about simplifying things a bit. Don’t know about getting down to one, but I think I could probably get everything I make done by just keeping M54 and M15 on hand…

Wow! I am surprised that there are so few with a "house" yeast! I DO HAVE ONE!

34/70 - I make nearly everything with it. Long ago I used Nottingham for many beers but once I found that 34/70 would do anything nottingham could I switched. My brown ales - 34/70. Porter/stout - 34/70... Honestly, everything except hefeweizen and belgians. But, I rarely make Belgians.

So, this is not to say I DON'T use other yeast - I do. MJ M20, MJ M15, Koln... I used to use WLP300 but now that I've found M20 I don't even bother with it anymore.

What I can say that I DO NOT use is: Liquid Yeast. With the exception of WLP300 I gave up on it back in 2018 when I started using Notty and 34/70 (stopped with WLP300 this year as I found M20 works awesome!
... Dry yeast reigns supreme in my opinion. Makes brewing so much easier and cheaper. I buy 34/70 by the brick and separate into vacuum sealed pouches. Remains viable so much longer than liquid yeast and saves a TON.

I imagine that I will continue to try new dry yeast strains as I find them but mostly I just stick with the HOUSE yeast 34/70.

Sorry to ramble

 

[Josh Hughes]

Wow! I am surprised that there are so few with a "house" yeast! I DO HAVE ONE!

34/70 - I make nearly everything with it. Long ago I used Nottingham for many beers but once I found that 34/70 would do anything nottingham could I switched. My brown ales - 34/70. Porter/stout - 34/70... Honestly, everything except hefeweizen and belgians. But, I rarely make Belgians.

So, this is not to say I DON'T use other yeast - I do. MJ M20, MJ M15, Koln... I used to use WLP300 but now that I've found M20 I don't even bother with it anymore.

What I can say that I DO NOT use is: Liquid Yeast. With the exception of WLP300 I gave up on it back in 2018 when I started using Notty and 34/70 (stopped with WLP300 this year as I found M20 works awesome!
... Dry yeast reigns supreme in my opinion. Makes brewing so much easier and cheaper. I buy 34/70 by the brick and separate into vacuum sealed pouches. Remains viable so much longer than liquid yeast and saves a TON.

I imagine that I will continue to try new dry yeast strains as I find them but mostly I just stick with the HOUSE yeast 34/70.

Sorry to ramble

My plan starting this spring, once i finished brewing Scottish English and Irish beers with their respective liquid yeasts, that I will be using 34/70 dry until it’s time to brew my stout for St. Patrick’s day.

 

[Sunfire96]

Wow! I am surprised that there are so few with a "house" yeast! I DO HAVE ONE!

34/70 - I make nearly everything with it. Long ago I used Nottingham for many beers but once I found that 34/70 would do anything nottingham could I switched. My brown ales - 34/70. Porter/stout - 34/70... Honestly, everything except hefeweizen and belgians. But, I rarely make Belgians.

So, this is not to say I DON'T use other yeast - I do. MJ M20, MJ M15, Koln... I used to use WLP300 but now that I've found M20 I don't even bother with it anymore.

What I can say that I DO NOT use is: Liquid Yeast. With the exception of WLP300 I gave up on it back in 2018 when I started using Notty and 34/70 (stopped with WLP300 this year as I found M20 works awesome!
... Dry yeast reigns supreme in my opinion. Makes brewing so much easier and cheaper. I buy 34/70 by the brick and separate into vacuum sealed pouches. Remains viable so much longer than liquid yeast and saves a TON.

I imagine that I will continue to try new dry yeast strains as I find them but mostly I just stick with the HOUSE yeast 34/70.

Sorry to ramble

Lallemand discontinued Koln and I'm pretty bummed about it k97 just isn't the same

 

[Blackmuse]

Lallemand discontinued Koln and I'm pretty bummed about it k97 just isn't the same

Oh man! That is way too bad! I really liked that yeast and was planning to use it again soon. I agree that k97 isn't the same.

 

[Sunfire96]

Oh man! That is way too bad! I really liked that yeast and was planning to use it again soon. I agree that k97 isn't the same.

I'm sure some retailers still have some if you look around. Let me know if you find any!

 

[Tim Bulin]

Lallemand discontinued Koln and I'm pretty bummed about it k97 just isn't the same

According to @dmtaylor 's yeast master, Mangrove Jack's M54 is the same yeast. Use it A LOT, very versitile yeast.